Archive Project Meeting – 9th October 2016

Austin 7 Clubs Association Archive project, Meeting No.9
Sunday October 9th 2016
The Dun Cow,
The Green, Dunchurch, Rugby CV22 6NJ

Full download is available here.

  1. Those present:

Andy Lowe – Association Chairman and Midlands A7
Phil Baildon – Association Archivist
Hugh Barnes – Cambridge Austin 7 and Vintage Car Club
Chris Garner – Association Vice-chair and PWA7C
Dave Martin – Asst Archivist and PWA7C
Ruairidh Dunford – Scottish A7 Club

  1. Apologies for absence

Nick Turley – PWA7C
Nick Beck – Scottish and Bristol A7Cs
Chris Charles – Association Web Master

  1. Minutes of meeting 8

Were deemed correct

  1. Progress since last meeting
    1. PB and CG to arrange to meet with owners of collection of archive materials

Arrangements are in hand to visit one soon. Both visits should be arranged (at least, if not completed) by the next meeting.

  1. HB to advertise for someone to maintain the Excel Catalogue file

HB has had a tentative approach from a possible candidate which is being followed up

  1. PB to follow up with A10 Drivers Club re paint sample project

Ongoing – both with A10DC and Craftmaster Paints

  1. PB to deliver show brochures to HCC and collect the 2 sample engineering drawings

Done

  1. PB to deliver the 2 engineering drawings for quotation. Quotation to be available for next meeting

In the end, Wigston were asked to copy the drawings and have done so. No quote was provided and the cost is as yet not known. HCC have supplied a comprehensive quote, with options. A comparison will be made when Wigston costs are known.

  1. NB to draft Accessions/Catalogue process document

Done. Subject to any further discussion, there seems no reason not to adopt these.

  1. HB to advertise Archive Mailing Lis

Done

  1. NB to maintain contact with local garage (particularly re upholstery samples)

Nick to report progress as and when

  1. PB to consider date of next Open Day

Decision on early April. PB to check with Triumph Club to firm up date. Should be known by next meeting

  1. CC to provide photos of Open Day

Done

  1. HB to write Open Day article for Grey Mag

Done

  1. PB/DM to write introductory pieces for each style of digitised material

Done

  1. CC to implement ‘place holder’ image for show brochures

Done

  1. CC to remove references to copyright from web site

Done

  1. HB to discuss with Assn. Treasurer Web Master’s honorarium.

Done (and paid)

  1. RD to undertake pilot project in re-ordering index card pdfs

In progress. See later report

  1. CC to provide RD with appropriate software for his task

Done (in essence – a manual process has been identified)

  1. HB to remind HCC of our delivery/collection of materials

Done

  1. CG to draft ‘flyer’ for 2017A Grey Mag

Done. CG will circulate for discussion.

  1. HB to discuss flyer with Treasurer and Editor

Even though it was not seen as a good idea by the Editor, the Team have decided to go ahead. There are still people who are not aware of the published materials

  1. CC to instigate go live of archive web site Sunday 28th August

Done (hurrah! Well done all!)

  1. HB to do appropriate announcements on A7Friends, CC to deal with Facebook and Twitter

Done

  1. CG to draft Press release for early 2017

In progress

  1. PB to follow up with contact for Stanley Edge Military material

David Fletcher, recently retired from the Bovington Tank Museum will come to Lubenham to examine the collection. PB to arrange

  1. CG to follow up with Lincoln Museums re Clayton Dewandre materials

Despite a number of attempts to contact, no response was received. We need to continue with this

  1. NT to undertake oral history recording with Bob Wyatt

Done. Nick Turley in the throes of editing the recording

  1. HB to discuss with NT opportunities for further interviews

Done. NT happy to undertake 4 or 5 more over the coming year.

  1. CG to consider appeal to Austin Apprentices for any archive materials they could loan or donate

After contact, the Austin Apprentices Assocation are interested in forging links. They may also provide likely interview candidates. It was suggested that the Austin Village group may also be an interesting interview prospect. Al to follow up

  1. Photo Collection sorting

RD had been investigating possible approaches and had sought guidance from both Faye McLeod and Heather Needham. Please take time to read the full report found in Appendix A but salient points and recommendations are as follows:

Comments from Heather

We should explore the On line help at http://www3.hants.gov.uk/archives/community-archives/how-to.htm .Essentially a summarised version of what was covered in the sessions on the Archives Ambassador workshop.

Look at two possible approaches to cataloguing photographs:

1A11 (http://calm.hants.gov.uk/Overview.aspx?s=1A11 ) shows a collection catalogued by format.

(http://calm.hants.gov.uk/TreeBrowse.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&field=RefNo&key=76001%2f11 ) shows an example of cataloguing according to provenance, ie the photo is in the part of the collection it came from.

Usual preference is cataloguing according to provenance, not always possible if you have a large tote of photos. (RD – I suspect that we come largely under this banner with perhaps the exception of D-H albums etc).

We need to establish whether to go down the scanning or photographing route, guided by the material we have– (RD -I suspect that scanning will suffice – do we have any photos over A3, slides, transparencies or negatives, We will need to consider  file types, resolution, etc. All need to be factored into the scanner capabilities spec.)

Comments from Faye

Advice on the headings that we should record under:

Suggestions are –  Model/Model derivative (you need to agree a pre-determined list of terms in order to ensure consistency), Setting/Event, People featured, Date

We need to take into account any copyright information – for example, is there a photographer’s mark on the back of the print. Is that photographer still in business? Can you find the relevant copyright holder? Reproduction rights – is this an orphan image, or has the copyright holder given you permission?

