Austin 7 Clubs Association Archive project, Meeting No.4
Thursday 3rd March, 10:00 am
Triumph Sports 6 Club,
36 Main St, Lubenham, Market Harborough LE16 9TF

1. Those present:
Phil Baildon – Association Archivist
Hugh Barnes – Cambridge Austin 7 and Vintage Car Club
Nick Beck – Bristol and Scottish Austin 7 Clubs
Chris Garner – Association Vice-chair and PWA7C
Andy Lowe – Association Chairman and Midlands Austin 7 Club
Dave Martin – Asst Archivist and PWA7C
Nick Turley – PWA7C
2. Apologies for absence:
Chris Charles – Association Web Master
Ruairidh Dunford – Scottish Austin 7 Club
3. Minutes of meeting 3
Were deemed correct.
4. Progress since last meeting
a. The Collection to be reorganised (Action PB, DM, CG et al)
Much good progress has been made in the reorganisation of the collection. This work continues by the Thursday Group (Action CG, PB, DM)
b. Extra shelving erected and items moved off floor (Action PB, DM, CG et al)
Complete. New shelving units have been purchased and the reorganised collection stored in a sensible order. Other items not stored on the shelves are now off the floor on plastic ‘shelves’ about 2” high. This would mitigate any damage from flood should the worst happen again.
c. Collection covered when not in use (Action PB, DM, CG et al)
Efforts have been made to cover the shelf units with ‘Decorators’ plastic sheeting. This has proved somewhat unsuccessful due to the ‘weight’ of the material. Attempts will be made with heavier gauge plastic sheet or roller blinds as suggested by NT. This should be resolved by our next meeting.(Action PB, DM, CG)
d. Trophy photography complete (Action NT)
Complete
e. High level Inventory created (Action PB, DM, CG et al)
WIP. A list of all different categories of the collection and a count of the number of items is now a pressing need. Eg, Photographs, film and video resources, books, magazines, drawings etc and the number of each type of resource. Any records produced need to be recorded in an Excel spreadsheet to permit sharing of information and further manipulation. This should be resolved by the next meeting (Action PB, DM, CG et al)
f. Lubenham Internet connection established (Action PB)
Complete
g. Approach those with known collections of Handbooks (Action PB)
Still to be done. PB will approach Barry Pook in the first instance (action PB)
Offers of materials from outside the UK may mean that those items will be digitised locally and digital files transferred to the Project. To aid that:
• Create a specification for digital files (Action HB)
• Create Association Dropbox account (Action NT)
h. Index to CD of Stanley Edge documents provided to PB (Action NB)
Complete
i. Community Sites follow up (Action CG/HB)
On hold. Our meeting with Bottesford local History group (see next item) encouraged us to believe Community Sites are a company that work well for projects such as ours. Any further contact with them will take place after we have a better understanding of an HLF Grant application as we would include their costs in any application. We also are exploring options of in-house developments. (Action CG/HB)
j. HLF Grant follow up (Action CG/HB)
CG and HB have had successful meeting with a Local History Group and Historical monument preservation Society regarding their experience of an HLF Grant application. Their experiences has encouraged us to pursue an HLF Grant and an initial enquiry has been made which was well received, CG and HB will attending an HLF Grant symposium on March 23rd during which time we will get a face to face interview with HLF Staff to discuss our Project and seek guidance to our intended Grant application (Action CG/HB)
k. Arrange with Hants CC for digitisation work (Action RD)
Complete. RD to continue to be main point of contact for any communications with HCC. (All to note)
l. Create inventory list for materials for digitisation. (Action PB, DM, CG)
Complete. However, it should be pointed out that in future any such inventory should be created in Excel, data recorded as such can be manipulated to help with catalogue creation and to aid the ongoing work of the Project generally. (All to take note)
m. Arrangements for training course (Action RD, HB)
Complete
n. Chairman to add Archive Project notes in Grey Mag (Action AL)
Complete
o. Web site to be enhanced (Action Web Master)
Complete
p. Quarterly report for Grey Mag and Club Magazines (Action HB)
Complete
q. Quarterly Grey Mag article on Archive Items of note (Action PB)
There was some confusion over this which was resolved in the meeting. For the next Grey Mag issue, Dave Martin has written a piece on some specific Index Cards which will suffice for this issue. In future, PB will produce an article on a specific Item of interest in the collection, will highlight any accessions made by the Collection and will make reference to any specific items sought by the Archive and encourage any further donations of material.
r. Grey Mag to highlight Assn. Web site (Action CG, Editor)
Complete
s. Explore Open Day possibilities with TSSC (Action PB)
After some discussion, it was decided that we should plan for an open day on Sunday August 14th. It was suggested that we should invite Bob Wyatt to attend on the day and that we should also make it the formal launch of the Spare Parts list publication. PB will take on the organisation of this. A draft plan for the day should be developed and available for review by the next meeting. (Action PB)
t. Consider possibilities and need for watermark on downloaded items (Action HB)
A discussion took place. The general feeling of the group was that images should not be watermarked
u. Copyright issues (Action PB)
These were discussed from two standpoints. A) Copyright held and claimed by the Association on Archive materials and B) Copyright held on materials by bodies other than the Association. It was decided not to approach any other bodies at this time, but that it may be enough to acknowledge the possible copyright of others when publishing items on the web. This may also be covered by expiry dates of copyright, this is also to be researched (Action CG)
v. Trophy storage issues (Action PB)
A number of options were discussed. The general mood of the group was that the Trophies should be stored in a more secure location. Even though Lubenham had alarms etc, entry to the Archive room would be simple and items could be removed in a very short space of time. The decision was made to place them in secure storage location (rented) for a period of 3 months while a more permanent location was found. A number of locations were suggested to be researched (Action CG) Insurance cover to be checked and put n place for the Trophy collection when stored away from Lubenham (urgent Action PB)
NB. After the meeting, it was confirmed that the Trophy collection is now in secure storage – thank you Chris
w. ‘Disclaimer’ wording for technical drawings (Action PB)
RD had recently published the content of the Stanley Edge Notebook and, with assistance from NT, had come up with suitable wording to cover this point. It was suggested that this wording should be adapted for our needs.
(For the record, this is the wording referred to:
This notebook belonged to Stanley Edge. Following his wishes, it is shared with you for personal information and interest. It should not be used for specifying parts manufacture. Respecting Stanley’s intentions it must on no account be reprinted, republished or reshared in any form, either whole or in part and strictly not for reward. Copyright: Ruairidh Dunford)

