Toowoomba Chronicle archives could live to see a new digital era

A historical significance assessment could be the key to unlocking the preservation of Toowoomba Chronicle photograph archives.

The University of Southern Queensland is currently in the midst of applying for a grant to assist them with digitising a portion of the one and a half million negatives published in the Toowoomba Chronicle from 1953 to early 2002.

USQ Archivist Monica Casavieja Muniz said the USQ Historical Archives was successful in receiving a $4500 Community Heritage Grant last year to fund a significance assessment for the Toowoomba Chronicle Archives collection.

“The CHG program aims to identify Australian cultural heritage collections which are publicly

accessible, locally held and nationally significant,” she said.

“The program is funded by the Australian Government and managed by the National Library of Australia, and offers cash grants to assist in the preservation and access to the collection.

“A significance assessment helps explain the meaning and value of a collection and provides further information for its management and interpretation.”

History buffs, Monica Casavieja Muniz from USQ (left) and professional historian Brian Rough (right) inspecting the Chronicle newspaper collection which contains over 1.5 million photographic negatives. archivally stored at USQ. Picture: Nev Madsen

The assessor, Brian Rough, is a professional historian, writer and approved significant assessor and spent most of last week working on an official historical assessment.

“So far I’ve come across plenty of photographs depicting everyday life in Toowoomba over the years,” he said.

“Plenty of photos from gardening competitions and 100th birthday celebrations, this collection does a good job of showcasing the lives of everyday Toowoomba locals and what life was like during this era in time.”
The significance assessment will assist USQ with any future planning and grant applications to do with the collection and the archives.

“We should have a verdict from Mr Rough’s assessment by mid to late April,” Ms Muniz said.

“It certainly will be very exciting if we are able to receive the funds to digitise a portion of this collection as it showcases a significant part of Toowoomba’s history and will mean these photos will be preserved for future generations to appreciate.”

Quick facts regarding the Toowoomba Chronicle archives:

– USQ acquired The Chronicle Archives collection in 2010 and is now the physical custodian of the collection which comprises of:

– More than 1.5 million photographic negatives published from 1953 to early 2002

– 37,000 editions of the newspaper from 1861 to 2009 held in microfilm rolls

– A scrapbook collection of 91 volumes containing photos from 1979 to 2001

– A Down Stars scrapbook collection of 12 volumes from 1955 to 1969

– A comprehensive card referencing system for identification of negatives

– Under the terms of the Deed of Agreement between the Toowoomba Chronicle and USQ the Chronicle has copyright ownership of the Collection and all research inquiries must be directed to The Chronicle.