POPULARISING LOCAL HISTORY SERVICES: NEW CENTURY, NEW IDEAS.

Ideas on how to make local history services popular based on experience of taking a closed access local history collection housed in an obsolete area of the library, to one that is popular and readily accessible to the community and which has an identity separate to that of the library service. Discussed are the services established, their promotion and outcomes over the past six years. The historical background to the service is highlighted and the personal requirements needed to implement a high quality service described. Edited version of a paper presented at the second national Alia local studies conference Guildford WA 12-13 November 1999

Those who work in the local history field know the importance of the collections--have seen the wonders they hold. How do we share those wonders and also how do we make local history collections not only popular but able to keep the visitors coming back? This is a problem that many local history staff are faced with every day. Most people see history as a boring subject they were forced to take at school. They may not view local history as being interesting or having any entertainment value. Much of a local history service's success or failure therefore lies with the local history manager.

So what attributes does the local history manager need to have to make a service popular? The best word to describe it is that buzz word of the 80s and 90s, multiskilling. They need to know about preservation, research, cataloguing, publishing, public relations, business and collection management, marketing and most importantly an understanding about what visitors want. What do they come to see, learn, experience and what will bring them back?

The importance of promotion

In these times of council amalgamations, service classifications, business units and competitive tendering, local history managers need to look closely not only at their services but also their client needs. As the keepers of local history they need to come out of the often mysterious and hidden collections to start promoting local history to the people who ultimately determine the survival of history services.

At the age of seventeen I started work at the City of Elizabeth Library in South Australia. Upstairs on the first floor, tucked away in the farthest corner was a very small room in which the local history collection was housed. Access to this room required courage on behalf of the interested person. First, you had to know of its existence. Then you would need to climb a very steep staircase, pass the city librarian's office, the reference area, staff tearoom and a storage room. The only good point was that someone had actually considered adding a local history room to the plans when the library had been built in 1969.

The local history officer, who was employed for nine hours a week, had looked after the collection for many years and was stereotypical of some people's image of a librarian. She had hair tightly pulled up, half glasses perched on the end of her nose and seemed quite old (bearing in mind I was only seventeen and everyone over twenty five seemed old to me). At that time I had little understanding of local history collections but I was drawn to this room and would often sneak up in my lunch hours to look through old photographs and newspapers. The local history officer eventually grew tired of trying to maintain the collection in such a small amount of time and resigned. After her departure a number of people took on the position but they too grew weary of the strain of trying to keep pace. Sadly, the local history room was locked for ten years and only occasionally opened on request or to add to the ever growing pile on the desk and floor of local history material.

In 1993, after a branch library which I had managed for eight years closed, I was asked if there was a department within the main library in which I would like to work. I had given this considerable thought and wanted to take on local history as I was sure I could make people as interested as I had been. The first few years were a straggle trying to get the collection in some sort of order whilst promoting the fact that we existed. To add to this, in 1997 the City of Elizabeth amalgamated with the City of Munno Para to become the City of Playford. Both councils had local history collections and the two services were merged and moved to a larger ground floor location at the entrance of the major shopping centre. Today approximately 1000 people a month visit and use the City of Playford Local and Family History Service. This paper describes some of the ways the service has become so popular.

Critical questions

No longer can we afford for local history collections to be something that unsuspecting users of the library stumble on by chance. There needs to be a change in thinking, the way we look at things. We need to question our practices

* why are so many collections closed access?

* why are so many local history collections not open for as many hours as the library?

* what do we do to attract users and do they feel comfortable when they do come in?

* what can we do with collections that will help show potential users the wonders that we have seen and at the same time protect valuable items

* do not our collections need to be touched and viewed by the local historians and the whole community?

