How do I search for records?

Public Record Office Victoria’s Archival Control Model consists of hierarchically related components of information: Functions, Groups, Agencies, Series, Consignments, Units and Items. Items and Units can be ordered for viewing in one of our Reading Rooms. The other components help you with your research by putting the records in context. For more information on PROV’s Archival Control Model, read the PROVguide 66 PROV’s Archival Control Model.

Physical and Digital Records

PROV’s collection contains physical and digital records: Physical records are “hard copy” records, typically paper files, volumes, photographs etc. To view physical records researchers have to log in to the catalogue, order records and visit a PROV reading room. Digital records are any records that are stored electronically. Digital records can be viewed online at any time.

PROV has two types of digital records; digitised records and electronic records. Digitised records are digital records that are digital copies of physical records, such as digital copies of paper files, photographs etc.

Electronic records are digital records that were originally created electronically and are stored electronically.

For more information about PROV’s digital records, including online indexes and databases, read PROVguide 23 PROV’s Digitised Records and Online Indexes.

Digital records are VEOs. A VEO (VERS Encapsulated Object) is a single electronic object that represents an Item or Sub-Item. It consists of four components:

· Documents (including possibly multiple representations of content in long-term preservation format)

· Recordkeeping Metadata

· An XML wrapper

· Digital signatures

For more information on VEOs, visit the VERS website.

Records Access

Records Access at PROV

Access restrictions are applied to certain classes of records, in accordance with the Public Records Act. Public users are able to view contextual information about all ‘open’ and ‘closed’ records in our collection. However, they will not be able to orders records that have been closed to public access. Records may be closed for various reasons, the most common being personal privacy and preservation.

Government users may view contextual information about all ‘open’ and ‘closed’ records, and they may order closed records for which their agency is responsible.

The access classification of records is displayed in the ‘Access’ display column in lists of records, and in the ‘Public Access’ field on Series, Consignment, Unit, Item and Sub-Item Details pages.

Closed Records

S9 refers to Section 9 of the Public Records Act, and closes records that contain personal and private information about persons that may still be living. These records are generally closed for up to 99 years for children, and 75 years for adults.

S10 refers to section 10 of the Public Records Act, which says that records may be closed to public access at the discretion of a Minister, countersigned by the Minister responsible for Public Record Office Victoria.

If you are seeking access to records closed under Section 9 or Section 10 you will need to contact the Freedom of Information officer of the government department that is responsible for the particular records and inquire about making a Freedom of Information request.

In some circumstances researchers can seek special access through PROV to records closed under section 9. See PROVguide 14 Special Access for more information.

S11 refers to Section 11 of the Public Records Act, under which records are closed that are too fragile for public inspection. Records closed under section 11 of the Act may have been microfilmed or digitised and may be available through PROV Reading Rooms.

Restricted Records

Access to records transferred from the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly is restricted. Researchers can access these records subject to the prior approval of an authorised parliamentary official. You can contact the Clerk of the Legislative Council or the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly for information about requesting authorisation: http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/

How to Search

There are five ways of searching in PROV’s online catalogue. These are available under ‘Searching’ in the main menu of the Access the Collection page. The search options are:

· Simple Search

· Advanced Search (including a link to Boolean Search of VEOs)

· Find by Number

· Search Within a Series

· Browse the Collection (see How to Browse)

When searching in the online catalogue, you are searching the PROV Archival Control System for contextual information about the archives of the government of Victoria. Contextual information includes what records were created, who created them and why, how they were used, and how they relate to other records. See PROVguide 66 PROV's Archival Control Model for more information about archival terminology.

Using Wildcards

Wildcard searching allows you to search for truncated words, using the asterisk (*) as a wildcard. For example:

· ship will find entries containing the whole word ‘ship’.

· ship* will find entries containing words that start with the string ‘ship’. For example, ship, ships, shipping or shipped.

· *ship will find entries containing words that end with the string ‘hip’. For example, wardship or guardianship.

