Digital Archives versus Real Life

In a recent blog I talked about scanning, and how the digitisation of archive materials has changed the world of research. (Take another look! http://bsuarchive.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/scanning-scanning-and-more-scanning.html) 

There is a good deal of dispute, amongst researchers, historians and in the archive world, about whether online or real access is 'better'. But as with many other areas of life, there are pros and cons to both access routes.

A digitizing challenge: this scrapbook charts the early years of Newton Park Teacher Training college, and was the property of Principal Mary Dawson. All of the items are glued in, and the whole book is rather fragile.

There is more material available to view online with each day that passes. Recent developments have seen the digitisation of Queen Victoria's diaries, as well as Blitz maps of London, made widely available for the first time. As well as offering these resources to a far, far greater number of people, it is also the means to protect the original documents from over-handling.

As a researcher, returning to university as a mature student just four years ago, I was staggered at the sheer number of easily accessible resources available through the university library. Here was a gold mine of information, to be found at my fingertips, via the computer. I read ancient books, opened Georgian newspapers and looked at famous and obscure paintings right down to the smallest brush strokes.

Domestic Science College students, 1916. This photograph is very evocative  of the era, with women students reflecting masculine styles of dress and stance. The image is also stained with dirty fingermarks and battered at the edges

A visit to a 'real archive' and the handling of real documents naturally takes this fascination onto an even more thrilling level, but for me, this initial online access prepared the way, enhancing my interest in primary sources.

I had already fallen under the spell of archive materials via technology when I was given the opportunity for a placement in a real archive. And there, in the search room of the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham, Wiltshire, I fell under the spell of old documents completely. The feel, and above all the intoxicating smell of them, can transport you to an entirely new level of appreciation of the past. I'll never forget the letter from a First World War soldier and the pressed flowers which fell out as I unfolded it.

The placement with Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, and everything I learned there, has informed the work we do here at BSU Archive. The ongoing digitisation of our documents will mean access for all those who wish to know more about the history of the university. This in turn will lead to greater research into the many aspects of the past, as yet uncovered. It will also mean that more people could have the opportunity to handle the real documents and, through oral history testimony, to listen to the real people who have experienced life in these places over the years.

Group photograph of Domestic Science students, 1937. This image has been stored, rolled, for many years, and  is difficult to unroll. Another challenge to come...

The first Newton Park students, 1946. Those who have been interviewed from the late 1940s  recall  the simpler pleasures they enjoyed, and a feeling of unity having lived through the deprivation of the war years. 

Want to find out more about the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre? Website available at  http://wshc.eu/our-services/archives.html 

Heritage, Popes, Bones and stay-at-homes

Last week, the archive had a week off, as two of us were involved in a history field trip to Rome. Of course, the trip was arranged long before anyone knew about the papal elections, but what a time to be there...

The view towards the Vatican, from the Capitoline Hill, Rome

The main purpose of the trip was research: into aspects of heritage, the practical application of history and the history and landscape of the Grand Tour. All of these things are relevant to the cross section of students and staff who joined the field trip. And of course, we enjoyed the good food, wine and chatting that took place as well!

St Peter's, 11.03.13. Preparations for the pre-Conclave service.

Italy, and Rome in particular, houses a vast array of heritage from every era. Whether your interest lies in Roman, religious, Renaissance or Risorgimento history, there is a seemingly limitless supply of things to see, to experience and to wonder at.

Your archivist communes with Socrates!

We were struck by one site in particular, as a highly individual use of artefacts. This was the Capuchin Crypt, where an explanatory museum has been built over several small crypt rooms. These rooms contain thousands of bones, artistically and bizarrely arranged into pictures, images, altars, archways, chandeliers and ceiling displays. Complete skeletons in monk's habits stand and lie amidst the bones, overlooking the graves of real monks of the Capuchin Order.

The Capuchin Crypt

The whole thing is strange and intriguing, and a fascinating way to tell a story with archival resources. We pondered long and hard about the interpretation, and considered the way we look after archives today.

Meanwhile, following news of 'fumata nera' and 'fumata bianca' Pope Francis was elected and made his balcony appearance. Those studying the Grand Tour could identify with their 18th century counterparts, who travelled to Rome and witnessed the full grandeur of Catholicism for themselves, and were either impressed or distrustful, as the tourists from two hundred years ago had been.

A Nun celebrates Pope Francis' election with a selection of delicious  cakes! 

Back at home, the other half of the archive team carried on transcribing our most recent set of oral history interviews. We've had a batch of former Bath Academy of Art students visit the archive office recently, and we've enjoyed meeting them and finding out more about this fascinating aspect of our corporate history. As the office is based at Corsham Court, we have loved hearing about student life here in the 1950s - 1980s. It seems the peacocks have always been here, calling, screeching and chasing one another, just as they are today!

Hayley, still transcribing...

Scanning, scanning and more scanning

One of the great truths of the BSU Archive is that two of our main tasks are repetitive and time consuming. Scanning documents and transcribing oral history interviews take a very long time.

Yet for those of us involved, these tasks mean that you spend concentrated time with the real words of the past, with the pieces of paper and the recorded voices.

Here in the archive office, scanning occurs in a little corner of the corridor, which at this time of year is rather cold. We are beginning to suspect that in summer, it will be too hot. As is usual with forms of technology, the scanning process is simple, except when it isn't....knowledge of which button to press, in which order, is naturally important. But additionally useful is knowing which tone of voice to use to cajole the machine into cooperating. Or perhaps this is just paranoia...

Our relationship with the scanner is clearly getting too personal.

Documents come in all shapes and sizes, and making sure that the scans don't miss anything, is important. When looking at scanned papers online, I love to see the edges, and although you're a big step away from the real thing, a complete image gives a sense of it. Well-thumbed corners, damaged pages, finger prints and broken spines all add to the sensory experience of archives, even when witnessed remotely. A Historian friend recently posted a twitter image of a medieval manuscript, complete with the inky paw prints of the chronicler's cat - very atmospheric!

Next time you engage with a digital archive, spare a thought for the process which got it online. As well as time, funding, IT support and great documents, it has also been someone's task to stand by the machine, carefully feeding the papers one by one. Maybe their corner is chilly, too.

The opportunities for archive engagement have grown massively in the digital age. The ability to make so much more available online has opened a world of possibility. Especially for those researchers, who can access so much from their own homes. And once you're hooked on digital resources, stepping into a real one is another level of experience altogether.

But more of that, in another blog...

Hayley and Richard make friends with the scanner!