Increasing
user participation and reaching out to new audiences rank high in the archives
agenda for the 21st century. However, how are archivists ensuring that
university and further education students, one of their traditional
user-groups, are also part of this inclusive approach?
While
training and induction sessions to the archives are often available to
schoolchildren and adult learners, we expect students to navigate complex sets
of catalogues and finding aids and to decipher difficult handwriting without having
been trained to do so.
This
year’s ALES conference will focus on the steps archivists are taking to bridge
the gap and in so doing attract students into the archives to train and equip
them with the necessary skills to approach archival research confidently.
The
purpose of the conference is:
•
To identify good practice across the whole
sector and not exclusively amongst HE/FE archivists.
•
To exchange ideas and approaches to
training for university and further education students.
•
To raise awareness amongst professional
archivists about the need to take shared responsibility for providing this
user-group with transferable skills that go beyond academic research.
•
To identify opportunities for
collaboration and partnerships.
The
conference will be held in the Public Record of Northern Ireland on Monday 24
June 2013. It will be followed by ALES AGM.
For
information about how to get to PRONI see: http://www.proni.gov.uk/index/visiting_proni.htm.
Cost:
£30 for ARA members, £40 for non-ARA members, including lunch and refreshments.
To book a place at the conference please fill in the booking
form below and send it to
membership@archives.org.uk, or fax it to 01823 271719
or by post to the office address on the form: http://www.archives.org.uk/images/documents/ARA_Event_Booking_Form.doc.
Programme
9:00-9:20 Registration and tea/coffee
9:20-9:30 Welcome and housekeeping
Keynote
Lecture
9:30-10:15 Judy Burg and Esther Hallberg, The Hull History
Centre –Increasing User Participation and
developing skills: working with FE and
HE students at The Hull History Centre, Hull College and the University of Hull.
Session 1 – The National Perspective
10:15-10:45 Dr Bethany Sinclair, The Public Record of Northern
Ireland – Mind the gap: building a bridge between the archive catalogue and
graduate research students.
10:45-11:15 Q & A
11:15-11:30 Tea/coffee break
Session 2 – The Local Authorities Experience
11:30-12:00 Neil Wiffen, Essex Record
Office – Breaking down barriers:
encouraging undergraduate use of the Essex Record Office.
12:00-12:30 Dr Ellie Pridgeon, Science
Museum and University of Leicester – The
archivist lecturer: some practical experiences.
12:30-12:45 Q & A
12:45-14:00 Lunch and tour of PRONI.
Session 3 – Case Studies
14:00-14:30 Rebekah Taylor and Adele
Martin-Bowtell, The University of the Creative Arts - UCA @ UCA: utilising creative archives at the University for the
Creative Arts.
14:30-15:00 Susannah Waters, The Glasgow
School of Arts – Archives as inspiration: the use
of historical resources by visual arts students.
15:00-15:15 Q & A
15:15-15:30 Tea/coffee
break
Session
4 – The Way Ahead
15:30-16:15 Dr Matt Greenhall and Dr Jess Nelson, The National
Archives – Bridging the gap between
Policy and Practice: the contribution of archives to research landscapes,
emerging partnerships and hands-on research skills.
16:15-16:30 Q & A –
Round up
ALES
Meeting
16:30-17:30 Meeting
17:30 Close