· s*p will find entries beginning with ‘s’ and ending with ‘p’. For example, ship, sip or shop.

· *ship* will find entries that contain ‘ship’. For example, friendships, township, shipping.

Multiple wildcards (**) will be treated as a single wildcard. For example:

· s**p will return the same entries as s*p.

Wildcards can be used in the text fields on the Simple Search, Advanced Search (except ‘Exact Phrase’) and Search Within a Series pages.

Simple Search

This search allows you to carry out a broad search for records. The search is carried out across all areas of the collection (physical and digital records), and includes all archival types; Agencies, Groups, Functions, Series, Units and Items. A Simple Search will also include PROVguides.

Step 1: Select ‘Simple Search’ from the ‘Searching’ menu. The Simple Search page will be displayed.

Search For: Enter a word, phrase or number relating to information or records you are looking for. The search value cannot contain the following characters: >, <, ?, comma, single quote, double quote, back quote, back slash, @, !, {, [, (, ).

Any of the words or numbers: If this radio button is selected, the search will return results which contain any of the words or numbers entered - for example, theatre OR licence.

All of the words or numbers: If this radio button is selected, the search will return results which contain all of the words or numbers entered - for example, theatre AND licence

- Clicking on this icon will open information on PROV’s Archival Control Model in a separate window.

Sort Results: Select how the Search Results should be sorted by picking an option from the drop-down box: Alphabetically, Chronologically or by Type of archival entity.

Clear: Clears any values in the ‘Search For’ field.

Search: Begins searching using the specified criteria.

Step 2: Enter a word, phrase or number into the ‘Search For’ field, as in the example above. This field is mandatory for a search to be performed.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Search’ button. The Search Results page will be displayed.

Advanced Search

Advanced Search can look in the same fields and categories as Simple Search but allows you to narrow and broaden your search by a range of parameters, as you require.

Step 1: Select ‘Advanced Search’ from the ‘Searching’ menu. The Advanced Search page will be displayed.

Search for: Select the archival Type or Types that you wish to search for from the following options: Function, Group, Agency, Series and Item (mandatory field). Multiple Types can be selected.

- Clicking on this icon will open information on PROV’s Archival Control Model in a separate window.

With any of the words: The search will return results which contain any of the words or numbers entered in this field- for example, theatre OR licence. The search value cannot contain the following characters: >, <, ?, comma, single quote, double quote, back quote, back slash, @, !, {, [, (, ).

With all the words: The search will return results which contain all of the words or numbers entered in this field- for example, theatre AND licence. The search value cannot contain the following characters: >, <, ?, comma, single quote, double quote, back quote, back slash, @, !, {, [, (, ).

Excluding the words: The search will not return results that contain any of the words or numbers entered in this field. The search value cannot contain the following characters: >, <, ?, comma, single quote, double quote, back quote, back slash, @, !, {, [, (, ).

Exact phrase: The search will return results which contain the words or numbers exactly as they are entered in this field. The search value cannot contain the following characters: >, <, ?, comma, single quote, double quote, back quote, back slash, @, !, {, [, (, ). Wildcards will not work if used in this field.

For word variants: If this check box is ticked, the search will return results which contain forms of the words or numbers entered in the ‘With any of the words’ and ‘With all the words’ fields.

Date Range: The search will return results which fall within any part of this date range.

If only a ‘From’ date is entered, the ‘To’ date will be set to the current year. If only a ‘To’ date is entered, the ‘From’ date will be set to 1753.

Which are: Specify whether the search should look for physical records, digital records or both formats. These check boxes are only enabled if the Search For: All or Item check boxes are ticked. In this case, at least one of the ‘Physical’ or ‘Digital’ check boxes must be ticked. If only the Digital checkbox is selected, the search will exclude digitised records and search for electronic records only.

Location: Ticking or unticking the check boxes limits the search to look for physical records in a particular location. Digital records do not have a location as they are accessed online. If the Physical check box is ticked, then at least one location must be specified.

