Metadata works much the same way as a card index catalogue – it provides information about a particular object. This information can be quite basic or incredibly detailed, layered and complex depending on your needs.
Category Archives: Archives Made Easy
August 2009: Link roundup post
This is a roundup of some interesting links that we’ve stumbled across over the last month or so. If you’re interested in Archives 2.0, Conservation, Archival Processing and Research tools click here.
Temora Community Archive – Part 1: Building the “Underground Archive”
The most important aspect of the Temora Community Archive Project is that through it, Temora has developed a way to effectively preserve and manage its unique community records over the long term. We worked on the assumption, that if the community had a better alternative…they would use it. They do.
Using shadows to date photographs (part 2)
The exact location of the photo is critical to the process. Without knowing your location on the planet, you cannot work out the location of the sun to get the date and time.
Useful Tips for Reading Handwritten Documents
In these days of Web 2.0 and the use of high tech tools and databases which can answer research queries in an instant, the challenge presented by reading and interpreting handwritten archival documents often comes as a surprise to first time researchers.
Using shadows to date photographs
This is a guest post from William Oates, University Archivist, Heritage Centre University of New England.
The team at the University of New England (UNE) and Regional Archives has been trialling dating some of the photographs in their collection using the shadows cast by the sun. The two photos in this post are from a series of 29 photograph albums created by the White sisters of ‘Saumarez’ Homestead near Armidale. Donated by the family to the regional archives at UNE, these images capture aspects of the late Victorian and Edwardian rural lifestyle enjoyed by the White family.
Military Rally - Imperial Hotel, Armidale
The photographs in question portray scenes from a recruitment rally in the streets of Armidale during World War One. One precise method for dating of the event could have been obtained by reviewing newspaper articles during the war years. Instead, dating methodology using the shadows cast by the sun on a given map reference was tested by a volunteer at the UNE & Regional Archives.
Military Rally - Imperial Hotel Armidale
The location of the photo was easily identified from the hotel in the background. A shadow of identifiable length was found in one picture and from this a number of possible dates generated from the available algorithm. Once this date was calculated, we then searched the newspapers to locate the story.
On the 11th August 1917, a recruiting team for the Australian Imperial Forces was invited to a series of functions in Armidale according to the Armidale Chronicle. This team included Victoria Cross winner Billy Jackson who lost his hand in action in France in 1916. The moment captured by one of the White girls clearly shows the recruiting team with Jackson in attendance.
Using shadows to date photographs (part 2)
William Oates
(Photographs courtesy of: University of New England and Regional Archives – (A1473) White Family Photographs – Album 4. Please contact for further information)
What is ‘distributed management’?
Distributed management is a strategy under which a public office, or other person, can enter into an agreement with State Records to have possession or custody of State archives.