By Sarah Moses, Archive Trainee
Welcome to my A-Z of what I’ve learned while I’ve been a trainee at the
Borthwick Institute for Archives! I started working here in July 2018 and I’ve
thoroughly enjoyed the traineeship but, as I’m almost finished, I wanted to
provide some insight into the life of an Archive Trainee.
A is for Archive Graduate Trainee: This traineeship is an opportunity for someone
interested in being an archivist to learn more about the practical side of
working in an archive, before pursuing a formal postgraduate qualification. The
Borthwick role includes a huge variety of tasks from copying probate orders to
social media to working in the searchroom, as well as training in aspects of an
archivist’s job and visits to other repositories to learn even more. In this
blog post, I’ll be attempting to show just how varied the trainee’s role truly
is!
B is for Borthcat: The Borthwick Catalogue (https://borthcat.york.ac.uk/) provides all manner of information
about our archives and their history. Whether you need a quick search to check
some information or you have time to get lost in the depths of archival
descriptions and authority records, Borthcat is your one-stop shop for all
things holdings-related. (Although I’ve also learned that you sometimes just
cannot get by without the paper catalogues in the searchroom.)
C is for Conservation: Our conservators form a vital part of the team at the Borthwick. As a
trainee, I’ve got to know them as the people who work magic on the rolled
probate records I bring in to have made flat. They are also the fount of all
knowledge when it comes to packaging, and don’t seem to mind too much when I
repeatedly ask questions about how to deal with specific
documents/objects/photograph albums. On the subject of photographs, most of
these (along with some scientific instruments) are held in our cold store,
which is (as the name suggests) COLD. I quickly learned that if I would be
spending a large amount of time in there, I needed to wear extra layers. (On a
side note, this sartorial advice actually applies to working in archives anyway
- many areas are colder than you expect!)
D is for Data Protection: Before I started my
traineeship, my only known experience of data protection was the numerous
emails I had received the previous year relating to GDPR. But I now know far
more about the 100-year rule and the various regulations for medical records in
particular. Although a more knowledgeable member of staff has always been happy
to answer any questions about data protection because this is one area in which
I really didn’t want to mess up!
E is for Exercise: An unexpected side
effect of being an archive trainee is the exercise I’ve got. Although I have
lifted heavy items more than once in my life, it is slightly different when you
are moving dozens of boxes every day. Not only have I actually got arm muscles
for the first time in my life, but climbing stairs and walking between
strongrooms and the searchroom and accessions (where I’m based) and the
digitisation suite and the staff area have made me fitter, despite all the cake
archivists eat.
F is for File: While fixing problems on
Borthcat, I asked what I assumed was a very simple, very stupid question: in a
description of an archival collection, what is the difference between
file-level and item-level? Apparently, this is not such a simple, stupid
question after all, which provokes debates on, for example, whether a minute
book is an item in itself, or whether it is a file in which individual
entries/pages are items. I found myself surrounded by hours of discussion and
had books recommended to me on the topic.
G is for General Staff Meetings: The highlight of
every three months. It is the trainee’s job to provide statistics on rolled
wills given to conservation, which will inevitably involve a fight with a
spreadsheet and more time than it should take manually copying and pasting and
adding up, but I always managed (eventually) to obtain the right information. I
also learned that it’s advisable to read other people’s summary reports that
are provided before the meeting, so you don’t end up sitting in a room of 20
people where everyone else seems to know what is being discussed and you don’t
have a clue.
H is for Handwriting: Or more accurately:
palaeography. This is one of the greatest archival skills I have learned in my
traineeship. Through both 1:1 study with a member of staff and seminars taught
as part of a postgraduate module, after a few weeks of studying early modern
material, I started to realise that maybe I could actually read it. And if in
doubt, I learned to count the minims and ask myself if the letter I was stuck
on was ‘c’ or ‘h’ or ‘r’ or ‘&’ (it’s normally one of those). I also had
the opportunity to work on some 19th and 20th century material, which made the
16th century palaeography seem like a doddle. On a slight tangent, I was also
able to participate in the Medieval Latin course run by the University’s
Languages for All scheme (https://www.york.ac.uk/lfa/courses/latin-medieval/). This can be taken
at either beginner or advanced level and provides a solid foundation in Latin
grammar and vocabulary, as well as information on standard phrases used in
legal and probate documents.