Volunteers

The City of Playford Local and Family History Service would not be as successful as it is today if it had not been for volunteers, the long hours that they give to the service, their knowledge and dedication. From the start I believed that for local history to be successful the community needed to know it existed. Initially, members of the local community were encouraged to become volunteers. These volunteers would tell others what they were doing and they in turn would tell others. To gain the interest of potential volunteers required some catchy advertising to attract the attention of those passing by. In my first year of local history there was no budget allocated to the service. The posters that would draw the volunteers in had to be improvised. A picture of three astronauts was enlarged, stuck on cardboard with the wording `We have reached the moon but our local newspaper is still not indexed'. The response was strong, initially bringing in thirty two volunteers who undertook projects such as indexing the local newspapers and photographic collections to the library computer system. This meant the general public could make local history enquiries through the library's opac which created a greater awareness of the local history service. Another project volunteers undertook was to photocopy every photograph in the collection and put the copies into folders so that at any time visitors to the centre can browse through them without damaging the originals. It is also a good idea to find out what skills volunteer staff have, which can be utilised, and whether they are willing to offer their services in this way. Do not ever underestimate their abilities.

Education program

Schools were the next to be targeted. The community information officer and I joined forces and a letter was sent to every school in the area encouraging teachers to bring the children to visit the local and family history service. If this was not possible we would visit them. Whatever option is taken, a power point presentation with pictures on the history of the area and council services is given to the children. This also raised the question of how to make history interesting to children. Fortunately, close to the local history service was the historic council chambers of which good use was made. We would take the children there to make our presentations, dress them in council robes and have them take part in a mock council meeting. Because the real council robes could not be used, Levis, a local clothing manufacturer, was contacted and it agreed to make robes free of charge. The mayor was encouraged to attend to answer any questions about her role in council. This attendance has been a great bonus to the program as she actively participates by telling the children the history of the council robes and leading them through its council meeting. At the end of the session the children are each given a bag put together by the public relations department with items such as a pencil, ruler, sticker and brochure.

The class also receives a copy of the City of Playford history book. From time to time the service receives a free plug in the mayor's column of the local newspaper. This program is now known as Kids Council and is extremely successful.

Community programs

There are also popular outreach programs to community groups such as U3A, Probus, YWCA, Lions, Rotary. As with the local schools, contact was made with these groups, initially by sending them a letter of introduction. Unlike the schools, which we need to remind every year, that initial letter was enough. Regular bookings from these community groups are received each year. Presentations are once again usually a power point presentation featuring either scanned local history photographs or family history information. There is also old film footage which has been transferred to video. People never seem to tire of this.

Bus tours are also very popular and a great way to draw people's attention to history in the area. I will often suggest to schools or community groups that if they organise the bus I will come and conduct the tour. This way there is no cost to the local history service, except the local history officer's time. Initially I marked on a map all the sights of interest in the area and then worked out which was the best route to follow taking into account rest rooms, refreshments and a chance to stretch your legs stop. A tour guide brochure includes a brief history of each location and photograph. These tours usually promote considerable discussion and interest within the group. This is also a great opportunity to promote the local history service by letting those on the tour know where they can get more information on the history of the area.

Family history

Genealogy is becoming one of the most popular community pursuits. With a growing number of people expressing an interest in finding out about their family history, the Elizabeth Local History Service was expanded to include family history resources in 1994. For the people of the northern area of Adelaide this was a much needed service as they had to travel many kilometers to family history research venues. At that time the local history service did not have a budget and so a large collection of books was gathered from the library's main collection. Next, the establishment of a family history club was encouraged with the first meeting attracting seventy people. Community support was sustantial, especially with donations. The International genealogy index on microfiche was donated by the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints. The local newspaper, News review messenger, donated a microfiche printer reader and many users have donated books and magazines. The family history collection proved to be a popular addition to the local history service from the outset. The popularity of the service was recognised by council, and in 1995 the local and family history service received its first budget. This meant that it could now purchase materials that would enable it to preserve the local history collection and also add greater research facilities to the family history service. In 1996 the Elizabeth Local and Family History Centre received a commendation in the national awards for innovation in local government.

