Managing archives within Museums

Janice TullockArchives and Heritage Consultant

www.janicetullock.co.uk

Museums and Heritage Show 16 May 2012

Introduction

• Qualified and registered archivist• Background in local government archive

services• Experience as Archives Development Officer for

MLA NW• Archives Fellow on the Clore Leadership

Programme 2005/6• Director of Janice Tullock Associates since 2006

Definition of archives?

“Materials created or received by a person, family or organisation, public or private, in the conduct of their affairs and preserved because of the enduring value contained in them or as evidence of the functions and responsibilities of their creator, especially those materials maintained using the principles of provenance, original order and collective control; permanent records.” (Society of American Archivists)

Archives in museums

• Archives in museum collection – either mixed in with collections or treated as stand alone collections

• Archives of the museum itself – records of business, donations, correspondence, research etc.

Digital

• Reaching greater number of people more easily• Digitisation is a core activity • Digital provides new channels and methods to reach

users• Online catalogue provision is reaching a new level of

maturity• Digital is now being used to allow volunteering projects

and participation• Archivists are more confident in managing born-digital

materials and ensuring digital preservation.

Partnership Digitisation projects

Digital Users

• West Yorkshire archive service:– 7,000 onsite visitors– 19,000 off-site contacts (phone/email/post)

- 6 million views of images on Ancestry- 12 million views of metadata

30,000 image views over 24-26 December

Catalogues

Joint networking projects

Next steps for catalogues? Linked data?

Social Networking

Participation – making connections between collections and people

• Crowdsourcing work• Contributing expert/personal knowledge• Adding to collections• Remixing and reusing the archives• Involving the public in the organisation

• See Kate Theimer Archives Next Blog

Digital Preservation 4.4 Collections preservation

The Library believes that no single approach is likely to guarantee the long term survival ofthe Library’s digital material and consequently, a mixed strategy – focusing on, formatmigration and normalisation – is preferred. Acceptable preservation formats may includetext, XML or an ‘open’ format such as the Open Document Format. Other formats, such asfilms or commercial digital products, will be dealt with in a way appropriate to the needs ofthe material. The Library will respect intellectual property and other rights in materials when seeking topreserve commercial and private digital materials in its collections.

The Library has two approaches to this issue,

1. Rights secured – for digital archival materials donated or loaned to the Library we willseek permission from the donor/lender at the time of donation to carry out anypreservation activity, immediately or in the future, that may be required to preservethe material for future use, eg migration and/or normalisation.

2. Commercial rights – Where possible and practicable for digital commercial productsacquired by the Library we may seek permission to undertake necessarypreservation actions to ensure the future use of the material, eg migration and/ornormalisation.

Wellcome Library Preservation Policy 2007

Standards

• BS5454 replaces by PD5454, supported by PAS197 and 198

• Archive Service Accreditation – due for publication in June 2013

Benefits of Archive Service Accreditation

Benefits

Professionalism

Performance

People

PatronagePartnerships

Profile

Planning

Archive Service Accreditation• Three modules:

1. Organisational Health 2. Collections 3. Stakeholders and their experience

Requirements under each module:

- 1. Mission, governance, planning and resources (premises, finance and workforce)

- 2. Policies, plans and procedures for collections (development, information and care)

- 3. Access for the service’s identified community and stakeholders

Collections2.1 Collections management

2.2 Collections development

2.2.1 Policies on collections

development

2.2.2 Collections development plans

2.3 Collections information

2.3.1 Policies on collections

information

2.3.2 Collections information plans

2.3.3 Core collections information procedures

2.4 Collections Care and Conservation

2.4.1 Policies on collections care and

conservation

2.4.2 Collection care and conservation

plans

2.4.3 Procedures for routine collections

care

2.4.4 Procedures and plans for disaster and

recovery

Interpretation of collections

• Not something archivists have been traditionally comfortable with

• Not something that archives have traditionally undertaken

Archives+

Marks and Spencer archive exhibition

More information?

• Web page www.janicetullock.co.uk• Records Management for Museums and

Galleries by C Brunskill and Sarah Demb• http://www.museuminfo-records.org.uk/• http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-s

ector/