Public Record Office Despatch

PROV has drawn an end to a massive family history project that has been running continuously since 2004 and called on the tireless efforts of over 50 staff and volunteers.

The Familysearch project involved the digitisation of three of PROV's most significant series of records, VPRS 28 and VPRS 7591 (Wills and Probates) and VPRS 24 (Inquests) by volunteers at PROV and the Genealogical Society of Utah's United States, Canadian and New Zealand affiliates.

The will, probate and inquest records are amongst the most frequently viewed by researchers who access PROV's collection. Their digitisation means that anyone worldwide is able to easily access the records online without having to visit the Victorian Archives Centre.

In all, well over 6 million images of wills, probates and inquests dating as far back as 1853 until 1925 have been digitised. Presently, 70 percent of these are currently available to view from the PROV website with more to be added in the near future.

Further Information
Visit the Family and Local History research pathway from the PROV website for more details on wills, probates and inquest records.

PROV's Koorie Records Unit has had a busy month with the success of the second round of the wilam naling Small Grants Scheme and the addition of another 1634 names to the Koorie Index of Names (KIN).

Administered by PROV with generous funding from Aboriginal Affairs Victoria, the wilam naling Small Grants Scheme offered a share of $39,000 to nine projects managed by groups across Victoria.

  A ceremony was held on Wednesday 21 September to acknowledge the work of the recipients whose funded projects include a range of creative and innovative initiatives to capture, preserve and communicate knowledge and culture for current and future generations.

The wilam naling Small Grants Scheme is one of the projects which has come to fruition through the recommendations made wilam naling...knowing who you are... report (2006). The report, which focuses on ease of access to records for people of Aboriginal descent identifies the importance this has to the mental health and welfare of those seeking to discover more about their past. 

The KIN is another important and successful project to have come out of the report. The KIN already has in excess of 13,800 names indexed of Aboriginal people or people and places associated to Aboriginal people from records held at PROV. So the additional names gleaned from records by volunteers at PROV could provide an important missing link for someone who is researching their past.

Further information
Click here for more details on the wilam naling Small Grants Scheme and the Koorie Index of Names

The Victorian State Government's Local History Grant Program, 2011-12 round is now open to applicants.

Administered by PROV, the program offers a total of $350,000 in funding to not-for-profit community groups across Victoria to support the cost of projects that preserve, record or publish Victorian local history.

Applications close on Friday 11 November 2011.

Further information
Click here for more information including guidelines, application forms, frequently asked questions and past recipients

11am Thursday 6 October
Seminar: Introduction to Public Record
Office Victoria catalogue
Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne

Saturday 8 October
Victorian Archives Centre Saturday opening
Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne

9.30am Thursday 13  & 14 October
Workshop: Koorie Workshop: Caring for your collections (Day 1) &
Workshop: Koorie Workshop: Discovering your past through records (Day 2)
Bendigo

• Learn about accessing information, resources and support for exploring family and community histories
• Look at how to care for precious historical material
• Interactive sessions with opportunities to ask questions and share ideas
• Ideal for Aboriginal Victorians and community groups
• FREE, but bookings are essential and each day must be booked separately (click on the workshop headings above to book)
• Program will be repeated on 6 and 7 December in Morwell (click here for further details)

11am Friday 14 October
Tour: Victorian Archives Centre repository
Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne

11am Wednesday 19 October
Workshop: Caring for your photos and documents
Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne

Friday 21 October
Tour: Victorian Archives Centre repository
Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne

11am Thursday 27 October
Seminar: Advanced Collection Searching
Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne

Saturday 29 October
Victorian Archives Centre Saturday opening
Victorian Archives Centre, North Melbourne

Further Information
For all events and bookings details, visit
PROV's What's On calendar or click on the
individual event titles above