Eventually the local and family history collection took over the storage room and half of the reference section of the Elizabeth Library. Added to this was the amalgamation of the two councils and the need to merge both local history collections. It was time for the local and family history service to have a new home. Today it is mainly the family history component of the service that attracts the community. However once they have ventured in, most people take the time to browse through and use the local history collection.

Displays

Historical displays are one of the most effective ways to draw people into a service but do not limit the display to your collection area. Think about the local area and where the main thoroughfares are, or where people gather. We always have a display in the local history centre and from time to time a display is mounted in either a local shopping centre, the local library, school or community organisation.

It also pays to tap into community events such as Seniors Week, birthday celebrations, Australia Remembers, Australia Day, Youth Week, expos. The list is endless. So too are the display topics which can cover then and now--local industries, local people, oral histories, weddings, farming, war. From experience people just cannot see enough of the then and now pictures in displays.

A popular display was a wedding theme which had come about because there were over 200 unidentified photographs in the collection. Two mannequins were acquired from the local shopping centre which were dressed as a bride and groom. Information on the history of weddings and the beliefs and customs including traditions leading up to the wedding was included. The 200 photographs were mounted on a board so that visitors could look at them and help with identification. Staff and customers were also encouraged to display their wedding photographs. Another feature of the display was a glory box which was filled with items that were often collected by prospective brides. The display cost very little to put together because staff and customers contributed to it. The local and state newspapers were sent a press release. Not only did they all run fairly large stories, the state newspaper did a follow up story on a couple included in the initial story. As an outcome, this display was very successful, and all but twenty photographs were identified.

Then there was the Holden Motors' fiftieth anniversary display, put together under the council's youth enterprise scheme with funding being provided by the youth services officer of council. The project involved working with the adult education campus and a group of unemployed youths. Its aim was to give young people the chance to gain skills and experience in the workforce. They were encouraged to locate historical information and photographs which were then copied and mounted on display boards. Holden's added to this display by providing mounted photographs of its cars, a Holden work uniform for our mannequin, and other memorabilia. This display was on show at the campus and then the local history centre. It attracted not only those who knew the young designers but also car buffs.

Displays can cost a little or a lot. It is really dependent on imagination, enthusiasm, time and budget. Also remember to seek out those who can help to make a display a success. Is there some money available through another council department? Is there grant money available? Look for those in the community who can help.

Oral histories

Many local history libraries collect oral histories but never really do anything with them. Quantities of them are just stored away in the collection. Some are not even transcribed. There they sit, waiting for those with an interest in oral histories to request to listen to them. Oral histories are probably one of the best opportunities to promote a collection. Plan to do more than just record the oral history. Think about how your activity can be promoted to the community so that they too can see the benefits of oral history. Although oral histories are very time consuming and costly to produce, well trained volunteers can ease the burden and the overall cost. Look out for funding opportunities. In 1998, for seniors week, we joined forces with the aged care coordinator who provided the money to produce some oral histories of seniors and a display. Volunteers recorded and transcribed ten oral histories which were edited and used in ten display panels including a picture of each oral history participant. The display was on show during seniors week in the major shopping centre, library and also at the seniors expo. Family members, friends and local school children came to see the display.

Another successful oral history display was possible through a $4000 grant received from the Australia remembers campaign. This time we were able to employ someone to record and transcribe the oral histories. Ten participants were again chosen as this is an achievable number. The participants were a mixture of men and women, including those who served in the different forces, and those who stayed at home. Once again a series of display panels was developed, each one looking like an open book. On one side of the book was a picture of the participant during the war and on other side a recent picture. Underneath was just one paragraph taken from the oral history transcript. The display was set up at a launch where each participant was presented with a copy of their oral history and transcript. The local army museum lent memorabilia, and tape recorders were connected to old telephones so that when the receiver was lifted edited sections of the oral history could be heard playing, Between the pauses the Andrew Sisters had been briefly recorded to add to the theme. Invitations went out to family members, delegates from the RSL, local community groups, the press and dignitaries. To this day people still enquire about the Australia remembers oral history recordings. In late 2000 the Imperial War Museum in London asked for a copy of the recordings.

