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Series VPRS
6010
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Attachment Books (Microform Copy of VPRS 6012)
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| Date Range: |
Series |
? 1940 - ? 1984 |
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Series in Custody |
? 1940 - ? 1984 |
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Contents |
1906 - 1958 |
| Public Access: |
Part Open |
| Location: |
North Melbourne |
| Format of Records: |
Physical |
  | Agency which created this SeriesAgency which created this Series |
| Agency currently responsible for this SeriesAgency currently responsible for this Series |
| Description of this SeriesDescription of this Series |
- How to use the Records
To find correspondence in VPRS 6008 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Systems, follow steps 1 to 4. If the correspondence is earlier than 1928 and not found in VPRS 6008, follow steps 1, 2, 5 and 6.
1. Consult VPRS 6009 Classified Registration Cards for General Correspondence Files to identify required correspondence. Note the correspondence number and its date.
2. Consult the P0 or P1 consignment of this series comprising microfiche copies of VPRS 6012 Attachment Books. Examine the fiche which contains correspondence within the required date and number range.
Note: Correspondence numbers 54/12161 to 54/12480 and 54/17921 to 54/18240 are missing from the P1 consignment. They may be consulted in the P0 consignment (Reading Room reference copy) .
3. Locate the correspondence number in the 'Correspondence Number' column of the fiche. Note the number which is adjacent to it in the 'Attached to' column.
4. If the number in the 'Attached to' column is a later correspondence number, locate that number in the 'Correspondence Number' column of the relevant fiche. Repeat this step until the 'Attached to column' is empty. The correspondence will be filed in VPRS 6008 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Systems under the last correspondence number. Consult the records description lists for VPRS 6008 and retrieve the file with that number.
For example, correspondence numbered 1927/5333 was attached to 27/7919, which was in turn attached to 27/10223, and so on through several more attachments until 28/9781. All the correspondence is filed with 28/9781 on the file of that number.
5. If the 'Attached to' column contains a whole number (e.g. 126) rather than a later correspondence number, the correspondence will be found in VPRS 3844 General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of VPRS 6008 - pre 1928 Files), Single Number System.
These 'Attached to' numbers are old file numbers within VPRS 3844. Consult VPRS 9604/P1 Register of Key Numbers to find the new file number which replaced the old. Note the new number, consult the records description list for VPRS 3844 and retrieve the file.
For example, using VPRS 6010, correspondence numbered 27/4072 is shown as attached to 126. 126 is an old file number. VPRS 9604 shows that the new number that replaced 126 is 536. 536 is the file that can be retrieved from VPRS 3844; all the correspondence is in 536.
6. If the 'Attached to' column contains both a later correspondence number and an old file number, there are two files. Follow step 4 above for the correspondence number and step 5 above for the old file number.
- Function / Content
Microform Records
This series comprises microform copies of VPRS 6012 Attachment Books. The microfilming of some records began in the 1940s, the microfiche copies appear to have been made by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission at around the time of the original records transfer to the Public Record Office in 1985.
The P1 consignment is missing entries for correspondence 54/12161 to 54/12480 and 54/17921 to 54/18240. They are in the P0 consignment, however. The P0 consignment is available to the public in the Reading Room.
The P 2 consignment is the Master Microfiche copy; the P3 consignment is the Microfilm copy from which the microfiche copies were made. The only available copy of the microfilm is incomplete - entries for correspondence received between 1922 and 1936 are missing. Volume 5 was microfilmed out of sequence and is located in unit 3. There is also duplication of some information - volume 11 was copied twice and can be found in unit 2 and 4. As the whereabouts of the Master Microfilm copy are unknown, the only extant reference copy of the microfilm is treated as master and witheld from the public for preservation reasons.
Original Records
The original Attachment Books (VPRS 6012) recorded the top-numbering of inward correspondence which had been registered by the Records Branch of the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission. Since correspondence was controlled and filed by the number of the latest piece of correspondence to which an existing file had been attached, the series enabled the location and retrieval of correspondence. Most correspondence received before 1928 is now filed in VPRS 3844 General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of VPRS 6008 - pre 1928 Files), Single Number System. Correspondence received or top-numbered from 1928 was filed in VPRS 6008 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Systems.
In later years the Attachment Books also recorded the destruction of files in VPRS 6008.
- Recordkeeping System
Microform Records
The State Rivers and Water Supply Commission began to microfilm some records in the 1940s, and filming of some records continued until at least the late 1980s. Microform copies of some records were made and kept as preservation copies, while copies of others appear to have been made as a convenient way to distribute information throughout the agency.
