A woman sits in a lounge chair and rests a binder folder with paper on her lap. She holds a pen and appears to be writing as she listens. Her headphones are connected to a portable reel player, which sits on a table beside her, and on top of this are reel boxes with braille labels.Digital image of woman listening to an audio bookroyal victorian institute for the blind, talking books

First annual report for the National Information Library Service, which was created through the merge of the Library and Material Production Units of RVIB and RBS. In August 2001, Roxanne Missingham (National Library of Australia) launched NILS which was designed to reduce duplication between state-based services, increase the variety of Braille, audio and e-text materials and reduce costs. This report shows the progress towards these goals, the future inclusion of Vision Australia Foundation and the number of books, loans and materials produced over the year.national information library service, corporation records, jamie kelly, tim mitchell, ann carlson

Second annual report for the National Information Library Service, which saw the joining of the Vision Australia Foundation library and alternative format production areas join NILS. This report shows the progress towards reducing duplication between state-based services, increasing the variety of Braille, audio and e-text materials and reducing costs, as well as the number of books, loans and materials produced over the year.national information library service, corporation records, alan egerton, ted johnson, kelly thong, tim mitchell, robert de graauw, james wright, john turner, jane evans

Third annual report for the National Information Library Service, which saw the joining of the Christian Blind Mission International (CBMI) with NILS. This report shows the introduction of CDs and Daisy titles into the collection, the development of an online catalogue and the progress towards increasing the variety of Braille, audio and e-text materials and reducing costs, as well as the number of books, loans and materials produced over the year.national information library service, corporation records, malcolm daubney, jane evans, tim evans, pam wansink, libby sturrock, brian hardy, tim mitchell, jamie kelly, anna fairclough, dorothy hamilton, alan bates, ted johnson

With the advent of audio content available through i-phones and other small devices, the demand for a dedicated audio, easily portable player for the blind and vision impaired became louder and louder. Two organisations competed to deliver this and Canadian company Humanware developed the Victor Classic as a table top player that relied on discs. As CDs had been introduced into the library some years before, this allowed borrowers to have the advantages of 4 track cassettes within a digital medium. The Victor Reader Classic used simple features that made it easy for clients to navigate through a book or magazine. The player played both DAISY and music CDs. The function keys included controls for variable tone, volume, speed and creation of bookmarks, sleep time and you could navigate by chapter and page on DAISY books. A carry handle is included for ease of use.Grey square object with buttons for navigational controlsaudio equipment, assistive devices

With the advent of audio content available through i-phones and other small devices, the demand for a dedicated audio, easily portable player for the blind and vision impaired became louder and louder. Two organisations competed to deliver this and Canadian company Humanware developed the Victor Stream. A portable hand-held device that could deliver audio content from SD card and was small enough to fit into a pocket or handbag. It could read a variety of formats, such as DAISY, MP3 and txt files, and had a built in voice recorder via the inbuilt microphone or an external one. As part of the trial to introduce new deliver mechanisms for audio content, the Stream was in demand as books could be downloaded directly to it and were aimed at those who were comfortable using the technology with minimal support.Black and silver rectangle with silver buttonsaudio equipment, assistive devices

EDHS Newsletter No. 270 June 2023 At our next meeting at 2.00pm on Saturday 10th June 2023 we are pleased to have Dr. Geoffrey Sandy to present to us on the WW1 Soldier Welcome Home Committees, with specific reference to Eltham. Geoffrey is an author, parish historian and parish archivist for St Margaret’s Anglican Church in Eltham. Soldier Welcome Home Committees (SWHC) were established throughout Australia during WW1 by the soldier’s local community - their home. Despite WW1 being a well-researched area of Australian history, little has been published on the SWHCs. The work of these committees is an important part of our war history, and our volunteer history. As women were often well-represented, and active within the SWHCs, it is also important to our history of Australian women. Geoff has undertaken a detailed case study of the Soldier Welcome Home Committee at Eltham (SWHCE). During the WW1 period Eltham can be described a small rural community. What is fortunate is that the Minute Books of the SWHC Eltham meetings are extant and readily accessible, as these are held in the archives of Saint Margaret’s Anglican Church Eltham.1:17:13 duration Digital MP3 file; 26.5MBaudio recording, eltham district historical society, meeting, society meeting, eltham, avenue of honour, dr geoffrey sandy, welcome home committee