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| The first palaeography document I attempted to read - the will of Jane Stapilton |
I is for Instagram: And Facebook. And
Twitter. One of my most time-consuming roles has been maintaining the social
media channels of the Borthwick. We may not have reached the dizzying heights
of The Museum of English Rural Life or Orkney Library but social media is a
great way to show what we do. I’ve learned to be creative, have fun and, most
importantly, ask my colleagues for ideas. Typing in a certain word on Borthcat
may provide an overwhelming selection of records to use, but it is most likely
that someone will have a random nugget of information tucked away deep in their
memory banks that was stored for such a time as this. And I’ve had the
privilege of staging many a photoshoot for Archie (our dearly loved archive squirrel).
He could be doing anything or saying anything (more or less) and get away with
it. Because he’s a squirrel.
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| Archie the Archive Squirrel |
J is for Jobs, Odd: As a trainee, I’ve
ended up doing jobs that I’d never expected. From staging photo shoots for a
squirrel to creating a post-it note crown for said squirrel (twice), I’ve
occasionally found myself in slightly bizarre circumstances during my
traineeship. One of my most ‘what am I actually doing’ non-squirrel-related
moments was when we got a new safe for our keys and I spent an hour sitting on
the floor, writing out sticky labels with staff names on, attaching these to
the new cabinet and transferring the keys across (which had helpfully been
mixed up moments beforehand).
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| The first outfit I made for Archie - a crown and a paperchain |
K is for Key Cabinet: A few months into
my traineeship, we got a new safe for the keys we use to access various parts
of the building. With its handy touchpad to ensure ease of opening, this safe
will seem perfectly normal to anyone beginning a career at the Borthwick. But,
unfortunately, they’ve missed out on the rite of passage that was the old key
cabinet. Transferred from the Borthwick’s old home at St Anthony’s Hall, this
cabinet had a dial that was incredibly temperamental. A fraction of a degree
out of place could make all the difference (as could pounding the door of the
cabinet), and I thought I would never learn how to use it and instead be
reliant on other people getting my keys out for me...until Day 3 of my
traineeship, when I opened the safe by myself and, of course, no one was around
to see it! Sometimes change is good.
L is for Lifelong Learning: Our main classroom
space is known as the Lifelong Learning room. I’ve spent plenty of time in here
setting up for various classes and visits. Sometimes it is simply a case of
moving some chairs and tables; sometimes I’ve spent more than an hour laying
out archival material that will be studied by the visiting group. Sitting in on
classes (especially at the start of my traineeship), was a great way to learn
more about the holdings of the Borthwick, and to see how outreach can be done
in an archival setting.
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| Archie in Lifelong Learning |
M is for Milk: We’re halfway through my A-Z, so
I think it’s time for a tea break, but is there milk in the fridge? This is one
of my most inconspicuous, yet vital, roles. If there’s milk in the fridge, no
one bats an eyelid. If there isn’t, someone else will have to buy milk from the
shop on campus and I feel like I’ve failed at life.
N is for The Northern Way Project: And the Rowntree
Archives Project. And the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Project. And the Alcoholics
Anonymous Project. And the Yorkshire Historic Dictionary Project. It’s always a
great idea to learn about the projects being undertaken at the Borthwick. The
project archivists have provided me with all sorts of fascinating information
and taught me about cataloguing (and I’ve been able to hear them discussing
times when they’ve found funny/sad/annoying records which provide an insight
into their project). Because they know their project material so thoroughly,
they are also great people to ask for ideas for social media.
