Thursday, September 27, 2012

Expert Q&A :: Preserving your paper & photographic artefacts

For our Expert Q&A Thursday, September 27 we had Tania Riviere, Senior Conservator in Services and Exhibitions at the National Archives of Australia, and Cheryl Jackson, Conservator of Photographic Materials at the National Archives of Australia. Thanks again to Tania and Cheryl for giving us all the benefit of their experience. Please find the transcript of the Q&A and links below.

Don't forget our Expert Q&As happen every Thursday night on the Inside History Magazine facebook page.

When: NSW - ACT - VIC - TAS: 8:30-9:30pm AEDT | QLD: 7:30-8:30pm | WA: 5:30-6:30pm | NT: 7:00-8:00pm | SA: 8:00-9:00pm

Tania Riviere is the Senior Conservator of Services and Exhibitions at the National Archives of Australia and a qualified paper conservator. Cheryl Jackson is a Conservator of Photographic Materials at the National Archives of Australia and she has an interest in preventive conservation and conservation education.

Top tips for preserving family photos from Cheryl Jackson:
  1. Don't touch or write on the face of a print, inks and fingerprints can cause image material to deteriorate.  
  2. Don't apply sticky tape, even "preservation" tape. 
  3. Monitor your collection for mould and insect activity. 
  4. Use copy images for scrapbooking type projects. 
  5. Once you've spent lots of time digitizing your images, BACK UP YOUR WORK. Write your files to a disk or thumb drive and use these formats as a transport medium to another hard drive. Don't rely on disks or thumb drives as your only backup.
Top tips for preservation from Tania Riviere:
  1. My top tip would be packaging, make sure you have it. It doesn't need to be expensive. If all else fails, a styrofoam fruit packing box is sometimes all you need. Packaging ensures against dust, light and any potential disasters from water leaks, etc. 
  2. Remember to check on your records a few times a year, especially if they show evidence of past mould attack. 
  3. And lastly, if you have to force something open or closed, then don't, it will inevitably lead to disaster.  

Summary of links from the Q&A:

Cheryl Jackson's column in Issue 12 of Inside History 

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Transcript of Expert Q&A - Preserving your paper & photographic artefacts with NAA:

Comment: IHM: Welcome everyone, thanks for joining us tonight. The rules are simple. Try to keep your questions concise and focused on the preservation of photographic and paper materials, that will help Cheryl and Tania to answer as many as possible in the hour that we have.
Q&A tip :: Keep refreshing your browser to see the answers and questions as they appear.

Q. From Geoff: Things like this - keep them folded or flatten them? Folded for 100 years, mind. Other examples in my fb album.
A. Deb: I'd store flat items in acid-free mylar or polyethylene sleeves; could back them with acid-free cardboard for extra support. Then scan them once, high resolution, good scanner, no settings like "sharpening" or any color-correction activated, save as TIFF - scan front & back. Store photos & ephemera in a cool, dark area, or inside acid-free containers or folders. We have our family Bible in an acid-free box.
Q (b): From Geoff: Thanks, Deb. And WW1 postcards still bound in books? Are the original 'tissue' paper interleaves likely to be 'safe' for long term storage? Or should I add something else? They've done their job quite well since 1918, I must say.
A. Chez: I don't think they make a big enough acid free box for the bible, any other suggestions?
A. Tania: Hi Geoff, thanks for your question. Deb has answered it pretty well. If the paper items are happy to lie flat ie: you don't have to force the creases, then yes, store them flat within some sort of protective pacakging. For things that at A4 to foolscap size (and smaller) in my experience you can't go past a view book - the type school kids use for assignments. These can be purchased from a supermarket or stationary store quite cheaply. Slip a piece of archival copy paper in the sleeve and your item should sit on top of that. The paper provides a level of rigidity to the item, and the plastic sleeve takes all the pressure from handling. You can photocopy through the plastic as well. Look for viewbooks that are labeled 'copy safe', Marbig is a good brand as well.
A. Tania: The viewbooks are nice as they can hold a number of items within the one book, and are very easy to store. Plus you can add information about the items, by slipping typed notes etc into adjacent sleeves.
Q (c): From Geoff: Thanks Tania. Figured it would be like that. Any thoughts on neutralising residual acid in the original paper?
A. Tania: Geoff, you could think about buying buffered paper to slip behind the original item. This will counteract the acidic nature of some papers. Just be aware, buffered paper should not be used for photographic prints.
A. Geoff: Thanks, Tanya. There are a few items that are heavily foxed that might need the extra attention.

Q. From Chez: I have 3 preservation issues... 1. Preserving WW1 photographic postcards from Europe 2. Old big gilt edged colour illustrated family bible 3. Old photos mounted on cardboard like mounts, from photographers.
A. Geoff: Chez, saved me asking. I have 1 & 3 to deal with. Cardboard becoming very soft and crumbly.
A. Deb: I'd store flat items in acid-free mylar or polyethylene sleeves; could back them with acid-free cardboard for extra support. Then scan them once, high resolution, good scanner, no settings like "sharpening" or any color-correction activated, save as TIFF - scan front & back. Store photos & ephemera in a cool, dark area, or inside acid-free containers or folders. We have our family Bible in an acid-free box.
Q (b): From Chez: I don't think they make a big enough acid free box for the bible, any other suggestions?
A. Cheryl: Hi Chez, for your WWI postcards, they may be true photographs or they may be ink prints of photographic images. Either way, their preservation is much the same - neutral pH paper sleeves, or polyester or polyethylene sleeves if you are handling and referring to them a lot. Paper sleeves are better if you live in a humid climate. Handle them by the edges to avoid getting fingerprints on the image area. You can store them upright like index cards as long as you pad the box out so the photos don't slump or slide around. Digitize them by all means, to share their content.
A. Cheryl: Point 3 for Chez and Geoff, too - mounted photos can also be stored in archival plastic sleeves, or neutral pH paper. A slightly larger piece of card inserted into the sleeve behind the mount can support the mount and provide a handling margin.
A. Cheryl: As for the gilt edge bible, if you can buy an archival box that fits it nicely, that's great, or you can wrap it a large sheet of archival paper. Store it flat so that the spine doesn't have to support the heavy text block, as the animal glue that will probably have been used on the spine will be getting brittle and weak with age.