April Meeting (Newsletter No. 233, Apr. 2017) Our meeting at 8.00pm on Wednesday 12th April 2017 is our Annual General Meeting, which includes the presentation of annual reports and the election of office bearers for the coming year. The official notification of the Annual General Meeting and Agenda are on page 8 in this Newsletter. At this meeting we are pleased to have as our guest speaker Dr. Andrew Lemon, a great friend of EDHS and a Fellow and the immediate Past President of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria. Andrew is an independent Melbourne historian, author of numerous books on local history, shipwrecks, biography, schools and sport and winner of national literary awards. He has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Letters by the University of Melbourne for his published works. Andrew edited the Victorian Historical Journal throughout the 1990s and served on the Library Board of Victoria and the Heritage Council. Andrew is a very entertaining presenter and in our 50th Anniversary year he has chosen to speak about ‘Fifty years of the EDHS - and why it matters.’1:03:34 duration Digital MP3 File 75 MB andrew lemon, audio recording, eltham district historical society, meeting, society meeting

October Meeting (Newsletter No. 248, Oct. 2019) It was intended that Dr. Andrew Lemon AM would be our guest speaker at our last meeting on Wednesday 14th August 2019, to talk about Heritage Advocacy - the role of historical research and historical societies. Unfortunately, due to a clash of commitments Andrew apologised for not being able to attend and we are delighted he will now be our speaker at our next meeting on Wednesday 9th October. As mentioned in our last newsletter, this presentation was very well received when Andrew was the keynote speaker at the recent Regional Conference of the Association of Eastern Historical Societies. Andrew is an independent professional historian who has published many commissioned local and institutional histories since his first book, Box Hill, forty years ago. He has now written sixteen books, four of which have won prizes, on subjects ranging from local history, sport, education and biography. Andrew received his doctorate of letters from the University of Melbourne in 2004 because of the excellence of a body of work, not one single piece, as in a thesis. He has been a consistent supporter of our Society and a long term member, who has spoken at a number of our meetings, over many years.1:20:57 duration Digital MP3 File 27.7 MB andrew lemon, audio recording, eltham, eltham district historical society, heritage advocacy, meeting, society meeting

