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About our case studies

Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) has produced a series of case studies to be used as a reference guide for innovative recordkeeping practices.

The case studies highlight the challenges, processes, technologies and achievements encountered when undertaking recordkeeping and information management projects and transfers within Victorian government agencies.

Small and large scale projects are featured in the case studies as well as Sir Rupert Hamer Award recipient agencies.

If you have recently completed an innovative recordkeeping project that you feel would make a good case study, please fill out our Case Study Proposal Form and submit to us.

 

Browse the case studies below by topic.

Case studies about digital transformation

Summary of case study: Cardinia Shire Council investigated and then successfully implemented an automated mail processing system, utilising artificial intelligence to create time savings of between 40% to 70%, while maintaining 100% accuracy of data capture. Cardinia Shire Council received the award for Excellence and Innovation in Records Management at the 2018 Sir Rupert Hamer Awards.

Key topics: Artificial intelligence, digital records management, information management.

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Summary of case study: The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office (VAGO) initiated a project to transform into a ‘digital by default’ office, proving that auditors can audit and transact successfully and compliantly using electronic means. VAGO received the award for Excellence and Innovation in Records Management at the 2018 Sir Rupert Hamer Awards.

Key topics: Electronic records management, digital by default, information management.

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Case studies about records management and strategy

Summary of case study: Agriculture Victoria adopted an information management tool that allows a single point of contact to access all digital and physical information records held within its Agriculture Research and Farm Services sections. Agriculture Victoria was awarded for Excellence and Innovation in Records Management at the 2016 Sir Rupert Hamer Awards.

Key topics: Records management, content curation, access.

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Agriculture Victoria Case Study Cover

 

Summary of case study: Department of Education and Training (DET) developed a program to make best practice and compliance easier for all staff by creating one platform for document management and collaboration. DET was awarded for Excellence and Innovation in Records Management at the 2016 Sir Rupert Hamer Awards.

Key topics: Document storage, collaboration, electronic records management, intranet.

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DET Case Study Cover

 

Summary of case study: When it comes to social media, it can be difficult to know how to effectively manage and keep on top of recordkeeping. Victoria University made the decision to develop and implement a system that would successfully ensure all recordkeeping requirements relating to social media were met. The organisation received a Sir Rupert Hamer Award for their pioneering work in the recordkeeping of social media.

Key topics: Social media, records management.

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VU Case Study Cover

Summary of case study: Results from an independent review indicated that like many other organisations, Wannon Water employees did not fully understand their recordkeeping responsibilities or how to meet them. The review assessed the organisation against PROV standards. It led to the development of a strategy which clearly outlined recordkeeping responsibilities and addressed other challenges. For their efforts, Wannon Water received a Certificate of Commendation at the Sir Rupert Hamer Awards.

Key topics: Records management strategy, recordkeeping responsibilities.

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Wannon Water Case Study Cover

Case studies about information management and governance

How the Department of Health and Human Services effectively used PROV’s IM3 tool to assess and build their IM maturity

Summary of case study: Developed by PROV, the Information Management Maturity Measurement (IM3) tool helps agencies assess the maturity of their current information management practices. The former Department of Health and the newly formed Department of Health and Human Services have used the tool to identify information management strengths and weaknesses and inform their information strategy and work plan.

Key topics: IM3, information management, self assessment, IM tool, IM strategy.

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DHHS Case Study Cover

 

Summary of case study: City of Casey embarked on an ambitious journey to transform information management across their organisation and move to paper independence with a new digital-first philosophy.

Key topics: Information management, records management, paper independence, storage, enterprise content management.

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City of Casey Case Study Cover

Automating Information Management policy within department network drives

Summary of Case Study: The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) is cleaning up legacy data on their network using new intelligent and automated data management tools HP ControlPoint and HP IDOL.

Key topics: Legacy data, Redundant Obsolete and Trivial (ROT) data, unstructured data, network drives, ControlPoint, IDOL, HP Records Manager (formally known as TRIM), information governance.

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Managing Legacy Data Case Study Cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of case study:  Melbourne Water’s successful 'Info Program' was developed on the basis of wide-ranging consultation, an alignment with PROV standards, and an innovative, user-focused information governance model. For its efforts, Melbourne Water received a Sir Rupert Hamer Award for this program.

Key topics: Information management, information governance.

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Melbourne Water Case Study Cover

Case studies about electronic document and records management systems (EDRMS)

Electronic Records Capture Project - Family Day Care

Summary of case study: Sir Rupert Hamer Award recipient, Mildura Rural City Council previously required their Family Day Care Field Officers to utilise hard copy files and write notes for home visits then rekey the information back at the office. Now, Field Officers have laptops which can locate the council network and capture information remotely, making operational and recordkeeping processes more efficient.

Key topics: EDRMS, electronic recordkeeping, HP Records Manager (formally known as TRIM), mobile workforce, mobile technologies.

