Libraries & Archives : the Yin and Yang of Research

Cornish Studies Library
strong room

Last week, I visited Cornish Studies Library, with many of my library colleagues. Here they hold a large array of resources, all with a connection to Cornwall or Cornish history. The collection includes more than 30,000 books & pamphlets, over 30 local newspapers on microfilm and a collection of photographs reaching above 160,000 in total.

 

CSL (Cornish Studies Library) was once managed alongside the Cornwall County Council libraries but now works more closely with Cornwall Records Office. I was intrigued by the concept behind this Centre as it bridges the gap between libraries and archives. Their most common enquiries are those regarding family history and the history behind people’s houses, more akin to those we expect to come across in archives, but holds mainly published sources, as a library would.

 

In 2017 CSL will move to a shared site with the Cornwall Records Office and Scilly Historic Environment Records as part of a wider archive and local studies centre, Kresen Kernow. This will allow the user to conduct research into Cornish history using primary and secondary sources, side by side. This seems a very logical and intuitive idea which will simplify the research path for the user, by having everything under one roof available to them, with archive and library staff working alongside one another.

I would be very much interested to see the new arrangement once in place. This concept is arguably not too dissimilar from the position of our Archives situated inside Tremough Library. We often work closely with the campus Academic Liaison Librarians because we find we regularly direct students in their direction when we feel the Librarians may be able to offer suggestions for other resources that are available for the student to develop their research.

Our Special Collections further this relationship as both the Archive service and Library staff members have input into their care. For example, we may promote the collections through displays and Twitter, whilst the library staff will manage the processing and shelf rotation. There may also be a possibility in future that I will be more involved with the processing of these books, working alongside my library colleagues. 

With Archivists and Librarians facing similar challenges, such as working within the boundaries of copyright legislation and promoting access, it is extremely beneficial to keep these lines of communication open between the world of Libraries and the world of Archives. A traineeship in a Higher Education institution has been a perfect opportunity to encounter this and I hope that it will be something I can learn more about in my future career – how can the two professions work with each other to achieve similar goals? What can we learn from one another?

If anyone has worked within both libraries and archives themselves or have come across other centres which bridge this gap then it would be very interesting to hear your thoughts.

Lights, Camera, Action: Part Two

Filming has finished and the edited results are back .... here is our Graduate Trainee Programme video:

Our Graduate Traineeship from Archives & Special Collections on Vimeo.

Despite the nerves, I am pleased I could take part in promoting the Traineeship, it has been a nice chance to express my appreciation for the opportunities I have had and remind myself of the goals I am still eager to achieve during my short time here. It really does fly by and I endeavor to make the most it whilst it lasts!

 

And, of course, not forgetting my trainee profile video too:

Rosie Everritt: Graduate Trainee 2013-14 from Archives & Special Collections on Vimeo.

An Introduction to Conservation

We recently spent two days with a conservator to receive some specialist advice on how to best preserve our holdings. A number of Archives do not have an in-house conservator therefore many, such as ourselves, pay an annual fee to receive advice and visits from external conservators to recommend how to best care for particularly fragile archives.

It is really interesting how the main aims and goals of long term preservation are shared by Archivists and Conservators yet those who work in archives are rarely given formal training in conservation techniques, which is what makes these visits so important.

Day 1

In our Archives we hold reel tapes, contained in metal tins, which belonged to photographer Ian Stern, currently suffering from deterioration, which  crucially need to be repackaged, in order to slow this process of deterioration down prior to digitisation.

The conservator, Claire, believed it is important to suggest methods that are achievable with the resources and budgets available to individual institutions. Therefore she taught us a simple way of making temporary envelopes out of the Microchamber paper, that we already had, which removes by-products of pollutants in the atmosphere. The envelopes were constructed using a clever folding technique which meant they did not need harmful adhesives to hold them together.

 

 

I was struck by how our Archivist, Sarah and Claire together decided that it was best to keep the reel tapes with their original metal tins, when repackaging, as although they are not archival containers, they believed the many finger prints on them were just as much a part of the record as the tapes themselves.

Day 2

On day two, we travelled up to the University of Exeter’s Streatham Campus to join our colleagues here for further training with Claire in book cleaning. These skills will be particularly useful with our increased responsibility for Special Collections.

With a cardboard box on its side to catch the dust, we used a very soft brush to clean the books, gently sweeping the dust from the spine outwards. For the really dirty books, we learnt that the best way to clean them was by gently dabbing away the dirt using a smoke sponge. 

It was fascinating to then have the chance to look at some individual cases of archives that needed particular care in the Exeter holdings such as this book, below, which appears to have suffered from pest damage.