Careful thought needs to be given to catalogue IDs. See full report for examples

Digitisation:

Faye suggests that a large collection would be expensive to outsource and that scanning by hand is entirely achievable with a suitable scanner/s.

Practical advice was given on types of image taken and archive storage standards to follow. See the full report for details

Recommendations:

  • Write an A7CA “how to” document for cataloguing photos.
  • Create blank spread sheet with additional headings, if necessary, and begin the process of cataloguing what we have, storing in pockets and marking the outside with our decided coding
  • Website – Chris Charles to be commissioned to construct a trial photo archive template with moderated comments section and search facility for review and comment.
  • Undertake a pilot project with (say) 20 photos, taken at random from the collection, to give a cross section of materials we will deal with
  • Research and purchase scanner/s

 

  1. Archive Web Site review

RD had been working with a couple of well-respected Austin 7 owners with good historical knowledge and had asked them to review the Index cards on line and provide feedback. Please take time to read the full report found in Appendix B but the salient points and recommendations are as follows:

Feedback from A

A need for chronological order (earliest to latest).

Need for clarity between the two columns, for example there is no explanatory link between BA and Crankcase etc.

A need to explore and cross reference the cards with the drawings referenced in the handbooks, ideally a pop up picture when hovering over the part number in the cards and a list of chassis numbers that used a part illustrated in the handbooks.

Feedback from B

Check that the write up at the start should is correct e.g. BA refers to the ‘Crankshaft’ when it should be the ‘Crankcase’

Looking at ‘Shock Absorber’, I clicked on the word and no data was there. Only when I clicked on the ‘BU’ did I get the cards I was looking for.

I agree the cards are in the order they are in the Longbridge drawer, that is only logical as last entry would always come first but for best use first card ie earliest must come first for logical use.

Then there must be a cross reference on the page that you can click onto to get up the relevant Spare Parts List, not everyone would have a hard copy to hand. Reference to the Part No.s and either description or image is essential to understanding the cards.

Over time, it may be that a ‘commentary’ could be added to the cards adding extra information (such as dimensions etc) See the full report for an explanation of this point.

But all in all having the cards available is a great leap forward in the understanding of the evolving design of the Austin Seven and A7CA are to be congratulated.

Recommendations

  • Small trial section developed to see if pop ups and commentary can be added to the PDFs – is DM prepared to share his text to assist with this task please?*
  • Rearrange PDFs to show earliest first.
  • Come up with new headings or explanation for the BA (etc.) labelling.
  • DM offered to review the ‘doubling up’ of some sets of cards (eg BA and crankcase) with a view to rationalising them and adding clarity

 

*DM is still not willing to share any of the text details from the List of Production changes booklet until all copies are sold, so other ways of linking Index card details to spare part images will have to be found.

 

  1. Budget Position

As per last meeting, the Project still has some £3500 uncommitted. With an eye to the future, the purchase of a scanner may well be in the region of £1000 for one of appropriate quality and capabilities (and that may be second hand – new would be twice that price possibly) Epson Expression 10000 would be the sort of standard to be aiming at.

 

  1. Digitisation

Show Brochures with HCC are yet to be started as their photographer is finishing  his previous commission. They are next in the queue. HB has arranged to borrow 5 different brochures, some of which are already in the Archive, some of which are not. But all are in better condition that we have at the moment. Thanks to Adam at Craftmaster Paints. We will include them in a future tranche of digitisation sent to HCC

 

Wigston have provided a copy of the Coupe drawing. HCC have done so also and the 2 can be compared and discussed at the next meeting, as can the other two drawings that have been dealt with.

 

  1. Publicity

CG showed the group his first attempt at a Flyer for inclusion with 2017a Grey Mag. The group will continue to discuss and refine this over email in the coming days. Press date for 2017a is 1st December 2016.

RD reported that there are still people, well versed in the world of Austin 7 that still are unaware of the Archive web pages. The flyer (and other approaches) are still needed.

It was suggested that something published in the Automobile magazine would be worthwhile. CG has a contact on the Editorial team and will follow this up.

  1. AOB
  1. Date and time of next meeting

 

Thursday December 8th, 10:30 at Lubenham

 

Task List for next meeting:

  1. PB and CG to have arranged to meet (or preferably, have met) with owners of collection of archive materials
  2. HB to follow up on someone to maintain the Excel Catalogue file
  3. PB to get copying costs from Wigston
  4. PB et al to have started using NB’s accessions procedures. PB to give examples
  5. Next Open Day. Decision on early April 2017. PB to check with Triumph Club to firm up date.
  6. Paint project ongoing work HB
  7. RD, DM, CC ongoing Index card re-ordering
  8. CG (all) Flyer for 2017a inclusion to be complete by 1st December and submitted to Editor
  9. PB to follow up with contact for Stanley Edge Military material
  10. CG – Clayton DeWandre materials long term home
  11. NT, CC – edit and publish of Bob Wyatt interview.
  12. NT further interview candidates identified (CG to follow up with Austin Apprentices, AL to follow up with Austin Village)
  13. HB to create photo catalogue spreadsheet ‘pro-forma’ for trial
  14. HB to organise a ‘how to’ document for cataloguing photos
  15. HB to discuss trial photo publication with CC
  16. HB to undertake scanner research
  17. DM to provide recommendations as how to ‘merge’ duplicated Index card headings