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VICTORIAN TIME CAPSULE PRESERVATION TRUST

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Our work

WHAT ARE OUR MAIN ACTIVITIES

About the Project

  1. Collection Assessment:
    Document assessment
    Immediate stabilization measures
     

  2. Content Reconstruction
    Transcription
    Editing
    Research & referencing
    Historical interpretation
    Visual asset collation
    Cataloging, indexing and formatting
     

  3. Physical Preservation
    Environmental controls setup
    Repairs, cleaning and storage
     

  4. Digitization:
    Scanning and microfilming
    Metadata creation
     

  5. Open-Access Sharing:
    Development of open-access platform
    Integration with partner archive databases
     

  6. Dissemination:
    Academic and educational outreach
    Social media and public relations campaigns
    Public and community engagement programs
    Strategic partnerships and collaborations
     

  7. Monitoring and Sustainability
    Usage analytics and feedback collection
    Storage backup and  technical sustainability measures
     

Phase and Activity Overview

The scope of work to preserve the collection is the aggregate of seven main phases:

WHAT ARE THE MAIN OBSTACLES

Challenges

The monumental scale of the project presents logistical challenges, with 17,885 daily records spanning 49 years.
 

The project is resource and labor-intensive, particularly the reconstruction process.

 

The task is formidable because McCallum’s handwriting is virtually unreadable in parts. Transcribing it in a way that preserves the integrity of the archive is time-consuming and made even more challenging by the sheer size of the collection—11,000 words per year, totaling 500,000 words over five decades.

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Manuscript extremely difficult to decipher

  • McCallum’s illegible Victorian handwriting

  • Ornate, cursive style writing with elaborate flourishes and decorative loops

  • Limited use of punctuation - no paragraphs, commas or periods

  • Run-on sentences

  • Unfamiliar words including vernacular and slang of the period

  • McCallum’s use of abbreviations

  • Archaic spelling and grammar as well as McCallum’ own incorrect spelling

  • McCallum’s use of secret codes

  • Unrecognizable people’s last names

  • Different pen types, ink blotches, fading ink and discolored paper

Deliverables

WHAT ARE THE PROJECT MILESTONES

From this
To this
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Hendrik Willem van Loon

“The history of the world is the record of a man
in quest of his daily bread and butter”
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