O is for Orders Database: What to say about
the orders database. It is a fantastic spreadsheet, providing a wealth of
useful information but it is full of all kinds of formulae and buttons I never
ever want to mess with. When people order anything through the research or
copying services on our website, their request arrives in the orders database,
from which we can generate invoices and store any necessary information. I use
it almost daily, so I’ve had to become familiar with the columns I need. And in
the worst case scenario, it does ask whether you really want to type in a box
which should not be changed, so I can quickly say, “No, thank you” and get back
to what I was trying to do. And in the worst worst case scenario, the database
can easily be restored to a version from a few hours before (but I always ask
someone who actually knows what they’re doing to fix it).
P is for Packaging: As part of my
traineeship, I’ve been asked on several occasions to transfer archival material
from the cardboard boxes/plastic bags in which it arrived, to archival standard
packaging, checking for rusty paperclips, plastic wallets or anything that
maybe should be treated slightly differently (like a box of matches - yes,
really). My repackaging tasks have varied from school records to ecclesiastical
records to scripts for plays to miscellaneous business records. I’ve also been
asked to create lists of the contents of each box - such a simple exercise and
yet incredibly useful for finding stuff.
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| Some examples of box lists I've created |
Q is for Questions: This is questions
in two senses: (a) questions I receive, and (b) questions I pose. Firstly, when
working at the searchroom reception desk, I am asked many many questions. These
enquiries could be received by email (in which case I can consult other members
of staff before replying), by telephone (in which case I can ask them to email
us, or say that I will email them, if I don’t know the answer), or in person
(in which case it is more difficult to hide my lack of knowledge). The
questions could be anything from general queries on using probate indexes to
incredibly detailed analyses of a person’s ancestors. Secondly, there are the
questions I have posed as a trainee. Throughout my first few weeks (and, let’s
be honest, all year) it was reiterated to me on multiple occasions that there
were no stupid questions and I could ask for help as many times as I needed.
And, to be fair to my colleagues, everyone has treated me with patience and
kindness, even if I have forgotten something incredibly basic. I had to ask how
to turn a computer on a few months into my traineeship, so it’s pretty
impossible to do any worse than that.
R is for Rowntree correspondence: Presented with
three boxes of hundreds of letters written to and by the Rowntree family in the
middle of the 19th century, I faced the daunting prospect of writing a short
note on the author, recipient, date and contents of each letter. Fortunately,
some work had already been done to find the common thread in each bundle, and
so, armed with a fairly detailed family tree of Joseph Rowntree, I began this
task. However, I hadn’t reckoned on the challenge of reading Victorian
handwriting. And, as luck would have it, the least legible writing style came
from Joseph’s mother Sarah, hundreds of whose letters are contained within the
collection. Fortunately, I quickly learned that if I was really struggling to
read someone’s handwriting, I should take the time to actually sit and
transcribe whole letters. Although this was time-consuming, it enabled me to
“get my eye in” and pick out common stylistic variations.
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| The first Rowntree letter I read - from Joseph Rowntree Sr to his son Joseph |
S is for Searchroom/Strongroom Duty: This is arguably
the most fun, and yet most daunting, part of the traineeship. On a quiet day,
I’ve spent most of my time at the computer in the searchroom reception,
tackling email and telephone enquiries. But on a busy day, I’ve run to the
strongrooms and back multiple times an hour. However, I’ve been able to see
first-hand how archives are used by members of the public and enjoyed several
joyful experiences of a researcher finding just the information they needed.
Doing searchroom/strongroom duty has taught me more about our archival holdings
than I could have thought possible, and within a few weeks I knew which part of
the strongrooms I needed to be in to find the requested material (most of the
time). I also quickly learned that when showing a visitor how to use a digital
microfilm reader, there is a diagram on the machine itself, so if I pointed
them to it while I explained how to put the reel on, they didn’t know that I’d
forgotten how to do it. Finally, I had the joy of using our hanging map
cabinets several times. Although it wasn’t ideal that my first experience of
using them was at 5pm on a Friday, when I couldn’t get it open properly and
then the lid wouldn’t stay up, and I ended up with numerous people trying to
talk me through how it works over the phone and then in person.