I feel that both these days have taught me skills which will continue to be useful to me throughout a future career in archives. It is as much a way of thinking, as specific practical skills, which I feel I have gained, through Claire’s training, in order to achieve the best possible care with the resources that are available to you. I have also learnt that often minimal preservation treatment can be better care for an archive.

Furthermore it has opened up many questions for me to think about, such as, if the container or box which the archive is held in is not archival grade, then should it be removed or is it part of the record? Can it instead be argued that the container gives an idea of the context of the record and could possibly offer us further information? This experience has opened my eyes to many questions to consider during my study of the MA in Archive and Records Management  qualification next year.

Cornish Archives Network (CAN)

Sarah and I recently attended a Cornish Archives Network (CAN) meeting at Trerice House.

Trerice is an Elizabethan manor house on the outskirts of Newquay which is the perfect setting for like-minded heritage enthusiasts. We all gathered around a long table in the Great Hall with a roaring fire and tea and cake - a wonderful experience!

CAN meetings are chaired by Cornwall Records Office and are designed for local Cornish Archives to connect with each other in order to keep one another informed on any collections and projects each other are working on. Most importantly, it also provides training and support for many of the smaller community archives and heritage groups who do not have a qualified Archivist and are seeking guidance on such things as copyright procedure and advisable packaging practices.

Although we do have an Archivist ourselves, I found it very useful to attend to learn more about the different resources locally that I could direct students and the public to when answering enquiries. CAN includes many small, volunteer-led local archives who will often focus their attention on the history of one particular aspect of Cornish history or a specific parish which could be an invaluable resource for specialised local research.

I did not know much about archive networks previously so it has given me a lot to think about how archives can reach out to one other through mutually beneficial connections, particularly between Archivists and volunteers who run archives.

And of course it was a good excuse for a peek round Trerice House!

 

 

Sir Tony Robinson

Sarah Jane, Tony Robinson and I

Archivist Sarah Jane and I were recently lucky enough to attend a talk given by Sir Tony Robinson at Cornwall Records Office in association with ancestry.co.uk about his interest in history and genealogy.

His talk gave an interesting perspective on digitised records and how it has transformed the way many people go about genealogical searches due to the introduction of such websites as ancestry.co.uk.

I especially enjoyed hearing about how he became interested in history through his father who fought in World War II and was fascinated by the subject himself. It is particularly inspiring how Tony did not study the subject further than O levels but he went on to become television’s best loved amateur historian through pure passion and enthusiasm.

His talk was also very amusing and included many anecdotes from his time with Blackadder and Time Team, as well as touching references to Mick Aston.


Tickets for the talk were well oversubscribed and this celebrity endorsement was great promotion for Cornwall Records Office. They are in the planning stages of building a much larger purpose-build history centre in Redruth to relocate to and this allowed staff a chance to have a chat with visitors after the talk about the plans and to gage some informal feedback.

Whist here the visitors were offered the chance for a tour of the strong rooms to see their extensive holdings. CRO holds over four miles of records and it was interesting to see an archive of such a scale. Some particular gems included a beautifully illustrated Elizabethan document and letters that belonged to John Couch Adams, the man who discovered Neptune.


Some of the many holdings at Cornwall Records Office

I really enjoyed my evening and it was interesting to think about how the way people go about genealogy searches is changing and how talks such as these are a great informal way for an archive like CRO to reach out and chat to those interested in new projects.

Women In Industry - St Ives Archive

I was recently given the chance to visit St Ives archive and attend their Hidden Histories: Women in Industry event. As a trainee, visiting other archives is important because it not only allows you to make links locally but it is also a chance to learn more about the different kinds of archives that are out there.

St Ives would be best described as a ‘community archive’, which means it is predominantly run by volunteers and does not employ a trained Archivist. Communityarchives.org.uk defines these archives as ‘groups of evidence brought together by people sharing an interest in finding out about their community and how it developed’.  They are effectively run by the community, for the community, without which some aspects their history would have been lost. This kind of archive is a considerable contributor to the sector as ‘30,000 volunteers are estimated to be actively engaged with community archives throughout the UK’.



St. Ives Archive

St Ives archive is currently working with The Hypatia Trust as part of the History 51 project funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to highlight and celebrate the role of women in Cornwall’s history and the focus of this Hidden History: Women in Industry event was on the almost forgotten years of thriving textile industry that were once here.

There were four major textile companies located in Downalong, between the 1930s and 1970s; Crysede, Flawns (owned by John Lewis), Hamptons, Berketex and Fryers, all of which had a predominantly female workforce.

Beautiful example of Crysede clothing

 

Many former employees were invited along to join in the celebrations and it was a great opportunity to record their memories as part of an oral history initiative. There were also detailed, informative displays with a slideshow of images of the factories from the archive to help trigger memories. This was accompanied by examples of camouflage net making as these were produced in the factories during WWII.



