A Volunteering Story - "A lot more to archives than old paper!"
What did four students from Upton-by-Chester High School think of a week’s work experience at Cheshire Archives?
The students helped to decipher and transcribe historic documents, index maps and photographs, and learnt how to identify relevant records through the catalogue before finding them in our strongrooms. They spoke to the team about the variety of roles we have here, and discovered how digitisation is changing the way we can use and interact with archives. We also asked them to reflect on their experience.
Noah wrote:
“I had an incredibly insightful experience looking through the collections, transcribing old writing (palaeography) and learning what it’s like to be an archivist or to work at an archive. The Parkside Asylum records showed me the attitudes of society at that time and put into perspective how much things have changed since then. The most interesting aspect of this week to me was the work relating to maps, most notably tithe maps. They showed what Cheshire was like in the 19th and 20th centuries, and also let me see the area that would become my house and neighbourhood and what they used to be.”
Phoebe:
“Work experience at Cheshire Archives has allowed me to gain valuable insight into the jobs and techniques in preserving history. Meeting different staff, such as learning officers and community engagement officers, showed me how there is more to archives than just keeping documents as well as how vital involving the community with their past is. Moreover, I found the outreach program, ‘mining for memories’ on the Cheshire archives website very interesting in how the memories of a community can be developed through shared experiences.”
Ed:
“Being able to work with some incredibly old documents and items has been a real privilege. Being able to help with both internal and external projects has felt very rewarding as I have been able to contribute to something wider (e.g. the Parkside Asylum project, making digital copies of maps for a project in Scotland). I wasn’t aware of the scope of technology in archive work, and it’s been nice to use technology I likely could not otherwise. I also now have a better understanding of my local area and its historical importance, and I’ve been able to harness my existing skills whilst developing new ones.”
And Tom:
“I feel that the placement has broadened my understanding of cultural heritage, local history and the relevance and importance of the GLAM [galleries, libraries, archives and museums] sector. We have worked with different archivists, librarians, and other archive employees, and have been taught in great detail about each of the different areas that an archive covers. This has renewed my interest in history, and has cultivated a much deeper understanding and appreciation for the work done by archives.”
Thank you to the students for a productive week and summing up for us perfectly the value of introducing the next generations of archive users to their archive service.
For the last word, a final comment from Ed:
“I have had a brilliant week at the archives. It has been informative and fun and has shown me that there is definitely a lot more to archives than old paper!”