Publications

Two books, both unintentionally, have brought enormous attention and praise to the local and family history service. The first one came about in 1996 because the then CEO of the City of Elizabeth had been told by a friend about the benefits of oral history. The local history service was granted a rather generous sum of money and I was directed to record some oral histories. Fortunately the funding meant that a professional historian could undertake the recording. As Elizabeth was a relatively new town which had been built in the 1950s, we not only interviewed those who came to live in the town but also the farmers who lived there prior to the town being built and those who were involved in building the town. The result was twenty fascinating oral histories of people from all walks of life.

With still a large amount of money left over I proposed that we put together a book using these oral histories After all, most of the content had been done. The project dragged on for a year and I spent many late nights and weekends working on editing, the index, contents page, introduction, layout, coming up with a title and negotiating with the printer--all the while agonising over whether the book would meet council's expectation. I had no experience in publishing a book and no guidance from anyone except to look at similar books. Much was learnt from that experience. In the end a book was produced with which the council was more than happy. Elizabeth: from dusty plains to royal names (Allery 1996) was launched by the state premier at a large gathering of all the participants, their families and guests. Four hundred books were sold at the launch and it has been a consistent seller to this day.

The second publication City of Playford: a brief history (Allery and Trimboli 1999) eventuated because we were continually asked the same questions about the history of various suburbs within the City of Playford. Initially it was thought to use the MS Publisher book program to put together a brief history on each suburb including those questions mostly asked and then just photocopy some as handouts. Once the graphics were added it had sixty five double sided pages and it still lacked an index and introduction. In the meantime, council management had seen what was being done and proposed funding for it to be published, as the newly amalgamated council had no historical book.

Postcards and greeting cards 

People love to share their experiences with others. Post and greeting cards are an effective way to enable visitors to the local history centre to do this. With the fight marketing they will not only promote the local history service but also bring in extra income. It is important to find pictures in the collection in which others will be interested, and will want to purchase. Cards can be produced relatively cheaply or can be produced professionally. They can be produced in house using a scanner and MS Publisher. Simply scan the photographs and paste them into the card creation option in publisher. Print the finished product on some card that will go through the printer. Initially there was an arrangement with a local photographer who would produce ten or so copies of a photograph mounted on card. We would sell them for him and receive 20 per cent of the profit. This way we had no financial outlay. Recently, post and greeting cards have been produced professionally. Each greeting card costs 60 cents to produce and is sold for $2.00. So far they have proven to be successful. Good coverage in the local and state newspapers has been achieved.

Internet

The internet is a great way to publicise local history collections to a much larger community. Before the amalgamation of the two councils a volunteer established an internet site for the Elizabeth local history collection which still exists. Emails from all around the world continue to be received asking for information on Elizabeth. The internet site listed the collections content and some graphics were added. A City of Playford local and family history site is now being established.

A way of getting a service listed, with the least amount of work, is to access the Australian Museums and Galleries Online site (Amol) http://www.amol.org.au. This site lists holdings and programs of all the museums, local history centres and galleries in Australia that have registered with it. From the Amol home page an email requesting to be placed on the site can be sent. There is no cost.

Media

Every month a press release is faxed to the local newspapers about local and family history activities, the latest display or some historical information. More often than not, a story appears in the newspapers. They are often looking for human interest stories. How will they know the stories you have to tell if you do not tell them? Initially there was very little contact with the newspapers but now the journalists ring me, often for historical information. If there is something of interest to the larger community, a copy will be sent to the state newspaper. It is not as generous as the local newspaper but it has published a number of articles.

If there is a local radio station, attempt a history segment from time to time. Although it may be thought that not many people listen to these stations, I have been quite surprised at the number of people who have said they heard me. It is also worth faxing press releases to radio stations. I have also

spoken about the history of the area on a number of the popular stations.