One of the many interesting displays

Photographs from the archive alongside examples of camouflage nets and textiles

Communityarchives.org.uk explains that ‘enthusiasm is the lifeblood of community archives’ and this was the thing that really drove this event and made it a success. It was clear the volunteers had worked incredibly hard to put this all together and bringing to light this history was a real service to their community.
 

One lady kindly offered to teach me to knit using the original wooden needles and pattern!

It got me thinking about the importance of community events for archives more widely. St. Ives archive had donations made on the day and they received excellent local press coverage, with even the mayor making an appearance, which only helps to increase local awareness of an archive. They also invited Judy from the John Lewis Archive, who brought along records which filled some gaps in the information held in their archives and, most strikingly, the locals and former employees felt their heritage was valued.

Local involvement is something that does not have to be exclusive to community archives and in the past the Archive and Special Collections, here at the Penryn campus, have had very successful events that were open to the public. For example last year’s Public History Day, which you can read about on Grace’s blog, was an event where the people who had connections with Tremough House were invited to revisit. Unexpected donations were made on the day and CAVA (Cornish Audio Visual Archive) carried out interviews to capture memories of the estate.

With this in mind, the success of this Hidden Histories event has really emphasised to me the importance of these outreach initiatives. On the train home my mind was reeling with ideas, such as whether we could expand this further with archive events for former employees of Dartington College of Arts or an event for past and present members of Kneehigh and Wildworks to capture moments in history before they are lost. The possibilities are endless…

Meet the Collections: Charles Woolf

‘Hints for New Students... 18. Don’t forget an umbrella’

-          1927 Camborne School of Mines Magazine

After my first few weeks here, I am now settling into life in Cornwall. I have been to an Oyster Festival, eaten a Rhubarb and Custard Pasty and have been blown around all over the place by the windy weather.

I definitely think this tip from the 1927 CSM magazine for new students is still a very wise one!

In the office there is a running joke about how there should be a Trainee Anorak that is passed down to the new recruit each year!

With the weather included however, I am realising just how beautiful Cornwall is and this is really well captured in our Charles Woolf Slide Collection. 

Acer Japonicum (Japanese Maple)

 

Charles Woolf was a photographer whose love affair with all things Cornish began when he first visited the County in 1933. After making Newquay his permanent home in 1935, Woolf opened his own photographic business at Chester Road. In addition to the everyday business, he and his assistant Joyce Greenham would utilise their skills to capture many aspects of Cornish life and environment.

Frozen lake, Trenance Gardens, 1954 Feb 6

Many of these slides have been digitalised and are spanning the period 1953 – 1981, and as I sit here on this autumnal afternoon, I am instantly drawn to these pictures of Cornwall through the seasons.

 

Gathering daffodils in St. Dominic, 1960



Charles Woolf's father and his dog, circa 1953

Hello!

A little bit about me

My name is Rosemary Everritt and I am very happy to introduce myself as the new Graduate Trainee Archive Assistant at Archive & Special Collections, Falmouth University & University of Exeter, Penryn Campus for 2013-2014.

I hope to use this blog, throughout the year, to track my journey into the world of archives, whilst I undertake this traineeship. I hope that I can introduce to you some of the tasks that a Graduate Trainee is likely to encounter, as well as showing you some interesting items in the collections that I come across along the way- and why you too should discover archives!

I know I found it helpful and interesting to read Mary’s and Graces’ blogs whilst I was learning about archives, so I hope that mine can perhaps go some way to being similarly useful for you.

Having relocated from Portsmouth for this post, I can't wait to explore Cornwall and its heritage whilst I am here. So far I have become particularly intrigued by the Cornish language used in the Gorsedh Kernow Collection! Diskudha Kovskrifenn, as is in my title, translates as 'discovering an archive'.

A selection of books held in The Chris Brooks Collection of Victorian Culture

 

 How I discovered archives

Over the last few years I have been volunteering in archives whilst studying English Literature at University of Portsmouth, most recently for The Arthur Conan Doyle Collection. Prior to this I also volunteered for the Dickens Community Archive Project with Portsmouth City Museum which sought to create a website highlighting the recent history of Portsmouth and its residents in celebration of Dickens’ bicentenary. Before this, I first of all carried out an internship with my local theatre as it began to set up an archive.

Therefore it was the study of literature and a personal interest in history that brought me to archives so now I can’t wait to have a peek at the Chris Brooks Collection of Victorian Culture, here at the Penryn Campus, with all those lovely Victorian novels!

I hope that this blog might be helpful in some way and I would love to hear from you about your interests in archives or these collections specifically, so please do feel free to get in touch.