5. Heritage Lottery Grant
CG made the following presentation
From the overview provided by CG to the HLF, our project is deemed suitable for funding
HLF encourage the use of volunteers in cataloging, archiving and the production of digital records. Training. eg Hants CC ,is encouraged and can be costed for.
In developing a website, using Digital Technologies ( DT ) is vital and there are HLF specific requirements. DT is defined as anything in a digital format, designed to give access to heritage and to assist in helping people engage with it – eg images, sound, on line, exhibition etc.
Prior to application we must have an idea where the physical archives are to lodged. County archives?

The use of DT is to encourage greater access to our archives, copies of fragile items and widen our audience. Make the DT interactive. eg allow comments on a dedicated website.
One can divide DT into;
Generative technology. ie create content
Preservation tech.
Interpretive tech. ie understanding the content
Administative tech. ie everyday tools

It is vital that a Digital Archivist is appointed to oversee all digital elements, intellectual content, technology and ongoing maintenance.
Use open DT eg WordPress and Community Sites, as we have touched upon.
Consider the state of data / files. CD, hard drives and increasingly, on line – these need to be safe.
Need to catalogue information as it is generated, keeping track of it so it can be easily found – so called “ metadata “ – collections of many files.
Make sure websites are usable and friendly. Keep it simple but informative. Also recognise disabilities in your audience.
Copyright & intellectual property. Very important
Audience’s use of our data. Protection…but at the same time the archive should be made freely available to individuals. Investigate “ Creative Commons “ – a set of licences specifying what users are allowed to do with our digital files.
Determine engagement. Who is the target audience?, how to engage with them and what degree of feedback we need or expect. Think of the benefits to the audience in terms of knowledge, ideas, discussion stimulation.
Need to market, and to some degree, educate the audience by making them aware of the archive.
Once the digital content is out in the field, the need to evaluate its effectiveness and also manage and maintain on a long term basis.
Assess what we want to achieve after the project is completed.
What resources are required? Digital archivist!
Always seek outside advice if necessary to make your project “the best “
6. Appointment of a Digital Archivist
This volunteer role was outlined by HB. The duties would broadly to be ‘Curator’ of the digital Archive with all that might encompass. A formal Job description will be drawn up (Action HB) and applications invited from suitable candidates. Candidates will go through a formal interview process. Personal attributes shall include good computer literacy and communication skills with a career background in either Archive management, Library or IT disciplines. An advert for the current issue of the Grey Mag will be written (Action HB). The vacancy will also be advertised on A7Friends and the Archive pages of the Association Web site (action HB)
7. Bert Hadley Archive
Geoff Roe has been asked if he will go through the ‘Bert Hadley Archive’ (consists of 3 boxes of assorted materials). He is the best person to assess its contents given his knowledge of the subject. Geoff does not use a computer so he must be asked to create a written list of the materials that can be transferred to a spreadsheet when complete.
CG to organise with the Thursday working party a high level review of the contents. (Action CG, PB, DM) CG will also look to the purchase of appropriate storage materials – eg archive quality polyester photo envelopes etc (Action CG)
8. Budget
Of the £5000 initial grant from the Association, we are committed to approximately £3000 with Hants CC (will vary a little from that figure) Training costs came in under budget at about £600. There was also £150 to clean and prepare the Trophy collection for photographing. Training costs have been re-imbursed as have cleaning costs. We will not receive an invoice from Hants until the work is complete (probably July time). We are therefore left with approximately £1250 of our initial budget.