Q. From Lyn: I have my grandparents original 1922 marriage certificate that has been sticky-taped and folded for many years. I have opened it out, placed it in an acid free sleeve and presently it resides in a photo album. Is this the correct way to store it and if it were possible, should I even try to remove the sticky tape?
A. Tania: Hi Lyn, sticky tape can be a real problem. Removing the tape really depends on what stage of deterioration the tape is in. You dont want to 'force' the plastic carrier off, if the residual adhesive is still quite tacky. This can result in a possible tear, and will leave you with a sticky mess that is quite difficult to deal with. However, if the adhesive is dry and dessicated, the plastic carrier will want to fall away from the paper support, and this should be ok. So in short, if you have to force it, leave it alone. What kind of album is it in? Is it adhered in with photo corners? If it lies flat, and is protected (without seeing it) I am likely to suggest to leave it where it is.
A. Lyn: Thank you Tania. The sleeve is just placed loosely in the photo album, not attached in any way. I really was just hoping to compress the certificate as the paper had distorted over the years so that does not not lie flat. The sticky tape has left a yellowed deposit along the fold lines that seems to be getting darker over the years. The whole thing is very brittle so I am guessing that leaving as is will be the best solution. I had hoped to have it framed but maybe not.
A. Tania: Lyn, don't give up hope of framing it. By the sounds of it, I think you might need to take it to a conservator and have them have a look at it.

Q. From Sharon: I have my ggg grandfather's medical certificates and dating from the 1840s rolled up in a metal cylinder. I took them out last year and they seem in reasonable condition. The larger ones are a bit tattered around the edges. Good quality paper and some appear to be vellum. Should I take them out? Store them flat? There are at least 30 of them. Any advice gratefully received.
A. Tania: 
Hi Sharon, rolled up items in metal tubes, I would tend to take them out and store them flat, plus that way you can view and handle them a little easier . However, it does depend on how strong the curl memory is. Again, you dont want to have to force anything to lie flat, especially if you think some of them might be velum. The concern with keeping them in the rolled metal container (again without seeing the items in question) is that each time you want to take them out to view them you run the risk of damaging them by rubbing them against the tube/opening. Depending on their size, you could also use a viewbook like suggested to Geoff, or it they are bigger, a box big enough for them to lie flat, interleaved with archival tissue/paper, which will provide a barrier, and a support to add (in pencil) a title or information about the sheet below. Does this cover everything for you? Let me know.

Q. From Fiona: I have inherited a stack of negatives in the old style that is the size of the photo (not sure of the proper name!). They have not been stored very well (mostly in old biscuit tins) - how should I preserve them for the future? Is there an inexpensive way to copy them so I can keep them in digital format?
A. Cheryl: Fiona - these negatives that are about photo size are medium or large format still camera negs. They may be cellulose acetate, cellulose nitrate, or polyester depending on their age. If they are earlier than the 1940's they are probably nitrate; 1940's to 1960's they could be one of a few types of cellulose acetate, or they could be modern polyester negs. Nitrate and acetate negs need to ne copied as they will inevitably deteriorate. Handle them very carefully, by the edges and scan them on a flatbed scanner suitable for negative and transparency material, or photograph them on a light box with a good camera. Once you've digitized them, house them in photo-safe paper sleeves. Photos require a higher level of quality than just "acid-free". Store them in a cool, dry place, away from the rest of your collection as once they start to deteriorate, they will cause other material to deteriorate faster.
A. Cheryl: A bit of a note about storage enclosures for photos..."acid-free" isn't enough for photos. Papers and plastics for photographic material need to be more pure so that they don't contain chemicals that will discolour the image material, embrittle the emulsion layer or stain the paper support. Ask for paper that has passed the Photographic Activity Test, or PAT.
A. Geoff: Ah ... that's one of my other questions answered. Some of the better photographic stores have 620 sized sleeves for negatives, usually 4 to a page, set up for ring binders. (I need to get some more - note to self.)
A. Cheryl: The National Archives website has Factsheets available which deal with the preservation of lots of different archival materials. Go to naa.gov.au then Records Management, then Preserve, then Preserving Physical Records.
A. IHM: Here's the link to the fact sheets highlighted by Cheryl :: http://www.naa.gov.au/records-management/agency/preserve/physical-preservation/index.aspx

Q. From Helen: A question about old letters where we have transcribed obscure old hand-writing and typed readable versions: is it safe to include the transcription in the same archival envelope / plastic sleeve? My concern is that the ink or toner of the printed transcription could contaminate the original.
A. Cheryl: Helen, if you place the original and the transcript back to back in a plastic sleeve with a piece of archival paper between the two, everything should be OK. I would suggest the transcriptions be photocopies rather than inkjet printouts, as photocopies are more stable.
A. Prue: You gals are being kept busy! Good work so far
A. Caroline: Enjoying your skilled comments Cheryl and Tania xc
Q (b): From Helen: Thanks Cheryl. Another question: some photographs printed commercially (as opposed to printing them ourselves) have a strong smell, especially when stored in archival sleeves, and the smell seems to increase over time. Are the chemicals used in the printing process deteriorating? And are those photos likely to cause a problem to others stored in the same box or album?
A. Cheryl: Helen, it is possible that the smell is residual processing chemicals. With fully automated processing now, some of the wash/clearing baths may not be long enough. I would suggest storing them separately from you other photos, just in case. Store them in a ventilated space so that whatever is being released from them doesn't build up inside the container and accelerate any deterioration. Do you have the negatives? Could you get them reprinted if you start to notice staining or dye fade occurring?
A. Helen: Thanks. Unfortunately the ones I am concerned about are part of our local history group's collection, and have been copied from originals lent years ago - maybe not even still in existence. We can keep them separate. And I am gradually digitising the collection, so can make other copies.
A. IHM: Which local history group is that, Helen?
A. Helen: Peachester History Committee, Sunshine Coast hinterland, Qld

Q. From Fiona: What is the best way to store old family papers that have already deteriorated somewhat with mildew?
A. Tania: Hi Fiona, I am sure you have already noticed how mildew can weaken paper, make it soft and prone to increased levels of damage through handling. My first comment is to make sure you are looking after your own health and safety first. Mould and mildew is not good for the respitory system. It your items have not been too badly affected ie: they still maintain some strength within the structure, I would suggest, on a nice warm day, take them outside, with a new, clean, soft make up brush, and a dust mask that you can buy from the supermarket, and very gently brush over the items, to lift away any surface mildew/mould that might be present. You will never remove all of the mildew, but as long as you store them in an area in the house which is free from wild flucuations in temp and humidity, you should be ok. I would also advise having them copied either digitally or photocopied. I would avoid storing them in plastic, interleaved between sheets of paper/tissue would be advisable. You want to avoid any possible moisture build up.