Sort Results: Select how the Search Results should be sorted by picking an option from the drop-down box: Alphabetically, Chronologically or by Type of archival entity.

Clear: Clears any values in the ‘Search For’ field.

Search: Begins searching using the specified criteria.

Boolean search of VEOs: A hyperlink to the Boolean Search of Digital Collection page.

Step 2: Enter the details for an Advanced Search, as in the example above. The search will only return results that match all of the specified criteria.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Search’ button. The Search Results page will be displayed.

Find by Number

Find by Number takes you directly to the Details page of a Function, Group, Agency or Series if you know the ID number.

Step 1: Select ‘Find by Number’ from the ‘Searching’ menu. The Find by Number page will be displayed.

Search for: Select the archival Type that you wish to view from the following options: Function, Group, Agency and Series.

- Clicking on this icon will open information on PROV’s Archival Control Model in a separate window.

ID Number: Enter the number of the Function, Group, Agency or Series to view (mandatory field).

Clear: Clears any values in the ‘ID Number’ field and returns the ‘Search For’ radio button to Series.

Search: Begins searching using the specified criteria.

Step 2: Select an Archival Control Type and enter the number, as in the example above.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Search’ button. The Details page will be displayed.

If a result could not be found, the Search Results page will be displayed.

Search within a Series

This search allows you to search for keywords within a particular Series, where the Series ID is known. This method is useful to locate a single file within a Series.

Step 1: Select ‘Search within a Series’ from the ‘Searching’ menu. The Search within a Series page will be displayed.

Search for items within Series: Enter the number of the Series to search within (mandatory field).

Display title: If a Series number is entered in the field above, it will display the title of the Series.

With any of the words or numbers: The search will return results which contain any of the words or numbers entered in this field- for example, theatre OR licence (mandatory field).

Which are: Specify whether the search should look for physical records, digital records or both formats. At least one of these check boxes must be ticked.

Sort results: Select how the Search Results should be sorted by picking an option from the drop-down box: Alphabetically or Chronologically.

Clear: Clears any values in the text boxes.

Search: Begins searching using the specified criteria.

Step 2: Enter the search details, as in the example above.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Search’ button. The Search Results page will be displayed.

Complex Boolean

Complex Boolean Search can search across the metadata of digital records. The other searches listed above look at the most useful metadata elements; however, users may wish to search across other elements. This search is only recommended for users who have an understanding of constructing XML searches.

To construct a search, users will need to refer to the table of Metadata elements that can be searched using a Complex Boolean Search. Users should use the name listed in the ‘Access the Collection Name’ column to write their search. Wildcards can be used in the search value.

Step 1: Select the ‘Boolean Search of VEOs’ link from the Advanced Search page. The Boolean Search of Digital Collection page will be displayed.

Search Text Area: Enter a query to search across the metadata of all digital records. Queries must be written in DQL (Documentum Query Language). A maximum of 250 characters can be entered.

Clear: Clears any values in the text box.

Search: Begins searching using the specified criteria.

Step 2: Enter a query, as in the example above.

Step 3: Click on the ‘Search’ button. The Search Results page will be displayed.

Metadata elements that can be searched using a Complex Boolean Search

Applies to Type	VERS Metadata Element	Access the Collection name
FileVEOs and Records VEOs	(M100) <vers:AgencyIdentifier>	vers_agency_identifier
	Not a VERS Metadata element	da_consignment_id
	(M55) <naa:DateTimeCreated>	naa_datetime_created
	(M57) <naa:DateTimeRegistered>	naa_datetime_registered
	(M56) <naa:DateTimeTransacted>	naa_datetime_transacted
	(M89) <naa:DisposalAuthorisation>	naa_disposal_authorisation
	(M8) <vers:ObjectCreationDate>	vers_object_creation_date
	(M25) <naa:SecurityClassification>	naa_security_classification
	(M90) <naa:Sentence>	naa_sentence
	(M101) <vers:SeriesIdentifier>	vers_series_identifier

File VEOs only	(M144) <vers:DateTimeClosed>	naa_datetime_closed

Search Results

After performing a search, the Search Results page will be displayed.