9. Digitisation
As reported elsewhere, all materials from the first tranche are now with Hants CC. They will provide us with some samples from their early efforts for us to review and prototype some processes and procedures for storage and handling from an IT perspective.
Next category to be assessed will be the Archive collection of photographs. The Thursday working group will focus on this over the next few weeks (Action PB, DM, CG)
10. Training
Our training course with Hants Archives had been a great success. All delegates had got a great deal form the course and it had helped us form opinions on aspects of the Project where we had outstanding decisions. One area that had been of particular interest was the concept of ‘oral histories’. It was apparent to the group that although we may have missed the opportunity to interview many characters, there were still many people that would be interesting to talk to. In discussion, it soon became apparent that some resources of this type already exist and that, in the first instance, we should try and track down these items and hopefully secure them for the Archive. We should then undertake a project in its own right to identify more people and interview them. This could be a task overseen by the Digital Archivist.
A request for candidates should be made in the next Grey Mag (not the April Edition). To be discussed further at the next meeting.
11. Publicity
Additional publicity of the Project has been instigated with the article penned by HB appearing in Club Magazines. Similarly, a further article from HB on the Project and one from DM on Index cards will appear in the next Grey Mag.
Chris Charles (Web Master) provided stats on views of relevant pages on the Web site. These are as follows:
stats from the website from 11th Feb (Trophy launch) to 1st March.

Trophies –

/trophies/ 244
/trophies/hadley-trophies/ 65
/trophies/other-trophies/ 43
/trophies/waite-trophies/ 42

Then from 2nd December (previous report) to 1st March

/austin-seven/archives/archive-project/ 301
/newsarchive/missing-publications/ 93
/newsarchive/stage-1-of-digitisation-project/ 65
/newsarchive/archive-project-meeting-19th-december-2015/ 42
/newsarchive/archive-project-meeting-10th-january-2016/ 41
/newsarchive/archive-progress-update-14th-january-2016/ 28
Views of the web site appear to be increasing as our publicity of the Project is beginning to extend past A7Friends. Publicity of the Project remains a priority.
When the group were in Winchester, we met up with Bernard Griffith, an A7 owner of note. Bernard has agreed to find a local Chummy owner that would be prepared to use his car when we collect the first digitised material from Winchester as a photo opportunity for both Hants Archives and ourselves.
12. AOB
NB will start to go through the non A7 items in the Stanley Edge material to assess different types of material in an effort to find more appropriate homes for it. Items to be handed over to NB at next Association meeting (Action PB)
AL has discovered that the Shelsley Walsh archive has interesting records of entries made by Austins (Works and Privateers)
13. Date of next meeting
Sunday April 10th after the Association Meeting at Gaydon. Bob Prophet to be informed (Action HB)

Work items for next period
a. The Collection to be reorganised (Action PB, DM, CG et al)
b. Collection covered when not in use (Action PB, DM, CG et al) – to be completed by April Meeting
c. High level Inventory created (Action PB, DM, CG et al) – to be completed by April Meeting
d. Approach those with known collections of Handbooks (Action PB)
e. Create a specification for digital files (Action HB)
f. Create Association Dropbox account (Action NT)
g. Community Sites follow up (Action CG/HB)
h. HLF Grant follow up (Action CG/HB)
i. Open Day planning (Action PB) draft to be complete by April meeting
j. Copyright research (Action CG)
k. Trophy storage issues (Action CG)
l. Advert for Digital Archivist (Action HB)
m. Job Description for Digital Archivist (Action HB)
n. Bert Hadley collection assessed (Action PB, DM, CG)
o. Archive photograph collection assessed (Action PB, DM, CG)
p. Take non A7 items to Association Meeting for NB to review (Action PB)