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| Archie in the Searchroom |
T is for Teamwork: Teamwork is incredibly
important in an archive. As I mentioned elsewhere, my colleagues have given me
so many suggestions for records to highlight on social media and provided
insights into the life of an archivist. I’ve also had some very team-focused
tasks. Just one example is the day an addition to the Alcoholics Anonymous
Archive was transferred to the Borthwick. After the archive arrived during
mid-morning, it took four members of staff the rest of the day to put all the
boxes back into order and move them up a floor to the correct strongroom. It
was good fun! (But I wouldn’t want to do it every day.)
U is for University: Although the
Borthwick is situated within the Library of the University of York, we don’t
just hold University records. We also have archives relating to the church
(Church of England and non-conformist), health and medicine, businesses,
families, architecture, horticulture, the environment, social welfare
organisations, charities, schools, societies, music, writing and performance.
And as the trainee, I’ve had to learn everything there is to know about all of
these! Well, not quite, but I’ve certainly acquired some knowledge about each
of these and added constantly to my learning. But I quickly learned that there
was always someone around who knew more than I did, so I shouldn’t be afraid to
ask for advice.
V is for Visits: During my traineeship, I’ve had
the opportunity to visit other archives (university archives, business
archives, museums and local record offices). These visits have been great
times to ask questions and discover something new about the archival
profession. It’s easy to become accustomed to one way of working and assume
that this is the best way but through visiting other places, I could learn from
the systems in place which may work better or worse than what I’ve experienced
in my traineeship. Visits are also a great method of networking with other
people working in archives. Likewise, training days provided me with the
opportunity to meet other archive trainees and gain a more theoretical
knowledge of what I do in practice. It was only through a training day that I
truly learned just how prestigious the Borthwick is in the field of archives,
so I knew that I needed to make the most of my time here!
W is for Wills: The Borthwick holds more than
750,000 probate records, dating from the 14th century to 1858. As the trainee,
the 14 aisles containing wills are my domain. At times I love these
records; at others I strongly despise them (when I just can't seem to find the
one I need). Most people will use Find My Past to request copies of probate
documents, but I’ve also learned to appreciate the ease of having full
searchroom indices (or is it indexes?) of all probate records. When someone has
paid for a copying order, it’s my responsibility to find the will or
administration they have requested, digitise it and email/post it out. This
does require a lot of time but I quickly got into a rhythm of knowing when I
enjoy doing each stage of the process (and being aware of any problems in conservation
which might cause a backlog).
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| This is how the wills look before they visit our conservators |
X is for X marks the spot: By which I mean
“treasures”. Every archive has its treasures - those records that get wheeled
out time and time again to wow visitors. A 12th century
manuscript fragment, a medieval Archbishop’s Register, the baptism register
entry for Guy Fawkes, the will of Charlotte Brontë, papers relating to meetings between Lord Halifax
(the British Foreign Secretary) and Adolf Hitler, the list goes on. I’ve seen
these treasures (and got them out of the strongrooms) several times, yet the
wonder never quite fades.
Y is for Yorkshire: The best part of
England. Fortunately, I spent my years as a student here in York, so I already
had a great appreciation for this wonderful city and the area in which it is
found. But through my time at the Borthwick, I have learned so much to make me
love it even more. I’ve become more familiar than I ever anticipated with the
names of the old deaneries within the Diocese of York, until I could rhyme them
off alphabetically: Ainsty, Buckrose, Bulmer, Cleveland… On more than one
occasion, when out in the Yorkshire countryside, I would suddenly recognise the
name of a small hamlet I was driving through. But why? I racked my brains and
then realised that just last week I had located the will of someone who lived
there in the 18th century.
Z
is for Zest of Lemon: Apologies for the slightly tenuous link here, but
as any archivist will tell you, cake is important. Just take a look at
#archivecake on Twitter. In my experience, bringing cake/biscuits means your
colleagues will love you forever (well, for the rest of the day at least). So -
apologies, another tenuous link ahead - I’m going to end my A-Z on a truly soppy
note about the wonderful people who work at the Borthwick. They’ve put up with
me for more than a year, so they must be pretty amazing and it’s thanks to them
that I’ve enjoyed my time as a member of staff at the Borthwick so much!
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| Essential supplies |
