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SocietyArchive

Page history last edited by R H Johnston 13 years, 8 months ago

Yateley Society Archivists Report Richard Johnston July 2010

There is nothing that requires immediate action by YSEC.

Background

The origins of the Yateley Society's archives and libraries go back to the beginning of the Society, and fall into a numbe of distinct categories:

1) The Society's own administrative records - such as records of AGMs and EC meetings, and correspondance. 
a) Although the and AGM and EC meetings are (almost) complete, the same is definitely not true for correspondance, which was usually retained by the person writing letters - if indeed they kept a copy of out going correspondance at all.  A few paper files exist of the papers of chairmen or secretaries for earlier periods.  
b) Since the advent of computerisation most such correspondance has been undertaken by email and even where conventional mail has been used only a computerised version  of outgoing mail exists, if it still exists at all.  I have computerised versions of what I produced, but not for any one else, and even my email correspondance is mixed in with my non Yateley Society material, and would take a while to separate out.  
c) The paper material that was in my possession has all been digitised and sent to HRO.  
d) Other EC and former EC members presumably either still have their material or have disposed of it, but I have no information about this.

2) Material relating to the former Natural History group  A relatively small volume of material, including photographs, many of which are of places on the common or elsewhere in Yateley but unidentified, and probably now unidentifable, plus other material much of it not really to do with Yateley.  Some of the material was developed for exhibitions. Some has been digitised.

3) Planning material  There is a great deal of this, but mostly held by Peter Tipton and not me, and mostly therefore uncatalogued.  very little has been digitised, but all of a rich source for recent (and not so recent) Yateley history and topography, and also quite a lot about ecology.  A few items digitised, and much of it needs to be sent to HRO

4) Yateley history library and archives  This started out as the Yateley history library, and has subsequently had a lot of extra material added to it from various sources, and more recent materials have often been obtained only in digital format.The main elements are:
a) Collection of books with Yateley relevance (plus others which are more general or about places distant form Yateley which have now usually been weeded with a view to disposal).  Relevant ones have now largely been digitised.
b) Collection of photocopies of materials for Yateley history collected mainly by Michael Holroyd in the early 1980s.  Now almost wholly digitised, and the photocopied themselves recycled.
c) Map collection - both originals and copies.  Almost wholly digitised, with some originals with sent to HRO (where they have manuscript amendments and annotations), and rest kept for local reference (since digitised maps aren't always satisfactory)
d) Church related materials - usually but not always photocopies - mainly from Jean McIlwaine - material now mostly digitised, and original materials sent to HRO.  Other church material also digitised and sent to HRO
e) Material from Stilwell family - originals and copies - largely digitised and original material sent to HRO.  Some probably duplicated material still being assessed.
f) Material from Sydney Loader - originals and copies - largely digitised and original material sent to HRO.  
g) Material from Gordon Harland collected and created by him during his local history researches - largely digitised and original material sent to HRO.  
h) Material created by me during my researches - includes house surveys, collection of a wide variety of source data - largely a digitial only collection, and as yet mostly uncatalogued.
i) Yateley photographs - partly paper and partly digital - paper side largely digitised, and some sent to HRO - digital still largely uncatalogued
j) Yateley history project "CD" materials - not well connected to the emerging catalogue
k) Yateley Society scrapbooks - S Pattenden - completed ones digitised.
l) NB there may be other YS members still holding materials of which I am unaware.

5) Material from exhibitions - held mainly by Peter Tipton - no catalogue, not digitised. noit assessed for archival value.

6) Oral History - Only a little held by me, and I am not up to date about the rest - some of which has been sent to Wessex Sound archive

Note I may have missed something!

Progress on digitisation since April 2009

The following are statistics for items done during the current
programme only
 1. how many images you have now archived? (actual or estimated)

about 52000 (actual)

The total data volume is of the order of 225Gb, though most data is duplicated in different forms for a combination of data security and user convenience reasons.  

2. how many discrete documents this represents?

3300 (actual - this is based on the number of ocred pdf docs there
are, which is the format used to provide "normal access")

Note that the size of a document ranges from a single small sheet to large books.  

The total data size of these "user" docs is about 7Gb.  

3. Estimated % currently complete?

90% (estimated), though this depends somewhat on exactly what documents are included - some planning/ natural history related documents have not been done, and some outstanding material may not be appropriate to be done.  

Note that this total may include some items that have only ever been available in digital format.  

NB Not all documents scanned during this exercise will be going to HRO - for instance they may be items for local use copied from HRO or other depositories, published books or pamphlets of general rather than Hampshire interest etc.  

NB There is a large collection of wholly digital material still needing organising and cataloguing, which isn't uncluded in the above completion estimates.  

Current situation

Progress has slowed down substantially in the last three months, because my current living conditions and present need to do other tasks has reduced the time available.  This may continue for another few months.  The progress made has been considerable and the majority of Yateley's archivable material is now at HRO.

What is left to do is generally of lower value or is difficult in some way, and so was left for later in order to reduce the volume of material.  It will be competed when possible.  Once I am agin able to have the photographing equipment and myself regularly ijn the same place dealing that will become easier.  (At present I photograph, and take digital material away to work on, which is fine when there are no problems with the material).

I am also currently going through Jean McIlwaine's remaining material removing duplications and preparing it for HRO.

There is now a quite large volume of material which has been digitised, but which is neither archival quality now now needed for local use (since a digitial image version is available).  Some of this material is marketable at a high value, some may be of use to HCC for its Local history library (as opposed to HRO archives), and at some stage help will be neeeded in dealing with this stuff.

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