Issues

• Cultural Landscapes
• Heritage Places and Features
• Heritage Objects
• Archival Material
• Memory
• Social and Contemporary Significance

• Planning Scheme Provisions

At a glance

The issue

Archival heritage is mostly made up of written material, diaries, letters, records kept by government officials, newspapers, and the like. Differentiating between objects and archival material is not always straightforward. Many items would fit definitions of either category (for instance, pictures will be found listed under either heading, according to the predilection of the individual curator). Moreover, many items traditionally perceived as objects (e.g. scrimshaw, lustre ware jugs, grave boards, uniforms, and even jewellery) contain text and could also be categorised as archival material. Whilst recognising this is an area of obvious ambiguity, in the interest of keeping matters simple, items that could cross categories will be classified in accord with the category used by the holding institution.

Archival data is of great importance in understanding the function, use and day-to-day forces that shaped a cultural heritage landscape, place, feature, and object. Archival material assists in establishing basic information such as dates of construction and occupation.

It is recognised that new information is available on the archival material issue, but it has not been possible to provide a full assessment of the issue for this second SoE Report

The Tasmanian Government and the University of Tasmania are currently developing a new strategic and systematic process for the integrated identification and assessment of cultural heritage condition, pressure, and protection priorities-including archival material. An Australian Research Council Linkage Grant has been awarded to the project to trial the methodology of the new system in an assessment of the Willow Court historic precinct (an 18ha site of Australia's longest continually operating mental institution).

More detailed information and references are contained in the Archival Material Issue Report. Indicators for assessing the condition and pressures of archival material in Tasmania are currently in development and are provided within the Assessing and measuring the current situation section. An assessment of the archival material associated with the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station is also presented within the section. A separate case study is provided that demonstrates the integrated process of assessing all cultural heritage items associated with the Macquarie Harbour Penal Station.

A number of related recommendations are presented.

• Issue Report - continued in depth