"An archive without a catalogue is like a room without a door": inaccessible, unusable, and the cause of much frustration. Still we and our users struggle with uncatalogued archives, our hidden collections. Why don't archive services catalogue these collections? Cataloguing archives takes time, expertise, and space. The scale of hidden collections in the UK is … Continue reading Revealed! How to catalogue your hidden archives
Tag: National Archives
Beware of the Swans, or, Collecting in Tough Times
Let me take you back to a baking hot day earlier this year - yes, we had a summer and it was on June 8th. I made the epic trip down to Kew for Collecting in Tough Times, a National Archives event which aimed "to explore how archive services can address the challenges of collecting … Continue reading Beware of the Swans, or, Collecting in Tough Times
Weeding and Working Together
The National Archives have produced two really useful bits of guidance recently: Deaccessioning and disposal: guidance for archive services will help safeguard vulnerable collections by outlining legal issues and professional principles and practices. Guide to collaboration between the archive and higher education sectors has been produced jointly by TNA and Research Libraries UK. It offers … Continue reading Weeding and Working Together
The Pukka Pad and the Big Cake: #DCDC14 Conference Part 1
Discovering Collections, Discovering Communities, a joint effort by RLUK and The National Archives, is fast becoming a must-attend conference for archives and special collections folk. The idea? We face tough times and huge challenges: let's collaborate and find new ways to survive and thrive. The second in the series was held last week in the … Continue reading The Pukka Pad and the Big Cake: #DCDC14 Conference Part 1
Bingo for Buttons: the archive accreditation workshop
Back in September (20th to be exact) I went along to a workshop on archives accreditation. Though I've been following the growth of the new standard pretty closely, I still found the event really helpful. If you're thinking of applying, do try to get to one of these sessions! What did I like about this … Continue reading Bingo for Buttons: the archive accreditation workshop
Going for Gold: archive accreditation is here
Exciting news for archives managers! A new standard can help you improve your services and highlight your excellence. Find out more on the Archive Service Accreditation webpage and in this blog post by Melinda Haunton. Three things I like about the scheme: One size doesn't fit all. The scheme accommodates archives services of all shapes … Continue reading Going for Gold: archive accreditation is here
Thank you to Tim Padfield
No!!!!! The cry rose up from record offices and other archives across the land and emails and tweets flew, as archivists took in the message. On 23 April Tim Padfield, copyright expert at the National Archives, announced via the archives-nra mailing list that he would be retiring in May. Why were we concerned? Because Tim … Continue reading Thank you to Tim Padfield
The Special Collections Handbook 