You have searched for: Lists the criteria that you entered in the search page.

Number of results: Displays the number of results that were found when searching for the specified criteria. For performance reasons, the first 2000 search results for each archival type will be displayed. If there are more results, a message will be displayed to suggest refining the search.

Redefine Search: Returns to the search page you came from.

Order selected entries: Order entries with a ticked check box.

Display number of entries per page: Select the number of entries that you see per page by picking a number from the drop-down box

‘All’ check box: Ticking this check box will select all entries on the page.

Individual check box: Ticking the check box next to an entry selects it for ordering. These check boxes will only be enabled if the entry can be ordered by the user. I.e. it must be a Unit or physical Item, and the user must have sufficient access to the record.

Format icon: There is an icon to indicate the format of each Item as digital, physical or digitised. The icon is not applicable for other entities.

- The paper icon indicates a physical item

- The compact disc icon indicates a digital item

- The camera icon indicates a digitised item

Title: There are 3 rows of information in the Title display column.

Row 1 displays the Description of the entry. This will be hyperlinked for entries for PROVguides. This column sorts alphabetically by Description.

Row 2 displays: For Series – the Title of the Recording Agency

For Units – Items and Sub-Items, the Title of the parent Series

For PROVguides – the Secondary Title

For Groups, Functions and Agencies– blank

Row 3 displays the ID number of the entry, except for PROVguides it will be blank. This value is hyperlinked to a Details page containing relevant information. For more information on Details pages, read Understanding Details Pages about Groups, Functions, Series and Agencies.

Date Range: The Date Range display column displays the date range recorded against the entry. This column sorts numerically by the From date value, which is the first value displayed

Type: This display column displays the Archival Control Model type of the entry. This column sorts by the following hierarchy: Research Pathway, PROVguide, Function, Group, Agency, Series, Unit, Item, Sub-Item. For more information on the Archival Control Model, read PROVguide 66 PROV’s Archival Control Model.

Access: The Access display column displays the Access of the entry. Click here for more information on Record Access categories. This column sorts alphabetically.

Location: This displays the PROV location where the entry is stored and where it can be viewed or collected. A value of ‘Online’ indicates that the record is digital. This column sort alphabetically. For Groups, Functions, Agencies and PROVguides, this field will be blank.

Ordering Records: Records can be ordered from a Search Results page, by ticking the check box next to the required entries and clicking on the ‘Order selected entries’ button. See the How do I order and view records? Help for more information.

Viewing Details pages: Each entry in the list of search results will have a link to its Details page. Click on the hyperlink to open the relevant Details page. To open the Details page in another window:

Internet Explorer: Right mouse click on the hyperlink, select ‘Open in New Window’.

Netscape: Right mouse click on the hyperlink, select ‘New window with this link’.

From the Details page, you can navigate to other Details pages about related Groups, Functions, Agencies, Series etc. You can use your browser’s standard ‘Back’ navigation button to move through the Details pages you have viewed.

Navigation: To navigate through the list of search results, use the navigation buttons at the top of the list. These will only be displayed if the number of search results is greater than the selected number of entries displayed per page.

To move sequentially through each page of search results, click on the and buttons. Clicking on the and buttons will display the first and last page of search results respectively. To navigate directly to a specific page in the search results, enter the page number in the text box and press ‘Enter’.

All the display columns can be re-sorted by clicking on the display column headings.

No Search Results

If there were no search results found, the following Search Results page will be displayed.

Help: This link will display the ‘How do I search for records?’ help page.

Redefining the Search

If the search has returned no results or too many results, the search can be refined by clicking on the ‘Redefine Search’ button. The previous search page is displayed and you can broaden or narrow the search by modifying the search criteria.

