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Would anyone be willing to
participate in a straw poll concerning perspectives in archives and
educational work?
I've been reconsidering certain of our approaches - bearing in mind a whole range of contrasting attitudes I've heard expressed over the years. On some aspects, I’m still trying to collect my thoughts together. I’d be interested in reading a few other reactions as to how record offices inter-relate with schools and colleges – partly in order to compare them with my own observations.
Most of the following groups of
statements contain suggestions that I’ve seen expressed at different times. Which of them come closest to your own
experience? If the whole
questionnaire is too long, I'd still be interested in briefer comments on
any aspects with which you particularly identify. You might sometimes wish to tick more
than one possible answer within a group.
VISITS TO REPOSITORIES
* On average, our repository normally receives several organised group visits from school or college pupils during the course of each month.
* We receive occasional visits from individual school or college parties, but probably less frequently than one per month.
* We feel that our repository is too specialised in nature to be likely to appeal to very many school or student groups. [You might wish to explain your answer]
THE MAIN REASON WE DON'T RECEIVE MORE PARTY VISITS IS:
* Insufficient specialist staff and resources for the promotion of such a service
* Lack of space to accommodate more groups
* The nature of much of our material is too specialised
* The practical difficulties now experienced by many schools and colleges in organising such visits
* The disappointing attitude shown by many lecturers and teachers - despite their generous holidays
GIVEN OUR PERCEIVED OBJECTIVES AND THE PROBABLE OR HOPED-FOR FOLLOW UP [i.e.?], THE OPTIMUM AGE FOR INTRODUCING STUDENTS TO ARCHIVES IS GENERALLY:
* Infants (even though some people might say they are too young)
* Juniors (even though some people might say they are too excitable)
* Early years at senior school (even though some people might say they are too apathetic)
* Sixth form (even though some people might say they are too preoccupied)
* Undergraduate (even though some people might say they are too late)
* Postgraduate (even though some people might say they are too eccentric)
* Other age groups (even though some people might say they are too - er - dunno, old, perhaps?)
ORIGINAL RECORDS
* We find it very easy to find plenty of examples which are likely to appeal to most groups [e.g.?]
* We don't always find it easy to find suitable examples to show to all groups, although we can usually just about manage to produce something for the majority of them.
* We (would) find it extremely
difficult - or even impossible - to find many examples likely to appeal to
school or college groups.
* We are happy to place original archives out on display and to allow visitors in groups to handle them.
* We might put facsimiles out on display, or show examples on a screen or in a showcase, but we would not normally allow group visitors to handle the originals.
TALKING TO VISITING GROUPS
* Most groups receive basically the same standard talk about the work of our repository (even though we might offer the audience an opportunity to ask individual questions at some point in the proceedings)
* For every visit, we almost always attempt to design the talk and select any exhibits according to the particular needs of each individual group.
* We normally lead guided parties more briefly around the premises - rather than have parties sitting down in any one single room.
RESOURCES AND FACILITIES
* We have adequate facilities for accommodating groups - at least one room is generally available for group use without disrupting the other work of the repository.
* Our facilities for accommodating groups are more limited - it can be/would be quite difficult to accommodate groups without disrupting the routine work of the office in some degree.
AN INTRODUCTION TO RECORD REPOSITORIES LIKE OURS SHOULD BE SEEN AS:
* An absolutely essential element in the education of every pupil in the country
* Just one possible option amongst quite a number of others - it cannot realistically be expected to be appropriate for every single student
* Valuable - but only to a quite small number of specialists, rather than to the majority of local pupils.
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, NATIONAL INITIATIVES SUCH AS www.inspiringlearningforall.gov.uk SEEMS LIKE:
* A vital framework of major importance, which should underpin everything we try to do within Archives and Education
* An idea quite likely to appeal to a number of senior managers, but more difficult to identify with for the supporting staff, who are daily at the sharp end in the public searchroom.
* Something I've never heard much about (so no particular views either way)
IN FUTURE YEARS, THE AREAS OF ARCHIVE EDUCATIONAL WORK WE EXPECT ARE MOST LIKELY TO GROW FROM THEIR CURRENT LEVELS ARE:
* Talks to organised groups either inside or outside the repository
* Exhibitions, together with published material, e.g. manuals and source packs, based on the traditional paper format
* Online sources - which students
will frequently be able to use without necessarily ever needing to
visit the repository.
EXTERNAL
FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR ARCHIVE EDUCATIONAL WORK
* Do you know of any
which might be available?
* Have you ever received any?
I'm not necessarily intending to be judgmental about any of the responses, since I can well believe that something which works in one repository might not always be right for another. And as usual - I'd be willing to provide a summary of responses (suitably anonymised where appropriate) if anybody is interested.
Aidan Jones,
Cumbria Record Office & Local Studies Library, Barrow.