Presented at Local Studies Librarians’ Meeting Albury LibraryMuseum 8 November 2019 9.15 - 4pm

1. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Record enrichment
worksheets
You can get it
out of your head!

2. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
The problem
• Local History specialists carry around so
much information about Collections in
their heads, but who else knows?
• Information about significant or especially
useful items is unable/unlikely to be
shared if it is locked inside your head
• When the Local History specialist leaves
the organisation that knowledge goes with
them

3. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Additional issues
• Researchers cannot access the Local
History specialists’ mind 24/7
• Work loads for specialists mean that they
are not always available as needed by
other staff, by customers etc.
• Cataloguer gets frustrated waiting for
suitable time to ask Local History specialist
about items

4. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Additional issues
• Books and reports often contain valuable
information not obvious from the title or
casual scanning
• Donor and provenance information can be
easily lost
• Catalogue records are not as useful as they
might be when specialist knowledge about
items is not shared.

5. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Record enrichment sheets
• Possibly in use in various forms in other
libraries
• Ours was devised by Rebecca-Jane
Fairweather who does original cataloguing
for Central Coast Library Service (Thanks
R-J!)
• Designed to facilitate sharing of
information about Local History items
• Informs and enhances catalogue records

6. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
What it looks like

7. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Process
• Local History specialist fills in sheet when
new collection items/already held
significant items are encountered
• Quick record is created for the cataloguer
to create more complete catalogue
records that can be shared
• Sheet is kept with item and cataloguer
uses sheet to inform cataloguing when
they are ready to do so.

8. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
What the sheet covers 1
Significant content keywords relating to:
• businesses and institutions
• buildings/landmarks
• Locations/suburbs/roads/streets
• Geographical/natural features
• Historical events
• Provenance information

9. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
What the sheet covers 2
• Historical significance of item or collection
it is from
• Reasons for local significance e.g. Local
author, belonged to locally significant
person
• Significant information attached to
Unpublished works/manuscripts
• Further information as relevant

10. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Emergency Fire Plan example
• Inadequately catalogued originally… absolute
bare bones record. No subject heading on
original record.
• As catalogued virtually invisible in collection
and valuable content completely unknown to
all but the Local History specialist
• Known by Local History specialist to contain
very useful historical lists of personnel and
equipment for local RFS units

11. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Emergency Fire Plan example
Author: Gosford (N.S.W.).Council.
Title : Emergency fire plan 1983/1984 /Gosford City Council.
Published : [Gosford, N.S.W.] : Gosford City Council,[1984].,
Description: 47 leaves ;32 cm.
General Note: Lists of Bush Fire Brigade Captains etc. published occasionally in minutes of Gosford Shire
Council and Gosford City Council. See Local Studies Librarian for access.
Summary: Plan contains information regarding procedures for response to bush fire emergencies,
including contact details for local and state services, agencies and organisations likely to be involved in
the response.
Local Note: Appendix A: Gosford Bush Fire Brigades 41F Emergency - an alphabetical list of local bushfire
brigades including names of key staff members (Captains, Deputy Captains), size of brigade, equipment
held (e.g. vehicles, tools etc.)
Subjects: Fire prevention--New South Wales--Gosford Region.
Forest fires--New South Wales--Gosford Region--Prevention and control.
Fire fighters--New South Wales--Gosford Region.
Volunteer fire fighters--New South Wales--Gosford Region.

12. www.centralcoast.nsw.gov.au
Benefits
• Better sharing of specialist knowledge
• Improved access to local history
collections for staff and researchers
• Relatively quick process that suits both
Local History specialist and cataloguer
• Sheet easily adaptable for use with
different collections e.g. photographs,
maps