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Midura Case Study Cover

Paper Independence: Supporting the Activity Based Working environment - a cultural revolution

Summary of case study: Sir Rupert Hamer Award recipient, Cardinia Shire Council is the first council to adopt an Activity Based Working model which has transformed the council - from being totally dependent on paper into an office with a fully mobile workforce with a 100% TRIM user rate.

Key Topics: EDRMS, electronic recordkeeping, HP Records Manager (formally known as TRIM), mobile workforce.

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Cardinia Shire Case Study Cover

Case studies about digital records transfer, storage and preservation

Summary of case study: Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) oversaw the first successful relational database transfer in Victoria using Software Independent Archiving of Relational Databases (SIARD). DHHS was awarded for Excellence and Innovation in Records Management at the 2016 Sir Rupert Hamer Awards.

Key topics: Electronic records management, databases, SIARD, digital archive, records transfer.

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DHHS 2 Case Study Cover

Transferring over 400,000 electronic documents to PROV’s Digital Archive

Summary of case study: How can an agency ensure 400,000 electronic documents are successfully transferred into Victoria’s digital archive? By demonstrating strong commitment from day one, developing a close working relationship with PROV, engaging experienced data professionals and ensuring careful planning and execution.

Key topics: Digital archiving, digital transfers, VERS Encapsulated Object (VEO), metadata.

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Bushfires Royal Commission Case Study Cover

A process to repair and re-sign approximately 56,000 error VERS Encapsulated Objects (VEOs)

Summary of case study: Digital records are transferred to PROV in the form of VERS Encapsulated Objects (VEOs.) Prior to storage in the PROV Digital Archive, VEOs undergo a variety of checks ranging from virus scanning to digital signature validation. VEOs that fail validation are automatically rejected from the ingest process into PROV’s Digital Archive.

Key topics: Digital archiving, digital transfers, VERS Encapsulated Objects (VEOs), stream editing, digital signatures.

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VEO Vexation Case Study Cover

Case studies about physical records transfer, storage and preservation

Summary of case study: Collaboration between Loddon Shire Council and a local historical society has ensured the records of soldiers who served in World War I will be around for many years to come. Working together, the two organisations have been able to preserve vital records and received a Sir Rupert Hamer Award for their work.

Key topics: Storage, preservation.

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Loddon Shire Case Study Cover

Summary of case study: With more than 3.8 million paper land titles ready to transfer to PROV, Land Victoria needed a solid recordkeeping approach to ensure the long-term preservation and accessibility of this valuable public information. The end result of a close collaboration between Land Victoria and PROV was the long-term preservation of records, which will have value for decades to come.

Key topics: Records transfer, preservation, land titles.

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Land Victoria Case Study Cover

Case studies about digitisation and online access

Summary of case study: Wannon Water ensured the preservation of 21,000 historically significant plans and drawings by undertaking a records management and digitisation project which eliminated the risk of vital records being lost or destroyed and increased ease and speed of access. Wannon Water was awarded for Excellence and Innovation in Records Management at the 2016 Sir Rupert Hamer Awards.

Key topics: Digitisation, images, archives, databases, TRIM, maps, plans.

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case study cover

Summary of case study: With the support and encouragement of PROV, the Box Hill Historical Society has managed to plug a gap in its data and acquire new skills which will contribute to the success of projects in the future. A project to preserve a crucial part of Whitehorse history has seen the Box Hill Historical Society snare a significant accolade. The group won the community archives category at the Sir Rupert Hamer Awards for their work on digitising City of Box Hill rate books.

Key topics: Digitisation, community archiving.

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Box Hill Case Study Cover

Onsite and online: Expanding access to the Gold Museum Collection

Summary of case study: As part of a complete upgrade of buildings and systems, Sir Rupert Hamer Award recipient, Gold Museum implemented a new Vernon collection management system. This enabled all of its data to be published on the web providing online access to this incredibly important historic collection to users all over the world.

Key topics: Museums, collection management systems, Vernon, storage, preservation.

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Gold Museum Case Study Cover

 

Taking it to the World - Jazz Digitisation Project

Summary of case study: Sir Rupert Hamer Award recipient, the Victorian Jazz Archive (also known as the Australian Jazz Museum) enhanced the value of their digital collection by digitising and uploading over 1000 images to their database, enabling users to gain a deep insight into Australia’s rich jazz history. All this wonderful work was done by maximising their limited resources and using volunteers.

Key topics: Digitisation, images, archives, access, database, music.

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Victorian Jazz Archive Case study Cover

Material in the Public Record Office Victoria archival collection contains words and descriptions that reflect attitudes and government policies at different times which may be insensitive and upsetting

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples should be aware the collection and website may contain images, voices and names of deceased persons.

PROV provides advice to researchers wishing to access, publish or re-use records about Aboriginal Peoples