Searching the AJCP
The Australian Joint Copying Project is now available online and every record and descriptive component in the original paper finding aids is now discoverable through multiple avenues. Specific collections can be located by searching the AJCP Portal, Trove, the NLA Catalogue or by a specific search engine.
A new National Union Catalogue (NUC) symbol has been created for AJCP content. When searching Trove, prefix searches with nuc:"ANL:AJCP" and the required search term (e.g: nuc:"ANL:AJCP" East India Company) to achieve targeted search results.
AJCP descriptive content is searchable through multiple search facets including personal and family names, organisational names, subjects, geographical locations or date range.
Using the AJCP PRO Series
The AJCP Public Record Office (PRO) Series includes Government records filmed at The National Archives of the UK. The PRO is the former name of The National Archives of the UK.
Finding Aids
The PRO Series is organised by the department or agency of the British Government that created and assembled the records, such as the Admiralty, Colonial Office, Home Office, or Treasury.
Each finding aid provides a brief biographical note and contents description at the Series and/or File level, providing context for the attached digital image.
Identifiers
The identifier/s applied to the original records by the creating department/individual has been retained as the identifier for the relevant level of description (Collection, Series, File or Item).
The original AJCP microfilm reel number has been incorporated into the identifier for each File (e.g File 12. AJCP Reel No: 1235).
2017-2020 Online Delivery:
As part of the 2017-2020 NLA project the original AJCP Handbooks have been separated into individual findings aids for delivery online.
The content has been updated and the original structure has been maintained for: Colonial Office (Handbook 2); Home Office (Handbook 3); War Office (Handbook 4); Foreign Office (Handbook 5); Admiralty (Handbook 7); Personal Collections (Handbook 9) and the Dominions Office (Handbook 10).
Seperate finding aids have been created for administrative groups originaly described in Handbook 6.
Handbook 11 described records filmed in the final years of the AJCP project, many of these were additions to existing Series previously described in earlier Handbooks. Descriptive information for the additional records filmed in Handbook 11 has been incorporated with the relevant finding aid for the main collection (e.g Admiralty Office).
Each finding aid provides a brief biographical note and contents description at the Series and/or File level, providing context for the attached digital image.
Using the Miscellaneous (M) Series
Miscellaneous (M) Series collections have an M prefix followed by a running number (e.g M123).
Finding aids
Each M Series collection is represented by a finding aid titled with the name of the person or organisation that created or accumulated the records, or, when more appropriate, by the name of the repository that housed the records at the time of filming.
Each finding aid provides a brief biographical note and a description of contents at the Series and/or File level and identifies the location of the original record. In cases where the records have been relocated since filming took place the last known location has been recorded.
The date ranges for Series and Files refer to those of the papers selected for filming rather than to those of the original Series.
Each finding aid records the location of the original records, where known.
Identifiers
The original AJCP microfilm reel number has been used as the collection level identifier (e.g M123) for each finding aid.
Identifiers applied to the records by the creating individual/organisation or holding institution have been retained. In some cases, component level identifiers have changed since the time of filming, reflecting changes made by libraries or archives holding the original material. Identifiers used are those present at the time of microfilming.
2017-2020 Online Delivery
The description for M Series was originally in Miscelleanous Series. Handbook 8 which contained 512 small entries describing each collection filmed. Further descriptive information was contained from separate paper finding aids.
All descriptive information for each M Series collection has been combined into a single finding aid for delivery online.
The original handbook and entry number is recorded in the Finding Aid Note Section for each collection.
Selective copying for M and PRO Series
The AJCP filmed records selectively when only part of a group of records were relevant to the geographic remit of the AJCP (Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific). In order to provide context for these records, each finding aid includes information about higher levels in the hierarchy (Fonds, Series and Subseries). Finding aids include archival history notes indicating when filming was selective.
Researchers should be aware of possible gaps in both the M and PRO Series. In a few instances, due to copyright restrictions at the time, the AJCP only copied records over 100 years old, at the time of copying.
Contact Details:
AJCP Project Manager
Collection Group
National Library of Australia
https://www.nla.gov.au/askalibrarian
