TROVE under threat

[Ruskie]

Just read about this in the Lost Cousins newsletter. Trove under threat due to budget cuts. What a tragedy.

Unsure if it will make a difference because generally once a decision has been made there’s no changing it, but there is a petition to sign. Got to give it a try:

https://www.change.org/p/fully-fund-trove

Suspect it may be sold to a subscription site, likely Ancestry, and the deal may already have been done.

[sparrett]

Thanks Ruskie.  Very glad to sign up and I have done so.
A brilliant resource under threat
Sue

[maddys52]

Yes, I saw this the other day in the Guardian. Was wondering whether a letter to your local MP might help, especially if there were thousands of them. Meant to post something on here myself, and forgot. Thanks for posting Ruskie.
https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2023/jan/06/national-library-of-australias-free-digital-archives-may-be-forced-to-close-without-funding

Have signed the petition. 

[Ruskie]

Its an invaluable free resource. I use it all the time.

I doubt it will just be binned - probably sold as already mentioned, with our amazing free to access war records probably not far behind - the WW2 records we get free that cost £30 in the UK.

Letter to an MP might be worth a try I suppose.but let’s face it they’re all pretty useless, unlikely to have even heard of Trove and it’s the sort of thing that will be way down anyone’s list, which is why it’s quietly getting scrapped.

As it’s already set up surely it can’t cost much to keep running. I understand if they need to cut costs on more digitisation but surely it can continue as it is?

 

[seeking0]

How absolutely dreadful. Coincidentally I was only thinking today how awful it would be if the site were sold off. It is part of our heritage. Selling it off is 100% selling off the family silver.
I cringe every time an Australian brags online on a website with an intended international audience about how great it is - not because it isn't great but because I always fear that will bring it to the attention of profiteers. However, I've always known that's probably unrealistic. Genealogy profiteers would already be well aware of it.
The make-over they did a few years ago was an outrageous money grab by third-parties IMNSHO. And probably also primarily an attempt for every organisation and its dog to associate itself with a success story and attempt to influence it. They effectively downgraded the user interface and added negative "features" such as removing some of the user's search criteria if a search comes up with no results. (They have ABSOLUTELY NO WAY of knowing which search criteria are the important ones to the user. I keep having to re-enter them which is an absolute pain.) Then there's the "feature"  whereby a lack of search results is always accompanied by a pointless photo and an even more pointless and entirely condescending consolation message. I bet they were charged an arm an leg for this. Some changes that would have been most welcome, such as allowing case sensitive searching, would have cost a pittance to implement but weren't. (Case sensitive would REALLY come in handy searching for names which are also English language words, such as "Beer".)

[Wiggy]

I've signed the petition.    Be a pity if Trove stopped or was sold off to profit-seekers.

[Ruskie]

Interesting points seeking0.

[JenB]

Note, there is now an update to this petition to say that the originator has been advised to begin another via the Federal Government website which should ensure that it is actually read by members of the Australian Parliament:

I have contacted Senator Hanson-Young's office (Greens Senator for the Arts) and her advisor suggested that I create an official petition via the Federal Parliament's web site. The petition will then have to be read by members of parliament. I am in process of organising that petition now.

This does mean you will have to sign another petition. I hope that's not too annoying.

[Ruskie]

Thanks Jen, I did see that but went ahead and signed anyway.

As they have email addresses You would like to think that they will contact everyone to resign?

I’m happy to sign again if required. 

Added: the number of those who’ve signed has almost doubled since I started this thread.