VPRS 15564 General Correspondence Files, Multiple Number System

Full description

This series comprises correspondence files maintained by the Creswick Shire Council (VA658).

It appears that this multi number system of files classification commenced around 1975. Files from a filing system used before that year have been top-numbered (i.e incorprated with new file numbers) into this one. A small numbner of files have contents that start from the nineteenth century and many more have contents that significantly predate 1975.

Individual files were registered with a three part registration number. Each letter of the alphabet was allocated a single primary number (eg. A - 1, B - 2, C - 3, etc). Number 17, whether by omission or intentionally was not used.

Subjects commencing with each letter were allocated a sequential secondary number (eg. Abattoirs - 1.1, Accounts - 1.2, etc). The combination of both primary and secondary numbers defined all of the primary headings.

A sequential tertiary numbers were used to indicate further breakdown of a subject creating a secondary heading of the file.

With time, as the original classification proved to be too limited, new secondary headings were added to the list.

Some files were registered according to the initial alphabetical structure but to facilitate the retrieval process, were listed under a different alphabetical classification according to commonly used terms. In such cases, a cross-reference to an allocated number was provided in the Index. For instance, file classified and allocated a number corresponding with the Town Planning group of files, was listed in the B section of the Index under Boating and provided relevant file number 20.3.1.

Following the abolition of the Creswick Shire Council and establishment of the Hepburn Shire Council (VA3692), files contained in this series were archived. It appears that around that time new recordkeeping system incorporating all file classification systems inherited from amalgamated councils was introduced. This new recordkeeping system was based on the alpha-numeric classification.
Unfortunately, as a result of the records management / archival project, the majority of the files were split up. Some, considered to be inactive, were archived; others were taken apart to conform to the new classification structure. Others were simply top-numbered into a new system. Some of these files were later deemed inactive, archived, removed from the alpha-numeric database and returned to the multi number system files contained in this series (these files are in proper alpha-numeric system file covers with a reference to multi number system provided on the cover). Effectively, this collection of files requires to be thoroughly searched as correspondence is often out of order, with parts of the original file/s contained in other folders. It appears, that as part of the work in progress, some correspondence was removed from the original files and placed in manilla folder/s and allocated the same number/s as the original file - this was probably meant to be a temporary reference file pending re-classification. There are numerous examples of files like that in this series. These can be easily identified on the Consignment Details List as the file titles are quoted in square brackets.

Similarly, listing of files which were incorporated into a new alpha-numeric system and later cancelled and returned to the multi-number system, provides the details of the new classification structure as appears on the file cover, with the relevant multi-number classification details in square brackets.

As part of the same (seemingly unfinished) project of reclassifying the files, some correspondence within the files was cross-referenced to the alpha-numeric system.