Challenging the Stereotypes - Working in Heritage - Anne Morgan

Have you ever considered a career in the heritage sector? Archivist Anne Morgan challenges preconceptions about careers in the heritage sector, explains the joys of working with personal correspondence and shares her favourite jokes about archivists.

1) Could you begin by describing a 'average' day for an archivist working for a city council?

There isn't really an average day, however today I was out of the office for the morning doing survey work. This involved assessing written material and advising a potential depositor (in this case a local business) about any historically valuable archives they hold, then negotiating their deposit and permanent preservation within the Record Office. On my return I dealt with the emails and other correspondence, which is a daily feature of my work, responding to enquiries about Victorian infectious diseases and a 15th century rental book. In the afternoon I was supervising one of our volunteer helpers. He was cataloguing a collection of early 20th century glass negatives of the Plymouth city area on to a specialist archive software package. I was also helping other Record Office staff dealing with public enquiries in the search room. The researchers can vary from private researchers undertaking family history, students and academics, employees of the City Council, school groups, the police, in fact anyone with an interest in the unique written records of the Plymouth and West Devon area.

2) What was your route into the heritage sector?

I came into the archive profession by the traditional route. Having completed a History degree I undertook a paid placement as an archives assistant at a record office, which gave me enough experience to gain a place on one of the post graduate Archive Administration courses. Other first degrees are accepted, although History and English still predominate. I also had spent some time as a volunteer at a local museum, which gave me the opportunity to assess which route I wanted to take. Prior to the course I looked round the departments at each university and met up for a chat with the course directors.

3) Are there any preconceptions you would like to challenge about your role?

Each day can bring new challenges and the stereotypical image of a cardigan-wearing archivist sitting in a dark room transcribing dusty documents could not be further from the truth. Today's archivists are information providers, but have to be outward looking and have a people-centered approach. Wilting violets won't do! We are the custodians of information from the past, which informs the future. That is a responsibility, which I do not take lightly.

4) What advice would you give to a student or graduate hoping to build a career working with archives and records?

Do not pursue a career in archives if you wish to earn big money. Like many other heritage professionals we are not highly paid. Nowadays it is vital to obtain pre-course, practical work experience in an archive, as competition can be fierce. The more varied the work experience the better. Records Management, the sister arm of archives, covers more recent records, including semi-current material, and will generally pay more. Jobs in Records Management are often related to industry and business so can appear more relevant to today's world, although like archives it will require a methodical approach and an eye for detail.

5) Are there any particularly good perks?

One of the best aspects of this job is seeing people using the material we have catalogued. This is made available via the online catalogue on our website:

(www.plymouth.gov.uk/archivescatalogue)

and in the public search room. Whether they wish to find ancestors through the parish registers or someone publishes a book after consulting the archives it always makes me feel justified that my chosen profession has a real value to our the culture.

6) What opportunities for progression are there from entry level onwards?

Progression will depend on the area you are working in. There are small private archives as well as publicly funded bodies. Within the local government sector there are county and unitary archive services, the former having more staff generally and therefore more opportunities for promotion. Currently there are only about 2000 professional archivists working in England and Wales. Provided you keep your skills up to date and are willing to move location there are posts for archivists and records managers across the country, although the major cities provide larger numbers of positions.

7) Which skills and attributes are important for someone wishing to work with archives?

The archives sector is changing rapidly, with the adoption of computerised catalogues and digitisation of documents. It is now possible to view the Record Office catalogues from anywhere with internet access, email us an enquiry and request a digital image of the item without the enquirer needing to leave their own home.

Computer skills are essential, as is the ability to interact with people, as the work can require tact and diplomacy when dealing with sensitive material (e.g. coroners' inquest papers, children's' homes records, mental hospital archives). The ability to lift and carry bulky archives is handy, however the main attributes are attention to detail, a methodical approach to cataloguing and an enquiring mind.

8) Are there particular texts you find particularly interesting or challenging to work with?

As an archivist you are often presented with documents from the 19th and 20th centuries, but the earlier eras are the most challenging to decipher and interpret. Handwriting varied over the centuries and late 14th century Latin can be a real problem as the style is so messy. Legal language is often complex and tortuous to untangle, but perhaps the most interesting text is correspondence, whether from individuals during the Napoleonic period or Second World War emergency planning officers.

9) Who do you work with on a day-to-day basis?

I work with a team of three Archive Assistants, who run the Record Office's public service, the City Archivist who manages the team and has a strategic role, the Learning/Education Officer, who is our outward-facing and promotional person, as well as two temporary Project Assistants and several volunteers. The public and depositors of records I come in to contact with daily too.

10) Are there any good jokes about archivists?

Q. Why are two archivists, married to each other, the perfect couple?

A. Because the older they get the more interested they are in each other!

Q.Where did Noah keep his bees?

A. In the ark-hives.