More than 30 volunteers contribute to a range of State Library activities to support our Q ANZAC 100 initiative. Projects include transcription work of WW1 manuscripts, The Queenslander Pictorial issues and other collection items; the Discovering Anzacs project, matching digitised WW1 soldier portraits and National Archives of Australia records, and curating and text correcting digitised Queensland newspaper articles published during WW1 in Trove.
Our Q ANZAC 100 volunteers work onsite at our South bank location, online and from home. We have online volunteers from across Queensland, working on projects via Pitch in!, State Library’s digital volunteering program. Pitch in! projects include transcribing digitised WW1 material we recently launched on DigiVol, the online transcription platform created by Australian Museum.
All of our volunteers bring experience, expertise and passion to their work as well as their most valuable resource, their time. They find stories, make connections and unravel mysteries from 100 years ago, helping State Library tell the story of the Queensland experience of WW1 and contributing their own.
A few faces of the Q ANZAC 100 volunteer team, at the National Volunteer Week morning tea, hosted by the Queensland Library Foundation, 11 May 2017.
The volunteers are a community. Many of our online volunteers live in regional areas and we haven’t met in person, but have developed virtual networks through their dedication to making State Library collections accessible. The onsite team share each other’s company and friendship, connected by a commitment to their work. This commitment ensures our content can be shared with a wider audience, that otherwise may not have had exposure to the rich collections held at State Library.
The Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch visited State Library on 29 April to acknowledge the work being done by State Library in the Q ANZAC 100 space. The Minister was accompanied by a news crew and her visit featured on Channel 9 News that evening.
Minister Leeanne Enoch inspects original material from our WW1 collection with Queensland Memory staff Robyn Hamilton (far left), Marg Powell (2nd from left) and volunteer Glen Philips (far right).
“The work SLQ is doing to preserve and digitise precious First World War items is creating a lasting legacy for current and future generations of Queenslanders,” Ms Enoch said.
“I commend the State Library for their efforts and want to thank the volunteers who are helping to ensure the Anzac spirit and the stories of everyday Queenslanders live on.”
Ms Enoch said digital initiatives like Pitch in! – made possible through Palaszczuk Government funding and dedicated volunteers – provide a unique opportunity for people to understand more about the courageous Queenslanders who sacrificed their lives in the First World War.
Discovery Services volunteer Glen Philips has worked across three Q ANZAC 100 volunteer projects during the 2 years he has volunteered onsite with State Library: transcribing original materials, the Discovering Anzacs soldier portrait project, and DigiVol.
“I enjoy it immensely and I feel privileged to be a part of a team - fellow volunteers and State Library staff – who work very hard to make accurate information about the war easily available while preserving the actual physical objects for future generations.” Glen said.
Q ANZAC 100 volunteer Glen Philips interviewed about his experiences working on State Library projects.
“I have a long term interest in the war by both relatives in AIF, AFC and British Army and general interest. Transcribing items digs out a lot of interesting stories and facts which may not otherwise be known, such as the soldier I found a couple of weeks ago whose family ended up being my mother's neighbour when she was a child near Gympie.”
“As an administrator of a WW1 internet forum of mostly UK, Europe and US members, I know from experience that State Library’s open and free access to digitised WW1 information is the envy of a lot of the world.”
Read the Minister’s full media release here: http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/2017/4/29/volunteers-transcribe-ww1-experiences-of-queenslanders
To find our more about the Q ANZAC 100 legacy initiative, visit: http://qanzac100.slq.qld.gov.au/home
To become a Pitch in! volunteer, visit: /about-us/pitch-in
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