Lots more information about the DCRO Open Day! Hope some of you will be going. I will be on the S&DFHS Help Desk so do come and say hello to me! The Dorset County Record Office's 10th Birthday Open Day is on SATURDAY 28th APRIL from 10.30-3.30. Parking will be in the large car park by the RO, or in the Council Car Park or in the 'Top of Town' Car Park. Entry to the RO is free (donations always gratefully received!) Refreshments will be on sale, provided by the Friends of Dorset Archives. There will tea, coffee and cakes. Help-yourself Ploughman's lunches will be £2. There will be a big Record Office Birthday cake which will be cut sometime during the day. Somerset and Dorset FHS and the Friends of Dorset Archives (FoDA) will be selling publications. You will be able to join Somerset & Dorset FHS, Dorset FHS and FoDA on the day too. These are some of the events going on during the day: Talks (each given twice during day): Chris Wood on conserving and handling documents Ann Smith on researching family history David Reeves on researching the history of your house Jessamy Wilsdon will be giving regular demonstrations on how to trace your family history via the internet. You will be able to try your hand at : Repairing 'old documents' (distressed magazines!) Examining old parchments through a microscope, insects and all! Listening to 'Schooldays' tapes in the sound archives - and recording your own memories for posterity Deciphering old hand writing via some palaeography exercises There will be exhibitions/displays on: The Census (including 1901 & 2001) Schooldays - to accompany the tapes Cataloguing Palaeography Transcribing (Dorset FHS will be transcribing the Melcombe Regis PRs) Conservation Reprographics (digital camera, hand held cine film display, darkroom) The Parish Project Conservation A video loop will play old films The RO's 'treasures' (extra special documents & books) will also be on display. Somerset and Dorset FHS display boards will be there and a team of us will be on hand to help you with your research queries. You can also have a tour of the Record Repository There will be a seal trail for children (not the furry kind with big eyes, but the historical sort!) The children have to search for seals which will be displayed around the RO. There will be a question by each one that th children have to answer. When they have completed their trail, they will get a special certificate. I went to a meeting about the open day this morning and was impressed by the amount of hard work and organisation that had gone into planning this open day. The only unknown factor is how many people will turn up - so that's where you lot come! Living in Sydney or New York is no excuse - book your flight tickets today! Lots of things to do in Dorchester afterwards - e.g. the award winning County Museum, the RomanTown House, Max Gate, Maiden Castle, Borough Gardens, shops and cafes etc etc For more RO info see: archives@dorset-cc.gov.uk Helen Helen Jones in Weymouth, Dorset, UK List Admin Dorset-L Scammell-L hsj@melcombe.freeserve.co.uk http://www.melcombe.freeserve.co.uk/