Do not forget about the television stations. They also look for historical information or human interest stories. There is television program in South Australia called Postcards which features places of interest in the state. After the publication of City of Playford: a brief history a copy was sent to the station with places of interest highlighted. The result was twenty minutes coverage on the half hour show. ABC Television Adelaide recently requested historical information and photographs for its rural Landline program. Another interest of journalists in 1999 was the republican issue. As Elizabeth is known as an English migrant town there was considerable contact with us.

Word does circulate among journalists in other states, and even in other countries as I have been asked to speak on BBC Radio London and provide historical information for the British Daily telegraph. In 1999 historical information to ABC Sydney for the show Beyond the fatal shore was provided. In all of these cases my name had been given by other journalists. Once word gets around that the local history centre is a good source of information, there will be a constant flow of interest.

Other departments

Ensure that other departments within council know about the local history service and the type of information with which they can be provided. If the council management and staff are not really sure what it is that you do, will they support you if, and when, the question arises as to whether it is a worthwhile service? Let them know you can help with historical information on the district or heritage assistance. Initially we had very few internal enquiries but now they are frequent. Mostly questions are about heritage listings. Sometimes the planning department will seek out old maps, and we have been asked to explain how sister cities originated. Most recently we were asked about a piece of land that had been given to council in 1929 to be used as a reserve. To the amazement of council staff we held the actual trust deed. Also look at how you can tap into other departments and see what funding they have to share. I maintain close contact not only with our youth employment officer but also our aged care officer, community information officer and public relations officer. I have been involved in many oral history projects with the aged care officer who has provided the funding and resources, with the result being more oral histories to add to the collection. The community information officer produces the local history centre's brochures, advertises the local history service in the community directory and helps with funding towards displays each year. The public relations officer is bombarded with press releases or articles for community and staff newsletters.

It is also a good idea to make contact with external departments and associated bodies to let them know what is available and about programs. We have formed good relations with the state based National Archives, State Library, State Records, Public Trustee, Public Record Office, Family History Centres of the Church of Jesus Christ and Latter Day Saints, and the South Australian Genealogy and Heraldry Society. Send them a brochure about the service or visit their centre and introduce yourself. You may want to ask them if it is acceptable if you bring the local or family history club members along to visit their centre. Perhaps ask them to visit your centre or to be a guest speaker at one of the club meetings. Once you are known, other departments will refer people to you just as you will refer people to them. This is another way of promoting the service virtually cost free.

Elected members

Book launches, new displays, guest speakers or morning tea with the volunteers are an opportunity to encourage elected members of council to come along and not only see what is being doing but also to see the community response to local and family history activities. It is always a good idea to have the mayor or one of the elected members to address the group or open the new display. Send a press release and invite the local newspaper to come and to take a photograph.

Proving the worth

Local history collections need to prove their worth, not to those who are already supporters but to those who question the need. No longer can we afford to just assert the local history centre is an educational facility and therefore it should exist. Look outside the bigger picture, look for opportunities. There are those who will not visit, simply because they see local history centres as boring places with old things. Opportunities to entice these people, to keep them coming back, to help them see the wonder of the collections and to make their time enjoyable, need to be taken. When they leave, users should want to share their experience with others.

Often when I attend meetings with other local history officers comments are made about how lucky we are at the City of Playford. Luck has nothing to do with it. Six years of long hours and dedication by myself, colleagues and volunteers has been recognised and supported by the community, council and its elected members.

Linda Allery has worked in local government for twenty years and has been Local History Officer at the City of Playford in South Australia for the past five years. She is manager of the local history and family history service and more recently the Uleybury School Museum. Previous to this Linda managed a branch library for eight years. In 1996 the City of Playford Family History Service received a commendation in the national awards for innovation in local government. Address: PO Box 92 Elizabeth SA 5112 [e-mail]

Linda Allery Manager City of Playford Local and Family History Service SA Received May 2000