Green Light to Photograph RG366

Good News, the archivists are allowing us to photograph Steinberg's archive for a nominal fee. Our project will digitize part of I.N. Steinberg's archive and thereby preserve it from further decay- when we were in the archive the news clippings were literally crumbling in our laps as were the pamphlets and other gems. Every day I was covered with fine dust and specks of decaying paper. We should be paid for our digital preservation work not the other way around!

We'll be photographing thousands of documents ranging from the hundreds of letters he penned to his family during the four years he was based in Australia to the official Memoranda that was sent to the office of Prime Minister Menzies and later to Prime Minister John Curtin. There are also a few documents to Prime Minister Forde who held the office for a very brief period but who ultimately caused the plan to fail. There are hundreds of letters of support ranging from Deans of Australian universities, businessmen, Trade Union leaders, the Australia Council of Jewish Women as well as from members of the clergy, including the Archbishop of Australia reverend Pilcher. There are the photographs that Steinberg made on his expedition to the Kimberleys to survey the land. There are maps demarcating the 7 million acres of land that was to be purchased from the cattle ranching family the Duracks for the area of refuge ( see image above). All in all a ton of material. This overwhelming archive has given me the idea for how to shape the project. More as it happens...