How to Browse

The Browse option allows you to scan an alphabetical list of Series, Agencies, Groups or Functions. This method could be useful for first-time users as a way of finding their way into the PROV collection. If you are not sure what area you are interested in, you might find it useful to scan the list of Functions or Agencies to locate the entries relevant to your area of research.

Browse the Collection

Step 1: Select ‘Browse the Collection’ from the ‘Searching’ menu. The Browse the Collection page will be displayed

- Clicking on this icon will open information on PROV’s Archival Control Model in a separate window.

Archival entity types: Select a category to browse, from the four options: Series, Agency, Group and Function.

Alphabet: Clicking on a letter will return a list of category entries beginning with that letter.

Step 2: Select a category and letter to browse. The Browse Results page will be displayed, with a list of the selected category beginning with the selected letter.

Browse Results

After performing a browse, the Browse Results page will be displayed.

You have browsed for: Lists the criteria that you entered in the Browse the Collection page.

Number of results: Displays the number of results that were found when searching for the specified criteria

Browse Again: Returns to the Browse the Collection page.

Display number of entries per page: Select the number of entries that you see per page by picking a number from the drop-down box.

Category ID: This display column shows the ID number for each entry. This value is hyperlinked to a Details page containing relevant information. For more information on Details pages, read Understanding Details Pages about Groups, Functions, Series and Agencies. This column sorts alphabetically.

Title: This displays the Title for each entry. This column sorts alphabetically.

Date Range: This displays the date range of the entry. This column sorts numerically on the first date value.

Viewing Details pages: Each entry in the list of browse results will have a link to its Details page. Click on the hyperlink in the Category ID display column to open the relevant Details page. To open the Details page in another window:

Internet Explorer: Right mouse click on the hyperlink, select ‘Open in New Window’.

Netscape: Right mouse click on the hyperlink, select ‘New window with this link’

Navigation: To navigate through the list of browse results, use the navigation buttons at the top of the list. These will only be displayed if the number of browse results is greater than the selected number of entries displayed per page.

To move sequentially through each page of browse results, click on the and buttons. Clicking on the and buttons will display the first and last page of browse results respectively. To navigate directly to a specific page in the browse results, enter the page number in the text box and press ‘Enter’.

All the display columns can be re-sorted by clicking on the display column headings.

No Browse Results

If there were no browse results found, the following Browse Results page will be displayed. Click on the ‘Browse Again’ button to return to the Browse the Collection page.

Bookmarking / Printing

What are bookmarks?

Web browsers can remember frequently used Web pages. Internet Explorer uses the term favorites and Netscape calls this bookmarking. Once you have created a bookmark, you can navigate straight to that web page by:

Internet Explorer: Selecting the bookmark from the list in the Favorites menu on your browser.

Netscape: Selecting the bookmark from the list in the Bookmark menu on your browser.

Bookmarking a Search Results or Browse Results page

To bookmark a search results or browse results page:

Internet Explorer: Navigate to the page, select the ‘Add to Favorites’ option from the Favorites menu on your browser. Edit the name of the bookmark if you wish, click on the ‘OK’ button.

Netscape: Navigate to the page, select the ‘Add Bookmark’ option from the Bookmark menu on your browser.

Printing Search Results and Browse Results

To print the list of search or browse results, select the ‘Print’ option from the ‘File’ menu on your browser. The default print dialogue for your browser will be displayed.

Click here for more information on printing web pages.

What is a VEO

A VEO (VERS Encapsulated Object) is a single electronic object that represents an Item or Sub-Item. It consists of four components:

· Documents (including possibly multiple representations of content in long-term preservation format)

· Recordkeeping Metadata

· An XML wrapper

· Digital signatures

A digital record is a VEO.

For more information on VEOs, visit the VERS website.

Additional Search Resources

For more information on terms used in the online catalogue, read the Glossary of Terms.

Research Pathways have been created to assist Users with finding records.

Getting Started

Family and Local History

Koorie People and Places

Finding Records at PROV

Further Research Resources

Exhibitions and Online Learning

PROV provides training on how to search for records. Visit the PROV training web page to see what training is available.