We have started our pilot program for our biggest task this year, transformation of our collection to a true online body of materials on the new relational database made for us by Volunteer and Fellow Bill Fatouros, the proprietor of FIRST Software Solutions in Melbourne.
We are calling now for enthusiastic Volunteers willing to get involved with us on the archiving and data entry. This is well led and as we all know, many hands make light work. We need more hands. The framework and the great resources are in place.
This data-entry task is creating a knowledge bank for research and education accessible online to our supporters across the nation and the world. It is your Foundation, it is without precedent here, so please do consider volunteering early to learn how to access develop and use its resources well.
This is the first or ‘tester’ batch of resources selected for placement in the database. It amounts to no more than three percent (yes, 3%) of the material we wish to make accessible online to supporters via our website.
On 31st August the large ZircoData group started the digitisation job, the first step in populating our new database. Head Curator Pete Eppel and his team put together a fair sample, about 20,000 pages representative of what we have today, selected for the initial pilot work with Zirco. They were boxed and are with Zirco now.
Each box has a barcode sticker which was transmitted to the Zirco team database in Campbelltown before being placed in the van. This was done by Zirco’s man who has been designated the team leader for our pilot study. Peter Robinson and I firstly made sure he understood what he was taking away, how it is to be handled, and how it must all be returned to us after scans are complete and in our database.
Then our Volunteers will work with this selection of the magazines, brochures, books and media items that will be big first features of the database. All the work can be done remotely wherever our database can be accessed.
The Foundation had a substantial showing as an integral part of the CMC Day, 14th August at Sydney Motorsport Park. Our home base was open and staffed all the day, the jazz band set the tone, we had a good many visitors from a great variety of clubs, and the Shannons stand was adjacent. Also our valued Ambassador Spencer Martin put up his flag and added some glamour to our front door — both he and we all had a good day. Congratulations go to our Ambassador Terry Thompson OAM the President of the CMC and his team, for it was a big success.
Now we are preparing for another large presence on 4-5th September, at the much-awaited 70th Birthday party for our host and Strategic Partner the ARDC. We enjoy the company of all the good people at the ARDC and we will celebrate this milestone with a big marquee near the main stairway to the hospitality suites above the pits. Look for our people there, and the big screen rolling a display of historic markers over the past 70 years.
