Commercial Activities
Overview
In 1997 ASAP had 56 commercial clients. Some of these resulted in major projects costing $100,000s and involved detailed indexing and management of records with associated digital imaging for enhanced access. However, about half of the initial expressions of interest did not result in substantive projects in 1997 but may in the future.
The continuing work for the power generation industry in Victoria was again the major focus of our commercial activities. This work challenged the boundaries of the tools and techniques available and again involved ASAP’s key innovative staff in problem solving and product development of the highest order. For further details see below. Key clients in this area included: Hazelwood Power Corporation Ltd, Loy Yang Project, Loy Yang Power Ltd, SECV, Southern Hydro Ltd, and Yallourn Energy Ltd.
Selected Highlights
Generation Victoria Round II
The highlight of the year was the successful completion of this extraordinary project. The quantities of records involved, combined with a complex organisational history and in some senses an even more intriguing contemporary framework, made for a most challenging project. The project team, lead by Lisa Enright, remained focused on the specific requirements of the project for the two years of its duration, although the context in which they were working was volatile and unpredictable. The project covered a very large quantity of administrative and technical records that were documented and distributed to the respective clients, including Victoria’s Public Record Office.
The comprehensive completed database containing the integrated contextual (accession, series, provenance) information and the detailed inventory descriptions combined with an accurate description of the location of all records at the time of hand over, was distributed to all relevant parties on CD-ROM. A variety of paper reports and training sessions were presented to help the clients in their respective roles as the ongoing custodians of the records. The relationship established with the SECV to deal with a wide variety of records issues is reflected in a number of the projects mentioned below.
Loy Yang Project
This project dealt with the records relating to the design, commissioning and construction of the Loy Yang power stations. Site processing of records was conducted in the Latrobe Valley and at SECV Offices in Melbourne through to April 1997, and with the finalising of the series and provenance entries the completed project, in the form of a comprehensive integrated database, was handed to the client in May 1997. This project ran concurrently with the final wind-up of the SECV Loy Yang Project and ensured the effective, efficient and timely documentation of records to meet both current and future operational needs.
Hazelwood Power Corporation Ltd
Hazelwood Power Corporation Ltd maintained its links with ASAP with steady work on the records of both the mine and the power station. The archives and records relationship with Hazelwood goes back to June 1993 and clearly demonstrates the benefits organisations can gain from maintaining an archival partnership with an external professional archival service provider.
Yallourn Energy Ltd
A detailed consultancy study was done on the state of archives and records management at Yallourn Energy Ltd in the second half of 1997. The study revealed and reinforced the importance of integrating records and information management across the full spectrum of states in which records exist. For organisations with long-lived plant, equipment and civil constructions representing substantial investments this requirement is brought into clear focus.
Howard Florey Institute of Experimental Physiology and Medicine
Chris Jack commenced work on the surveying and accessioning of records for this most important medical research institute in Melbourne. The Florey Institute, which began its work in 1947, is a highly focused research organisation with long-term research programs. Although there has been a certain amount of staff turnover at all levels in recent times the organisation is noted for its stability and the commitment of staff to its research programs. However, this results in significant amounts of corporate knowledge held only in the heads of staff or in records or information systems. The capturing of this knowledge through the documentation and management of records is the key driving force behind this and similar projects.
Museum of Victoria
Barbara Cytowicz worked through April and May 1997 surveying and accessioning records in a variety of locations for the Museum of Victoria. The Museum, which is going through the period of most significant change it has encountered since its inception last century, has been preparing to relocate its artefact and research collections, its staff, restructuring its administrations and programs and has commenced work on its new building. It is a critical period for the records of the Museum and ASAP is keen to develop an ongoing archival partnership with the Museum to ensure that their records retain their authority and integrity throughout this period of change but are also readily available for use and integrated into their emerging museum information system.
SECV Personnel Records and Associated Projects
A major activity for ASAP in 1997 has been the implementation of a large project for the SECV to enable the long-term management and access to a wide variety of administrative records including records, documents and information in both paper and electronic systems. The project has required a high level of processing at a fine level and this has been achieved using a dedicated team in the Latrobe Valley. Imaging of records has again been a key to the success of the project. It provides radically improved access and long term security, thus reducing the level of risk faced by the client through the protection of their vital records. This project will continue on into 1998.
 | |
|
Contents |
ASAPWeb |
What's New? |
Statistics
Search | Site Index | Site Map
Published by: Australian Science Archives Project on ASAPWeb, 1 September 1998
|