Q. IHM: Cheryl - What do you have in the pipeline that we should be excited about?
A. Cheryl: Ahh, lucky me! I've been given the opportunity to conduct research in photographic conservation, then deliver my findings to an international conference of conservators in NZ next year. I will be looking into a more efficient way for conservators to undo the double sided mounting tissue that studios used to adhere their prints to their mountboards. Photos and their boards don't often need to be separated from each other, but when they do, it can be extremely difficult and time consuming. I'm hoping to develop a faster, easier method that could also be applied to those thousands of modern photos permanently stuck into self adhesive albums.

Q. IHM: Wow, where's the hour gone! We have to work out a way to preserve time ;) Final question from me: Tania & Cheryl, favourite story you’ve found in the NAA collection?
A. Cheryl: My favourite item/story is from one of our very early copyright series. The item is a 10 foot 6 inch long albumen panorama. There are several of them, but this monster is my favourite. They were produced by Bernard Holtermann after he made his fortune on the Hill End gold fields. He commissioned two photographers to travel the gold fields and the cities and towns of NSW and Victoria and photograph them on huge glass plate negatives. The negatives were printed up and Holtermann traveled an exhibition of them to the USA and Europe to advertise what a wonderful "Land of Opportunity" Australia was. They are wonderful images taken as a result of a "happily-ever-after" story.
A. IHM: What a great story Cheryl, we love the Holtermann collection as well :: http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/society_art/photography/holtermann/
A. Tania: My favorite item belongs to the personal records collection of Robert Charles Given Coulter. Coulter was the governement surveyor that provided the landscape drawings of the Canberra region to be included in the kits that went out to the competion to design the federal captial. Coulter, along with Caswell and Griffiths also had a entry in the competition, and being the only Austalian team, ranked fourth as an honourable mention. The item dear to my heart is a hand made and bound book of Coulter's called 'Sea Ballads'. It is totally constructed by Coulter, the poems, the artwork works, as well as the bound volume and the spine. It is quite crude in some respects, but showed his ability to create the words, the vision and the vessel to contain it all in. Most of Coulter's artworks are available on the NAA database through digital images - just type in Coulter into the name search function and they will come up.
Comment: IHM: Thanks again to Cheryl and Tania for joining us tonight, I’m sure you’ve found it very useful. I know we have. If you have other questions you’d like to ask you can use National Archives of Australia's contact form here: http://www.naa.gov.au/about-us/contact or call the NAA on 1300 886 881. We’ll publish the questions, answers and links from tonight’s session in a blog post this coming week. Stay tuned for our regular column from the NAA team in our upcoming Issue 13: Nov-Dec 2012 edition!
A. Geoff: I've discovered that QLD State Library shop sells buffering paper. Thanks for your help.

Follow up question from Fiona, 28 September: Thanks to all involved in the Q & A session last night, especially for answering my couple of questions I submitted earlier. Sounds like I have a lot of work to do. One other question that maybe someone could answer for me - does anyone have a recommendation for a flatbed scanner suitable for negatives and transparencies?
A. IHM: Hi Fiona, Gilbert Herrada from the National Archives of Australia recommended the Epsom Perfection V700 in Cheryl's Issue 12 column :: http://ow.ly/e3nzn
A. Fiona: Thank you. I will check it out

Follow up question from Fiona, 2 October: Hi IHM. I have another question following on from the Q & A last week. The flatbed scanner that was recommended - what format does a scanned negative take on? Does it become a photograph in digital format or does it remain a negative in digital format? I have been doing some research on the Epson, but I realised that I don't know what the end result of the scanning would be! Are you able to help?
A. IHM: It does convert to usable digital formats like JPEG and TIFF. Here's a useful Youtube vid on the Epsom Perfection V700:


Next Week: Who's joining us for next Thursday's Expert Q&A? Janis Wilton and Bill Oates from University of New England answering questions on studying Local, Family and Applied History and doing research at University of New England, Armidale.

When: NSW-ACT-VIC-TAS: 8:30-9:30pm AEDT | QLD: 7:30-8:30pm | WA: 5:30-6:30pm | NT: 7:00-8:00pm | SA: 8:00-9:00pm.

Janis Wilton coordinates the local, family and applied history courses at the University of New England and is a community historian with a passion for oral history. Bill Oates is the University Archivist at the Heritage Centre and Archives, University of New England.

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Read the previous Expert Q&A transcripts:
[1]  Thursday, July 26 :: How to get the best from Trove Australia
[2]  Thursday, August 16 :: How to get the best from BDM Certificates
[3]  Thursday, August 23 :: Getting the most from NAA
[4]  Thursday, August 30 :: Interpreting photographs for family history
[5]  Thursday, September 6 :: How to get the best from Ancestry.com.au
[6]  Thursday, September 13 :: Using Trove for research
[7]  Thursday, September 20 :: Today's toolkit for the digital historian
[8]  Thursday, September 27 :: Preserving your artefacts with NAA
[9]  Thursday, October 4 :: Studying and doing research at UNE

[10] Thursday, October 11 :: How to research war graves and Anzac ancestors
[11] Thursday, October 25 :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au
[12] Thursday, November 1 :: How to research cemeteries in Sydney & NSW
[13] Thursday, Nov 8 :: Australian War Memorial - Lost Diggers
[14] Thursday, Nov 15 :: Getting even more from Trove
[15] Thursday, Nov 22 :: Getting the most from findmypast AU & NZ
[16] Thursday, Nov 29 :: Using NAA defence records
[19] Thursday, Dec 20 :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au


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Image from the Q&A session: 


Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Victoria History Week :: 21-28 October 2012

Victoria’s wide and wonderful past looks set to come alive next month thanks to the hundreds of events in store for Victoria History Week.

