From pre-Vatican II vestments to handwritten sacramental registers, Canberra-Goulburn Archdiocese’s archives are home to an extraordinary collection of historic treasures. Source: Catholic Voice.
Among them are early baptismal and marriage registers dating back to 1928, hand-embroidered banners from the 1986 papal visit, and the 1948 Papal Bull establishing the archdiocese – a delicate, fading document of national significance.
Archdiocesan archivist Richard Marson recently secured a $2500 ACT Government Heritage Grant to begin a pilot program to digitise a selection of these items, focusing on St Christopher’s Cathedral.
“I am absolutely chuffed. Many of these materials are fragile,” Mr Marson said. “Digitisation preserves them for future generations and allows people to access them without handling the originals.”
The project will convert photographs, registers, newsletters and other historic documents into high-resolution digital formats, stored securely and shared online. Specialist contractors with experience in scanning bound books, artefacts, and photographs will carry out the work to international preservation standards.
The digitised collection will also be made available to the ACT Heritage Library.
As part of the grant’s requirements, Mr Marson will curate and host a display in Haydon Hall during the ACT Heritage Festival, which runs from April 11 to May 10.
Visitors will be able to see highlights from the digitisation project, including iconic vestments, saddlebag travelling Mass kits, photographs, and archival documents rarely on public view.
“This pilot is just the beginning,” Mr Marson said. “The archdiocese holds a rich history and making it accessible ensures these stories aren’t lost to time.”
FULL STORY
Preserving the past as Archdiocese digitises historic treasures (Catholic Voice)
