Record series
"Closed" Agency and General Correspondence Files
VPRS 4523
1936 - 1986
Not set, Open
North Melbourne
Agencies
This record series was created by:
Charities Board of Victoria ( VA2707 ): 1936 - 1948
Hospitals and Charities Commission ( VA693 ): 1948 - 1978
Health Commission of Victoria ( VA652 ): 1978 - 1985
Agencies responsible for this record series: Department of Human Services ( VA 3970 ): 1996 - present
Date Range
Series date range: 1936 - 1986
Series in custody:
1923 - 1985
Contents in custody:
1923 - 1986
Function / Content
This series consists of a filing system which was created to store files which had been removed from series created by either the Charities Board of Victoria and/or its successors the Hospitals and Charities Commission and the Hospitals Division of the Health Commission. On their removal, files were allocated a new file number and were regarded as "closed".Files in this system were originally created within at least 5 different series. These are:
- a series of general correspondence files arranged alphabetically by title created by the Hospitals and Charities Board between c. 1923 - 1948. (No files from this alphabetical series are known to exist although a number of files have been incorporated into either this series, VPRS 14846 or VPRS 14848.)
- VPRS 14844 Agency Files (single number)
- VPRS 14845 Agency Files (Multiple Number)
- VPRS 14848 General Correspondence Files (Multiple Nmber), and
- VPRS 14847 General Correspondence Files (Annual Single Number).
(Please refer to the series registrations for these series for a description of the function and contents of these files.)
Judging from the contents of files, it would appear that the first files were created within this system in 1936. File numbers appear to have continued to be allocated until 1986 but this is subject to further investigation.
The P2 consignment of this series also contains a number of files from the other series identified above which were not renumbered. The following unit ranges will eventually all be reprocessed as new consignments of the following series;
- VPRS 4523/P2, units 614 to 819 will be re-processed as a consignment of VPRS 14844
- VPRS 4523/P2, units 820 to 943 will be reprocessed as a consignment of VPRS 14845
- VPRS 4523/P2, units 944 to 971 will be reprocessed as a consignment of VPRS 14846
- VPRS 4523/P2, units 972 to 995 will be reprocessed as a consignment of VPRS 14848, and
- VPRS 4523/P2, units 996 to 1077 will be reprocessed as a consignment of VPRS 14847.
How to use the records
First identify a file number by referring to the detailed paper listing of files in the Reading Room or by requesting VPRS 4525/R1, unit 1 and VPRS 4525/R2, unit 1. Then refer to the detailed paper listing of files in the Reading Room to establish the unit (i.e box) number containing the file.Recordkeeping system
These files are arranged in sequential file number that reflects the order in which the files were removed from the above series.It appears that files were removed from the above series and incorporated into this system when files became too large to be easily handled. At this point, the following actions appear to have taken place:
- a new part file retaining the original file number was created to replace the file within the relevant series above
- the removed file was allocated the next available sequential number from this system
- the sequential number was placed on the file cover of the removed file and the original file number is crossed out, and
- the file cover of the new part file created in the above series is cross referenced with the sequential number from this system.
A series of control records had been transferred to PROV (VPRS 4525) but these mostly consist of photocopied records; the existence of the original records is subject to further research. Judging from these photocopied records (refer to VPRS 4525/R1, unit 1 and VPRS 4525/R2, unit 1), the original control record was a card register. These cards simply list these "closed" files in the new "closed" file number order. To file number 6000, the cards documented just the new file number, the file title and the date range of the file. Cards for the number range 6001 - 9098 document the new "closed" file number, the file title, a subject classification and part file number. (The subject classification and part file number suggests that all of the files within "closed" number range 6001-9098 were removed from the filing system that is VPRS 14845.) Another control record transferred to PROV (VPRS 4525/R2, unit 2) is merely another copy of the detailed paper listing of files held by PROV in the Reading Room.