To be held from the 21 – 28 October 2012, Victorians can:

  • take the family on a trip back in time touring historic Melbourne - from the Burke and Wills monument to the Fairies' Tree;
  • find out how history, law, medicine and science helped piece together the remains of Ned Kelly;
  • celebrate 100 years of the enchanting State Library Dome - a magical place that has inspired writers and artists since it first opened in 1912; 
  • come, if you dare, to a spooky and spine tingling Trick or Treat Fair in the haunted halls of Barwon Park Mansion;
  • put on your student explorer hats and follow the clues to discover Fed Square’s Top Ten artefacts and celebrate its 10th birthday;
  • learn all about the fascinating art of early visual technology at the Magic Lantern Society's Australian Convention; 
  • explore one of Melbourne's grand designs, learning about the construction and social history of our Old Treasury building;
  • experience the lavish interiors and enjoy afternoon tea and a glass of sparkling wine in one of Melbourne’s most significant nineteenth century mansions;
  • hear some of the 3,000+ stories behind the headstones at the Cranbourne Cemetery, exploring the accomplishments and tragedies of the district’s early settlers;
  • roll out the picnic rug and enjoy an afternoon of historic motor vehicles, local arts and crafts at Maffra's Annual Picnic;
  • walk down the aisle and admire a century of wedding dresses and memorabilia from 1880 to 1980;
  • take a rare tour of our Supreme Court building, hearing stories from the archives and discovering judicial robes and wigs;
  • visit the unique Bear’s Castle and discover why the building has kept historians mystified for years;
  • applaud the people and projects who preserve and share Victoria's history, at the Victorian Community History Awards.
  • and much, much more!

“Victoria has such a rich and wonderful history, so we are delighted to once again be able to pull together a whole host of reasons to get out there and explore it,” said Kate Prinsley from the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.

“From fascinating walking tours and engaging discussions, to gorgeous exhibitions and ‘history in the making’ events - there is something in store for everyone to enjoy.”

Victoria History Week is supported by the Vera Moore Foundation and is coordinated by the Royal Historical Society of Victoria.

Event supporters include the History Council of Victoria, Museums Australia Victoria, History Teachers’ Association of Victoria, Heritage Victoria, State Library of Victoria, Melbourne Museum, Immigration Museum, Scienceworks, Public Record Office Victoria, Koorie Heritage Trust Inc and the Australian Institute of Genealogical Studies.

For details on all History Week events, visit www.historyweek.org.au


Friday, September 21, 2012

Expert Q&A :: Today's toolkit for the digital historian

Digital history and online search tools allow "speed relating" in family history research. Tim Sherratt joined us on Thursday, 20th September to answer questions on today’s toolkit for the digital historian.

Don't forget our Expert Q&As happen every Thursday night on the Inside History Magazine facebook page.

When: 8:30-9:30pm EST | WA: 6:30-7:30pm WST | SA - NT: 8:00-9:00pm CST | Weekly on a Thursday night

Tim Sherratt is one of the developers leading the way in digital history & has been building online resources relating to archives, museums and history since 1993. His work includes Mapping Our Anzacs, Trove QueryPic, Archives Viewer - see links below.

Top tips from Tim Sherratt:
  • My basic rule is always don't be afraid to play. There are lots of cool tools around of use to the digital historian and the best way to get a handle on what they do and how they might be of use to you is to mess around with them. 
  • My second rule is look at what other people are doing. The digital humanities community is very generous with its time and ideas and there are lots of people blogging about their research and experiments. Have a look at DigitalHumanitiesNow to get an idea of what's going on: http://digitalhumanitiesnow.org/

Summary of links from the Trove Expert Q&A:
=====================================================

Transcript of Expert Q&A - Today’s toolkit for the digital historian:

Our Expert Q&A with Tim Sherratt starts at 8:30pm EST. Tonight, Tim will be answering questions on today’s toolkit for the digital historian. Please ask your questions in a comment & he'll answer in a following comment.
A. Carmel: not sure exactly on the subject, I know it has something to do with digitizing
A. IHM: Hi Carmel, Tim is an expert on digital or online tools for doing history and family history like Mapping our Anzacs, NAA RecordSearch and other tools for searching and doing history online. Does that help?
A. Chris: I'd be lost without NAA, Mapping Our ANZACS and Trove...

Comment: IHM: Welcome everyone, thanks for joining us tonight. The rules are simple. Try to keep your questions concise and that will help Tim to answer as many as possible in the hour.
A. Tim: Howdy folks!
A. Carmel: oh and hi Tim and Cassie and Wendy

Q. Tim - what do u think the most important rule for newbies to follow when starting today in the digital world???
A. Tim: Fiona, my basic rule is always don't be afraid to play. There are lots of cool tools around of use to the digital historian and the best way to get a handle on what they do and how they might be of use to you is to mess around with them. My second rule is look at what other people are doing. The digital humanities community is very generous with its time and ideas and there are lots of people blogging about their research and experiments. Have a look at DigitalHumanitiesNow to get an idea of what's going on: http://digitalhumanitiesnow.org/
A. Fiona: I totally agree Tim! Thank you for sharing!

Q. Hi Tim & Cassie - I heard Tim speak at Mosman Library & have found the QueryPic utility extremely useful, especially for eg Local Studies, or finding when someone was in the news. You might want to say something about that utility?
A. Carmel: Thankyou Kerry I do not know about this source at all
A. Tim: Kerry, glad you asked :-) because I have a special QueryPic announcement!
A. Carnamah Historical Society & Museum: Sounds exciting!
A. Tim: QueryPic is a little tool I made that visualises results from newspaper searches in Trove and Papers Past. Instead of a list of results, you get a graph, plotting the number of results over time so you can start to see patterns and plot trends. For example, have you ever wondered whether the guy in the red suit at Christmas was called in the 19th century... http://dhistory.org/querypic/2t/




