Reconstructing changes in the Great Barrier Reef - The Great Barrier Reef: An Environmental History - page 25

Government records
In my research, government records comprised the majority of the archival
data collected. Both public and private records were sought, as distinguished by
Frankfort-Nachmais and Nachmais (1992, p305). Those authors categorised four
types of public records: actuarial records, political and judicial records, government
documents, and media reports; of those, actuarial records (which record
demographic characteristics) and political (electoral) and judicial records were
not relevant to my research. However, the records of Queensland Government
departments revealed important changes in the environments of the Great Barrier
Reef, and media reports also contained valuable data about changes in the reefs,
so those two types of archival source were sought. Private records included diaries,
autobiographies and letters; the private records of key informants, including diaries
and sketches, were sought in my research and in some cases were of considerable
value in documenting changes in the Great Barrier Reef.
Archival data collection was an exploratory and intuitive process. The data
used were found in the Australian Museum archives and the QSA. Elder et al.
(1993, p11) considered the use of archival data in research and made five main
observations. First, they argued that archival data are never ideal for the research
intended; the researcher is challenged to use the limited materials available
as resourcefully as possible. Second, archival materials reflect the concerns of
their original collectors and the social and political context of that time; they
do not always fit into modern categories nor reflect modern sensibilities. Third,
longitudinal archives are scarce and rarely yield continuous, consistent data;
cross-sectional records are far more common. Fourth, both quantitative and
qualitative data are found in archival records and may require different kinds of
analysis. Finally, Elder et al. (1993) argued that any rationale for using archival
data should be based on the strengths of that data, not on any attempt to ignore
or overcome their weaknesses. Those observations suggested that the process of
archival data collection in my research should be speculative and intuitive; the
archives were searched using electronic catalogues - sampled using pre-defined
search terms - and also using the expertise of professional archivists.
Other insights into the use of archival sources are provided by McLoughlin
(1999), who assessed the use of Australian government dredging records in
environmental history research; she acknowledged that major gaps exist in the
records and that a significant amount of basic information is missing from them.
McLoughlin (1999) concluded that an inadequate record of historical dredging
has been preserved in archival sources and she explored the tensions existing
within archival theory and practice. She also noted the distinction between
different types of government archival materials: published departmental annual
reports, detailed operational records and correspondence files; no complete
record was found in any of those types of government material. In my research,
similar difficulties arose in collecting data both from published government
records and from archival government reports. In particular, many of the files