The new Eltham Library was opened 22 May 1994 and celebrates its 30th anniversay in 2024. This audio recording, presented by Harry Gilham, President of Eltham District Historical Society at the time of the opening is a summarised history of the Eltham Library service to 1994. Eltham Library Service 1930s - 1994 Originally collated by Harry Gilham, President, Eltham District Historical Society Inc (1993-2009) (edited 2022) In the Eltham township area, in the early 1930s, library books for adults were available from E J Andrew's newsagency in Main Road. In the newsagency come haberdashery, some shelves were set aside for a lending library of adults' books. In 1935, Mr & Mrs JC Rains purchased the newsagency and continued the lending service until the late 1940s. At this time the business was extended from haberdashery to sell ladies' and men's clothing. The library section was discontinued. In the 1930s a mobile book library was also run by a Mr Foster of Bible Street, Eltham. In the 1950s adult books were available from racks in the foyer of the Eltham Shire Offices which was then located beside the Eltham Hall on the comer of Arthur Street and Main Road. In the early 1950s a referendum of ratepayers was called to seek public opinion on the issue of raising money for a public library for which the rates would have to be increased - the motion was defeated. On 11 November 1965 Eltham Shire Council, in conjunction with the City of Heidelberg and the Shire of Diamond Valley, met to form the Heidelberg Regional Library Service. Eltham was represented by Councillors Charis Pelling and John Lewis. The first library service for the Shire of Eltham from this group came in the shape of a bookmobile van which had, amongst others, a central stopover near the Shillinglaw trees outside the newly opened Shire offices at 895 Main Road, the original site of Shillinglaw Cottage and the former Shillinglaw farm. Present-day Wingrove Park was another stopover and the many recorded requests for this service can be read as denoting the areas of population or gathering points at that period throughout the Shire. 1968 saw the Shire convert the ‘Brinkkotter’ house in Dudley Street to house both adult and children's books. This library was originally staffed from the City of Heidelberg Library and records of committee meetings range from borrowing Heidelberg's old library shelving to trying to increase the Government's subsidy to a dollar for dollar basis. Book loans in the period 1966-67 totalled 30,400 and the following year ran to 52,113. With 2 books plus 1 paperback the limit per person, it was overcrowded and unable to house the range of other services which had become common library stock. Planning to extend the Shire Offices by the addition of the south wing was an opportunity to re-house the Shire's Library. The opening of the library in the extension was carried out on 17th August 1971 by the Hon R J Hamer ED, MP, Chief Secretary of Victoria. Cr Geoffrey Dreverman officiated as the Shire President. The Heidelberg Regional Library Service continued until September 1985 when it disbanded. On 21 November 1985 the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service was established. At that time Eltham was represented by Councillors Mary Grant and Robert Manuell. By 1987, over-crowding of the Eltham Library and an inability to house the range of other services yet again rose to prominence. At a Council meeting held on 1 June 1987, the Councillors supported a resolution which threatened to close the library on 30 September 1987. Council's frustration arose from yet another re-run of the annual State Government versus Council Library funding and records show first arose in Eltham Council in 1967 with the Government of 1he day. After prolonged public anger and petitions the motion to close the library was rescinded in August 1987. Council, considering the community's concern, set up a ‘Library Review Working Party’ which a year later became the Library Occasional Committee with direct access to Council. This Committee investigated the workings of the 386 square metre library and found inadequate space for storage and display, lack of equipment, out-of-date furniture together with an increasing patronage which resulted in queues of borrowers becoming longer no matter when the library was open. Community consultation took the form of 1,000 questionnaires sent to users and non-users along with noticeboard reminders of what was planned. Council developed a strategy to set aside capital funds from 1988 on an annual basis so that preliminary planning and consultative expenses could be met, and construction could be completed early 1997. The Committee visited metropolitan libraries which were catering for a similar population as was projected for Eltham. Australia-wide Federal Government funding grants under the Local Capital Works Program became available from October 1992 for community projects endorsed by local Councils. The Eltham Council submitted a proposal, based on library findings and requirements accumulated by the Library Occasional Committee, to the Federal Grants Committee to build a new Eltham Library. The Federal Grants Committee supported the funding request allowing commencement of the library project three years earlier than planned. With finance finalised, the Council set up its Eltham Library Re-development Special Committee which was given the task of overseeing what could be the last major expansion of the Shire's Library Service as Eltham's population nears its projected maximum. The new library was designed by Gregory Burgess and Peter Ryan of Gregory Burgess Pty Ltd. Construction of the library commenced in 1993 and was officially opened May 22nd, 1994. The library building was designed to reflect its parkland setting. External features include: the roof which includes interesting aspects when viewed from Main Road; verandahs which provide ramp access and give a sheltered entrance to the building; walls which feature locally made mudbricks, conventional bricks and copper panels; and space for an outdoor courtyard/reading area which will be developed later. Internally there are several features. The building includes a foyer with a fireplace suitable for displays including artwork, a community multi-purpose room suitable for meetings or functions and an outdoor cafeteria. The ceilings are lined with Victorian Ash. The shapes for the ceiling give a free-flowing form to the building. Brush Box has been used for the circulation and information desks. The tree trunk columns are Grey lronbark from New South Wales. Arches and various-shaped windows add interest to the internal structure. The carpet design reflects the Eltham environment and compliments the natural colours and timbers used in the building. Tiles by artist Felix Bosari feature in the building and additional art by local artists added externally and internally to the building. Since 1994 the library has undergone a major extension to cater for children’s services and others. See also EDHS_02111Digital file only recorded from Audio Cassette tape on loan Converted to MP3 file; 11.1MB, 0:08:49eltham library, opening, harry gilham, harry gilham collection, 1994, audio cassette, audio recording