A. Tim: That last link is to the brand new (and still in testing) version of QueryPic. It has a number of new features including the ability to permanently save your QueryPics - great for sharing and citing. You can also do more complex queries. Check it out and let me know what you think! http://dhistory.org/querypic/
A. Chez: Kerry Farmer and Tim OMG just tested out that app....a tad excited at what I can see on my test subject! Just saying!
A. IHM: QueryPic is brilliant isn't it Chez Leggatt & now you can save your searches for later!
A. Carnamah Historical Society & Museum: More of a comment than a question but we'd like to express how useful we find QueryPic. It is amazing for historical insights. We're keen to check out the new features.
Q(b). Tim with this site I see there are generic words there, how would you go with a surname and place. I just tried with a surname and the place they lived and came up with a great line.
A. Tim: Carmel, do you mean QueryPic? Basically, with the new version, you can use it to visualise just about any search in Trove. So if you want to limit it to the newspapers of a particular region, you just use the advanced search option in Trove to build the search you want. Then you can just copy the url and paste it into the query url box in QueryPic.
A. Carmel: that may limit your options too, I have found some events were reported all over Australia, not so much mine. It did work Tim. This would be a great tool when looking for a subject. especially for those who are studying
Q (c). I'm just looking at the new QueryPic. How did you overlay the 2 searches (Father Christmas / Santa Claus)? Also are you able to save the constructed graph, so you don't have to spend time recreating it? (as opposed to just saving the search?)
A. Tim: Kerry, you can combine as many graphs as you want -- just do another search (or paste in a query url) and it'll be added to the last one. If you decide you don't want it, there's a 'Clear last' button to get rid of it again. Yep, saving is one of the main features of the new QueryPic. Once you've created your QP a big blue 'Save' button will appear. Press it and you'll get a simple form to fill out -- the only required fields are a title and your email address. Hit save and you'll be redirected to a new version complete with a persistent url for sharing!
A. Kerry: THANK YOU! I've been using QueryPic ever since I heard about it, but saving & overlaying will make it so much more useful
Q(d). how do you save on querypic...i cant see it"?
A. Tim: Chez, are you looking at the new version? The 'Save' button appears once you've created a graph.
A. Chez: Thanks Tim I had used the one on here earlier...so now redoing query...!
A. Chez: Tim a comment between the 2 versions of your app....in the older version, fewer more accurate documents were found and I liked you could click and get the list of the articles but with the newer version it takes you to trove...not as accurate....with the hits. On the old version you could use '+' between two words, it doesnt accept that now.
A. Tim: Chez, if you click on the graph you still get the first 20 articles just the same as the old version. I've changed the default search to match Trove's default which is 'fuzzy' (ie returns more results). But you now have the option to use Trove's own advanced search interface to make the search as exact as you want. You should also be able to use the 'fulltext' modifier in the QueryPic keywords box -- though I haven't fully tested that yet.
A. Chez: OK I played a bit...putting " " instead of + has the same effect and limits the results to the exact phrase
A. IHM: Looks like we've all got some homework, testing the new QueryPic :)

Q. Hi Tim, Cassie and all, 
Tim, what do you consider the best way to organise your various notes etc. re each family tree? Do you use programs like Evernote, or add all to family tree software?
A. Tim: Chris, I use a variety of things, but mostly I store my links and references in Zotero. It's a free, open-source tool that now works on any platform. It does more than just store bookmarks, it has special translators that capture data from a variety of catalogues and databases, and if translators don't exist for your favourite database you can even write one yourself. I've written translators for the Trove newspaper database and for NAA's RecordSearch, so with a single click you can capture a newspaper article and all its metadata directly into your research database. You can also create public or provate groups to easily share your research: http://zotero.org
A. Chris: Thank you, Tim... you've given me a few things to consider and play with...I didn't want to do anything else anyway, and what a perfect excuse. Thank you for your time and knowledge.

Q. Hi Tim and Cassie. Just curious about e-books for writing family histories. Do you think they will be phased out and replaced as technology improves? What advice would you suggest in that regard.,
A. IHM: Hi Margaret Wild-Storey, interesting question. I'd definitely consider ebooks as a technology that is here for a while and worth investing time in - the makers of tablets such as Apple, Kindle and Samsung are definitely investing significant time & money into them, so they're here to stay we think.
A. Carmel: the only problem there is they have different formats. as long as they are produced for all.

Q. When i search NAA for Service Records via Name Search if I then try to narrow it down with 'Refine result' and I get it wrong , It does not take me back to my search results . Am I doing this wrong, 'cause it's a bit annoying having to search again :) Researching 300 locals at present so a lot of time on NAA and Mapping Our Anzacs . On track now :)
A. Kate: On Wendy's RecordSearch question – I've found that RecordSearch has quirks that you come across when searching in different and creative ways. I've had similar problems to yours. I think it's just one of those things you have to put up with.
A. Tim: Wendy, yes I've heard of some problems with the 'Refine result' option, but I don't have a good answer (I've got Kate Bagnall having a look now!), but if you're a user of RecordSearch there are a couple of little tools I created that might be of use. As I just mentioned, Zotero has a translator for RecordSearch which makes it very easy to capture information about files (including persistent links!). If the files are digitised then you can use my Archives Viewer http://dhistory.org/archives/naa/ All you do is give it a file barcode and it grabs all the page images and presents them on a nice wall. It has a number of useful functions built in -- you can print a whole file or a range of pages (along with the proper references!). The Archives Viewer also creates persistent links for individual pages, so if you find something interesting you can share it!
A. IHM: We have the National Archives of Australia team joining us again next week Wendy Stewart, so I'll take your question to them but I have to say, Tim and Kate are definitely power users, so a solution probably doesn't exist right now :)

Q. Have just stumbled on this qanda through Tim's entry on Twitter. A tough question for this format but one which I find myself thinking every time I see news of Tim's beaut tools. In trying, as I am, to develop metadata structures for a raft of digitised archival materials and to deliver them online, where can I find guidance on creating/adopting a delivery sustem which is suitable for/amenable to the sorts of tools and digital history processes Tim is creating/promoting?
A. Tim: John, perhaps you could ask a question at the DigitalHumanities Questions and Answers site: http://digitalhumanities.org/answers/ As I said before DH folks tend to be generous with their advice. There's also a whole lot of new tools appearing.

Comment: IHM: Here's a site that Tim showed us earlier that you'll like - Tools for digital historians :: http://dirt.projectbamboo.org

Q. Hi Tim, seems like there's lots of new tools coming online. What are you most excited about in digital history today?
A. Tim: Is it too daggy to say 'the people'? It really seems that we have a very positive and supportive community forming. For example have a look at The Programming Historian. http://programminghistorian.org/ Only today I noticed a new lesson had been posted -- a great introduction to a technology known as Topic Modelling (read the lesson!). It's a great example of the way people are creating tools, playing with them and sharing their results. In terms of the technology what really interests me at the moment are trying to find ways to weave things like QueryPic back into our narratives -- to bring big data and small stories together in new and exciting forms. I think there are some great opportunities to start to tell stories inline that also take advantage of thinks like Linked Open data to embed them within rich contexts.
A. IHM: Too daggy? No, it's the people and their stories that made us start our magazine as well. Thanks Tim for joining us tonight. Looks like we’ll all be checking your blog often to keep up with the terrific tools you're building :: http://discontents.com.au/

Comment: IHM: Thanks again to Tim and everyone for joining tonight's session, we’ll publish the questions, answers and links from tonight’s session in a blog post this coming week.
A. Carmel: Thankyou for some great tips and sites to explore! do you know where I can buy time? LOL
A. Tim: Carmel, nope but I'm certainly looking to find some more myself!
A. IHM: Where can we buy time? I think we'll have to have Tim back again!
A. Carmel: It is always good to get updates on material, thank you Tim look forward to exploring more.
A. Tim: On that last point you might like to have a look at a talk I gave last year: http://discontents.com.au/shoebox/every-story-has-a-beginning
A. Kerry: Tim - after you recommended it I've been checking out Storify.com
A. Wendy: Wow , I'm go be checking out all these new links ( after the radio talk on Marriage Certificates :)) Thanks for your time Tim and ISH for hosting these great sessions each week .
A. Tim: Wow, that was surprisingly intense! Thanks folks!