These microfiche copies of VPRS 6012 appear to have been made in the mid 1980s. At that time, the Rural Water Commission was experimenting with the introduction of microfiche to many sectors of the agency. However, it is not known whether these microfiche were used throughout the agency or only within the Records Branch.
The master microfiche copy, from which reference copies were made is located in the P2 consignment of VPRS 6010 Attachment Books (Microform Copy of VPRS 6012). The microfilm, from which the microfiche was made, comprises VPRS 6010/P3. For preservation reasons neither of the consignments P2 and P3 of VPRS 6010 nor VPRS 6012 is available for public inspection.
It appears that the fact that the microfiche copies were missing some entries was discovered after the transfer to the Public Record Office of the P0, P1 and the P2 consignments of VPRS 6010 and VPRS 6012/P0. An extra microfiche was made and included in what is now the P0 consignment (Reading Room reference copy) and the P2 consignment (master copy) of VPRS 6010. The extra fiche comprised copies of entries for correspondence 54/12161 to 54/12480 and 54/17921 to 54/18240. These were copies of pages 177-178 and 213-214 respectively of Volume 15 in VPRS 6012.
Original Records
From 1906 to October 1958 most correspondence received by the State Rivers and Water Supply Commission was registered by the Records Branch and filed in an annual single number sequence. Some correspondence, however, was forwarded directly to the relevant Divisions without having been registered. It appears that these Divisions controlled their own correspondence without recourse to the Records Branch. At various times correspondence dealing with personnel, water diversion permits and hydrotechnology appear to have been maintained by the respective Divisions. Exactly what correspondence was controlled by other Divisions has not been researched.
On receipt, correspondence was date-stamped and registered by being stamped with the next available number from a register of inward correspondence. The form which this register took for most of the period is not known. The only extant register relates to the period 1954 to 1958 - see VPRS 9614 Registration Journals for General Correspondence.
After receiving a registration number, a new piece of inward correspondence was classified according to VPRS 9471 List of Classified Indexable Headings and the classification was recorded in the register. An officer would then record the number and a precis of the new correspondence on the relevant card in VPRS 6009 Classified Registration Cards for General Correspondence.
Previous entries on the card were then checked to identify related correspondence which had been received previously. The earlier correspondence was retrieved and attached to the new letter. The file of correspondence was then controlled by the number of the new letter.
In this way correspondence was top-numbered whenever later correspondence was received on the same subject. Top-numbering was recorded in VPRS 6012 Attachment Books. Step 4 of How to Use the Records above shows an example of top-numbering.
The Attachment Books were arranged chronologically by date of receipt of the correspondence, while the correspondence numbers within the books were arranged in an annual single number sequence. Though the correspondence number sequence recommenced at 1 at the start of each year, one volume could cover a number of years.
Every item of correspondence registered by the Records Branch was recorded in the Books. If a letter was attached to a later item of correspondence, the later letters number was shown in the Attached To column. To locate a particular item of correspondence, Records Branch officers had to run-up all the attachments to identify the number under which the letter was currently filed. (The Attachment Books were also known as Run-Up Books.) The steps shown in How to Use the Records above illustrate the running-up process.
Changes to the recordkeeping system
In about 1954, old correspondence - correspondence received before 1928 - was rearranged into alphabetical subject files, probably to provide for quick retrieval. That meant that, for correspondence received before 1928, the Attachment Books became redundant unless a thorough search was required. Most registered correspondence received before 1928 is now contained in VPRS 3844 General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of VPRS 6008 - pre 1928 Files), Single Number System.
Some correspondence, however, had already been top-numbered before the rearrangement occurred. Correspondence which had been top-numbered to a number later than a 1927 number, and all correspondence registered from 1928, is now contained in VPRS 6008 General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Systems. VPRS 6008 was kept in its original, annual single number sequence, and so VPRS 6010 must still be used to locate correspondence in that series.
Subsequent series
Registration of individual letters ceased in 1958. From late 1958 only files were registered. File numbers were controlled by VPRS 9469/P1 Registration and Location Cards for General Correspondence Files. Microfiche copy of these cards comprises VPRS 14735.
| More research resourcesMore research resources |
| Indexes and RegistersIndexes and Registers |
| Controlled SeriesControlled Series |
Date Range
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Series Title
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Series Number
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| 1906 - 1928 |
General Correspondence Files (Alphabetically Re-arranged Inactive Portion of VPRS 6008 - pre 1928 files), Single Number System |
VPRS 3844 |
| 1906 - 1958 |
General Correspondence Files, Annual Single Number Systems |
VPRS 6008 |
| Previous SeriesPrevious Series |
| Subsequent SeriesSubsequent Series |
| List/s of records in this seriesList/s of records in this series |
| Indexes and RegistersIndexes and Registers |
| More research resourcesMore research resources |
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