Next Week: We’ll be here again next Thursday, September 27 at 8:30pm, with our next expert Q&A. Next week we have Tania Riviere & Cheryl Jackson, conservators from the National Archives of Australia answering questions on how to preserve your family artefacts.

=====================================================


Read the previous Expert Q&A transcripts:
[1]  Thursday, July 26 :: How to get the best from Trove Australia
[2]  Thursday, August 16 :: How to get the best from BDM Certificates
[3]  Thursday, August 23 :: Getting the most from NAA
[4]  Thursday, August 30 :: Interpreting photographs for family history
[5]  Thursday, September 6 :: How to get the best from Ancestry.com.au
[6]  Thursday, September 13 :: Using Trove for research
[7]  Thursday, September 20 :: Today's toolkit for the digital historian
[8]  Thursday, September 27 :: Preserving your artefacts with NAA
[9]  Thursday, October 4 :: Studying and doing research at UNE

[10] Thursday, October 11 :: How to research war graves and Anzac ancestors
[11] Thursday, October 25 :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au
[12] Thursday, November 1 :: How to research cemeteries in Sydney & NSW
[13] Thursday, Nov 8 :: Australian War Memorial - Lost Diggers
[14] Thursday, Nov 15 :: Getting even more from Trove
[15] Thursday, Nov 22 :: Getting the most from findmypast AU & NZ
[16] Thursday, Nov 29 :: Using NAA defence records
[19] Thursday, Dec 20 :: What's new at Ancestry.com.au

From Issue 12: Sep-Oct edition. Click here to purchase

Expert Q&A :: Using Trove for research

Trove is good, very good. Virginia James and Mark Raadgever from Trove joined us on Thursday, 13th September to answer questions on using Trove for family history research.

Don't forget our Expert Q&As happen every Thursday night on the Inside History Magazine facebook page.

When: 8:30-9:30pm EST | WA: 6:30-7:30pm WST | SA - NT: 8:00-9:00pm CST | Weekly on a Thursday night

As of 13 September 2012 there are 7,420,297 pages consisting of 72,750,378 articles available to search in just the old newspapers on Trove alone! Please find the transcript of the Q&A and links.

Top tips from Virginia and Mark:

  • Mark: My top tip for anyone using Trove (particularly newspapers) is not to discount the content of newspaper Advertising. Not only do some articles appear in there due to errors in processing, but there may also be other information that is useful. Another useful tip is to use the 'near' search and honorifics if searching for names that are also common words - e.g. "mr john black"~2 - this reduces the 'false positives' you get with these names, particularly if you only have a surname
  • Virginia: I like to start general and then start narrowing from there using facets unless I know exactly what I'm looking for. Searching newspapers is different to searching all of Trove, so I guess using the fulltext:searchterm is the most useful tip. What I mean by fulltext:searchterm is when you're in the search box in newspapers, if you type fulltext:McIntyre it will try to search for exactly McIntyre.

Summary of links from the Trove Expert Q&A:
=====================================================

Transcript of Expert Q&A - Using Trove for family history research:

Comment: Carmel: Lol and it has been down the lat 24 hours, we were just saying how life can be soooo hard without it!
A. IHM: So true, you really miss it don't you Carmel Reynen - I know we have :)
A. IHM: Trove is working hard to get back online - go to http://dr.nla.gov.au for updates but Virginia & Mark are here at 8:30pm to answer your questions.
A. Carmel: I am guessing someone is tearing their hair out trying to get it up on line. I must say however I would not know near as much about my ancestors and families without Trove. I was not aware of many of the papers that do exist and I have found some wonderful stories. I found a biography about one ancestor living in Fitzroy with things I would not have known about otherwise (even if it did bring on more questions) and then there were family living in Arthurs Creek and people writing stories about tours of the area and talking to my g grandfather then describing the farm they all lived on. It was almost like reading a Jane Austen novel only my ancestors were the characters. Pure Gold
A. Mark: We have an update on the outage - see http://dr.nla.gov.au
A. Carmel: as frustrating it is for all of us that Trove is down, but hey those Techs would be frantic! we are just spoilt
A. Virginia: So glad you guys are being patient with us! It's so frustrating for us too when we can't give you precise answers or exact URLs for you to click on.
A. IHM: We're a civilised, polite bunch here Virginia :)

Comment: Lisa: Just love TROVE,I'm also a TAFE teacher and used it this week to teach my students some searching and filtering techniques. They are a mature class and were just enthralled - the web address was quickly noted for future use . . . Some new converts I think. :)
A. Virginia: @Lisa, That's fantastic! The education sector is one we're trying to reach out to more so it would be good to get feedback on how we could do that better!

Comment: IHM: Welcome everyone, thanks for joining us tonight. Try to keep your questions concise and focused on Trove, that will help Virginia and Mark to answer as many as possible in the hour that we have. They’ve also kindly agreed to answer any questions asked but not answered tonight here tomorrow.
A. Virginia: Hi all!
A. Carmel: hello
A. Helen: Good evening :)
A. Mark: (BTW, Hi all)

Q. Firstly thank you so much for Trove. My question that the red underlining is not dark enough for myself or older people, it would be great if you could darken the references. Thank you?
A. Mark: @Betty Thanks for your feedback on the underlining - We consulted with a number of users (including both older and vision impaired users) before finalising on that as being the best option from what was suggested. The limitations of the software mean that at the moment there is not much we can do. We will note this as a suggestion to be re-examined at some point. You may also find that by changing the zoom of the newspaper page it may become clearer where words are underlined. You can also use the browser 'find' button to find where the word appears in the text on the left, then click on the line that the word is in to jump the page to that point.

Q. Is there any way of contacting people who have tagged something, I usually put my initials and the family name I am researching, if someone else is looking for that same family how can we find them?
A. Julie: @Carmel Reynen Top question re contacting people who've tagged family history articles. Would be great to contact people researching the same family.
A. Mark: @Carmel & @Julie - at the moment we don't provide people with the ability to see who has added a specific tag to the article. You may be able to find this out by checking the profiles of people who have corrected the text to see if they've added the tag. Otherwise, you can post a comment asking people researching that family to contact you (I'd recommend setting up a free email account because you may get a bit of spam). Otherwise, you can try posting in the forums (http://trove.nla.gov.au/forum) asking people who are interested to contact you.
Q(b). IHM: Thanks Virginia James, can users raise development suggestions like Carmel Reynen & Julie Boxsells direct with the Trove team? How would they raise the suggestions?
A. Virginia: Great question Ben! We love getting suggestions for improvements! The best way is to send them through the contact us form. That way we never lose them and we can also let people know if it's a suggestion already on the list. I know it looks like we might not be doing anything with the suggestions, but believe me we have a long list of enhancements that we want to tackle when we have resources available. Right now our biggest improvement on the go is to make the Help and About pages better, hopefully including a search function so people can search for answers to the questions they need help with! And by 'questions' I mean the sorts of questions like 'How do I search for an exact name?' or 'How do I find theses on a specific topic', or 'How do I change my password.'
A. IHM: Thanks Virginia, here's the contact form link for everyone :: http://trove.nla.gov.au/contact
A. Mark: The mockups that I've seen for the help pages are looking good!
A. Tanya: Love the idea of using questions to answer questions. They will help you before you even realise you've been helped!
A. Virginia: @Tanya, Well, we're hoping the new help functionality will be able to answer the questions before people have to ask us for the answers! We often get repeats of the same sorts of questions so we want to be able to provide the answers more easily for people!

Q. Is there a way on Trove to select a paper straight up rather than going through the growing list to find the publication you want to search?
A. Mark: @Chez Leggatt - If you are asking about the advanced search page, the you can use the browser 'find' function to search for the newspaper (this will find it in the list). Otherwise, you can select the 'view all titles' link from the Trove newspapers homepage, find the newspaper in this list, then select the 'Search only this title' box that appears underneath the search box in the top right-hand corner of the page. You can bookmark this newspaper page so you can simply return to that page rather than going through the homepages.
A. Chez: Hmmm Mark...I will test out if that will do what I am looking for once you are up and operational again..thankyou!! I ♥ Trove btw!!

Q. I can't seem to access death notices for Northern Star Lismore.
A. Mark: @Esma - have you tried browsing through the pages of the newspaper or checking in the advertising section? You may also be able to find them by searching for 'death' in addition to your other search terms.
Q(b). Esma: Are Campbelltown or Camden NSW newspapers being added to Trove?
A. Mark: There have been a couple of questions about whether newspapers from particular areas are available. As the NLA site is currently down we can't link to our list, but a copy of it can be found at http://www.gouldgenealogy.com/2012/07/update-on-troves-historical-australian-newspaper-digitisation-program/ . If titles you are interested in are not on this list, please suggest them at http://librariesaustraliaref.nla.gov.au/reft100.aspx?key=TrNDP

Q. From Hillary Lowden: What is the schedule for materials from the Bendigo Advertiser to be loaded on Trove?
A. Virginia: To answer Hillary's question, we're happy to say the Bendigo Advertiser is starting to com online as we speak (well, once we're back up that is!) and it will progressively have more available online in coming months. The process takes awhile unfortunately.

Q. I am also interested in Avoca, Ampitheatre Maryborough area not sure what was available there but are there plans for there.
A. Mark: There have been a couple of questions about whether newspapers from particular areas are available. As the NLA site is currently down we can't link to our list, but a copy of it can be found at http://www.gouldgenealogy.com/2012/07/update-on-troves-historical-australian-newspaper-digitisation-program/ . If titles you are interested in are not on this list, please suggest them at http://librariesaustraliaref.nla.gov.au/reft100.aspx?key=TrNDP

Q. My question (apart from one already lodged) is:
The other night I was correcting, and there was a loud bang, a flash of light and dust everywhere. When I picked myself up, I realised I had just been passed by the wonderful Friends of Penrith Library. As they seemed to be travelling faster than the speed of sound, I suspect there was more than just one person peddling at the same time. If I register a historical society for a few people who just want to try/aren't game to register themselves, can more than one person use the same user-name at the same time?
A. Virginia: @Linda, To answer your first question about how many people are actually registered to correct text, we have a total of 70,000 users registered but only 3,761 are actively correcting text.
A: Linda: Seventy thousand. I am in awe! Even almost four thousand actively correcting is a fair-sized miracle. Thank You!
A. Virginia: @Linda, and to answer your second question... at the same time? Hmmm... I'm not sure! Mark might know that one better but I would imagine it would cause difficulties!
A. Mark: @Linda - I'm not sure about having multiple users logged in on one account simultaneously, it may work, but I haven't experimented with that yet.
A. Mark: @Linda if you want to experiment and let us know, that would be great :-)
A. Linda: Hi Mark, Had just begged my beloved for his computer, and was about to experiment (I admit I have registered one society identity, but not tried), and Tove is, unfortunately, still down. I shall get back to you once it has settled into its normal very reliable state. :)
A. Mark: @Linda - when you've done some experimenting let us know
A. Virginia: @Linda, I agree with Mark! It would be useful for us to know if it's possible so we can let other groups know if they ask us!

Q. What would be your TOP research/search tip for genealogists using Trove? (One each) :)
A. IHM: lol, that's our question Helen Leggatt - good one though :)
A. Mark: @Helen - My own top tip for anyone using Trove (particularly newspapers) is not to discount the content of newspaper Advertising. Not only do some articles appear in there due to errors in processing, but there may also be other information that is useful. Another useful tip is to use the 'near' search and honorifics if searching for names that are also common words - e.g. "mr john black"~2 - this reduces the 'false positives' you get with these names, particularly if you only have a surname
A. Virginia: @Helen, I'm a bit different to Mark... I like to start general and then start narrowing from there using facets unless I know exactly what I'm looking for. Searching newspapers is different to searching all of Trove, so I guess using the fulltext:searchterm is the most useful tip.
Q(b). IHM: Hi Virginia James, can you explain fulltext:searchterm a little more
A. Virginia: BTW, what I mean by fulltext:searchterm is when you're in the search box in newspapers, if you type fulltext:McIntyre it will try to search for exactly McIntyre. (Mark can elaborate if I'm slightly off on that one. He's the newspaper expert.) :)
A. Chloe: Hi all! I just tuned in and would like to second what Mark just said about looking in the Advertising section. I have been looking there lately and there is heaps of potentially useful info as well as lots of curiosities. I enjoy the latter!

Q. is there any programs to get papers that have never been microfilmed? Also with all the fuss of newspapers going digital these days does anyone know what will happen to these in the future?
A. Virginia: @ Carmel, I'm not personally aware of any programs to keep or archive papers that haven't been microfilmed, but Ben got a question from someone who has kept some papers from a certain period that was wondering if they'd be of interest to Trove. I'd love to be able to provide the exact link but if you do a search for 'donating' or 'donation' on the NLA website when it's back up you can find information on donating materials to the NLA. I'm sure the State Libraries would also be interested in collecting old issues of newspapers.
Q(b). From Noreen Malone: In the 1991 Floods I kept our local Daily Newspaper for about 2wks would these be of any interest to Trove?
A. Virginia: Thanks Ben, that's the one! I hope Noreen sees this and is able to contact the NLA or State library about donating the issues!
A. Mark: @Carmel - with the microfilming of newspapers that are not currently available on microfilm, ANPlan, which involves all the State Libraries, as well as the National Library, is managing this process. It is possible to digitise from the hardcopy of newpapers, but this is a more expensive process. With newspapers going digital, that is more a question for the Web Archiving team...
A. IHM: Wanted! Australia's missing newspapers. What's in your shed or under the bed? Old newspapers tell the stories of their times, through ads, photos, obituaries, classifieds. Contact National Library of Australia: http://www.nla.gov.au/anplan/about/collect.html
A. Virginia: @Carmel, I think Mark and I have interpreted your question in different ways, which is a good thing, because I was thinking about what would happen to the digitised copies as well and was hoping a digital master would be kept!

Q. From Dyonne Adams: What is the schedule for materials from the New England regional newspapers to be loaded on Trove?
A. Mark: @Dyonne Adams - Unfortunately we can't provide a schedule for materials for New England (or any specific region) newspapers to be loaded into Trove. The digitisation process does take time, and unfortunately we can only digitise a certain number of newspapers each year. If the titles are on the list of selected titles, then they should be in Trove by June, if not, then they first need to be prioritised etc. If you can organise funding for the title/s to be digitised then they will get done quicker!
A. Dyonne: Inside History Magazine, thanks for asking the question re New England newspapers...do you happen to know what they mean by organising funding?
A. IHM: You're welcome Dyonne Adams, anytime :) Funding was discussed in our 1st Q&A with Trove - see http://ow.ly/dGlsZ - and some societies etc have started seeking donations to fund the digitisation and load of their local newspapers to Trove. There's also more at http://www.nla.gov.au/ndp/get_involved, when the NLA sites are back up. Also, Linda Barraclough is in the process of raising funds so she may be able to help :)
A. Dyonne: oh excellent, i'll look tomorrow when the site is up and running...Again, thanks :)

Q. Mark I am with the Ballarat and District Genealogical Society and we have gained funds to have some of our historic newspapers digitised, which are already up on line. We had someone contact us about having their papers done. Who should I direct him to?
A. Mark: @Carmel - There are a couple of links on the page to suggest a title that they should read first. They should probably contact their State Library to discuss the options, and they can also use the Trove contact form - http://trove.nla.gov.au/contact - which we will forward to the relevant people.

Q. We're nearly at the end & you've given us your top tips. So can you tell us your favourite find on Trove? And if you've looked up your own families.
A. Virginia: I know I have a few favourite finds on Trove, mostly little things I come across when I'm searching for something to Tweet about; they're usually funny or strange stories in the newspapers, or gorgeous photos contributed to our Flickr group.
A. Mark: My favourite find in Trove is something found when working on getting the Digitised Newspapers up and running - a series of articles about monkeys that escaped from a zoo in Brisbane, including a photo in one of them...I believe the title of the article is 'The Truant'...Search for 'escaped monkey' in the Courier Mail, 1933-1934...
A. Carmel: I found a biography of my 3x g grandfather which was such a great find. Also my grandmother was born in Arthurs Creek. A couple of people went there as a holiday and spoke of running into a local and the conversation that followed. this was my great Grandfather, the following day they went to the farm and described the scene. It was like reading a novel and my family were the main characters.
A. Virginia: @Carmel, Wow! That must have been so amazing for you to find!
A. IHM: Love your story Carmel Reynen - that's why we should all travel the paths our ancestors took, you'll never know who or what you'll find :)
A. IHM: Trove: Australia in Picture flickr group :: http://www.flickr.com/groups/pictureaustralia_ppe
A. Carmel: These are treasures I would never have found if it were not for TROVE. actually when I recommend Trove for people, I tell them to google Trove, think of it as a treasure trove as it is full of treasures.
A. Mark: @Carmel - that is a great way to think of it!
A. Virginia: @Carmel, Awesome! That's actually how Trove got it's name... a treasure trove. :)
A. Chez. Thanks that was great..my best find so far...a write up on my Great Great Grandfathers 80th Birthday celebration and then his Obituary a couple of years later with the report of his death too....comments made in these articles gave me an insight into the man....

Comment: IHM: Thanks again to Virginia and Mark for joining us tonight! You can ask questions at http://trove.nla.gov.au/contact and get updates on the system at http://dr.nla.gov.au. Now give them a round of applause :)
A. Linda: Applauding - Thanks Virginia and Mark
A. Virginia: You're most welcome, Ben et al! I think Mark and I get a kick out of these sessions.
A. Mark: You're welcome everyone - I do enjoy these sessions
A. Virginia: Night everyone! Feel free to send any more questions through to us via the contact form and cross fingers we're up tomorrow!

Comment: IHM: We’ll publish the questions, answers and links from tonight’s session in a blog post soon. We’ll be here again next Thursday, 20th September from 8:30 – 9:30pm, with our next expert. Tim Sherratt will be answering questions on today’s toolkit for the digital historian including his Trove tools :: http://discontents.com.au.

=====================================================

Read the previous Expert Q&A transcripts:
[1]  Thursday, July 26 :: How to get the best from Trove Australia
[2]  Thursday, August 16 :: How to get the best from BDM Certificates
[3]  Thursday, August 23 :: Getting the most from NAA
[4]  Thursday, August 30 :: Interpreting photographs for family history
[5]  Thursday, September 6 :: How to get the best from Ancestry.com.au