Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #8: Archives as a career

Unfortunately I am now nearing the end of my summer post here. It was here that I first became interested in a career in archives. I held this post about five years ago and enjoyed it so much that I returned this summer, while completing my training to become an archivist.

This summer numerous visitors have told me how lucky I am to work here, so I thought that for my final blog post I would say a little about archives as a career. To receive accreditation from the Society of Archivists (Archives and Records Association) requires a masters. This can be done either by distance learning (while working as an archive assistant) or full time study for one year. I chose the latter option and have just submitted my dissertation.

Prior to starting the course, candidates are encouraged to gain experience of working in archives, through either voluntary work or archive assistant posts. There are several archives that offer a one-year paid placement, which is designed to prepare people for the course (I enjoyed the one at Glasgow University Archive Services). Further details regarding the career can be found at http://www.archives.org.uk/. We already have a number of volunteers who do very valuable work on a variety of projects.

Every archive is different, so while the course prepares you for the career and teaches you skills you need to work in any archive, archive assistants often have indepth knowledge of specific collections which they have gained through experience.

I have indeed been very lucky to work here and hope I am able to find work in another archive which I shall enjoy as much as I have enjoyed this summer.

So Long, Farewell...

Tears bedim my eyes, dear readers as I prepare you for the last of your dispatches from the Summer Assistant. Our still new-seeming member of staff is to be cut loose at the end of this week and released into the harsh world of applications, interviews and career ladders.

The Summer Assistant post is, of course, dependant on there being summery weather and therefore, after nearly a week of wind, cold and rain, the position is now closed. He shall gather up his belongings, hand back his locker key and our boss shall ceremoniously boot him out of the door with a P45 clutched to his chest.

"But wait!" I hear you cry, "he never got to say goodbye!" Do not fear. Although he has a scheduled day off tomorrow, archiver 2 prepared a farewell post before leaving today which shall appear tomorrow morning. Tears flowed onto his keyboard as he typed and gut-wrenching sobs rang throughout the search room. It was kind of embarrassing.

Don't feel sorry for him though, we've all clubbed together to buy him a life size cut out of his favourite celebrity antiques expert:

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #7.5

A visitor to our archives has kindly drawn my attention to some interesting records. As it is the weekend, it seemed the perfect time to share these with you. He is interested in alcohol policy and found some interesting records on the argument on temperance in Stromness.

In 1921, Stromness became "dry", meaning that alcohol was banned. This was later put to the vote and the ban was repealed. The printed notices connected with the local veto poll held in Stromness in November 1947 (D1/439) are interesting because they show both sides of what appears to have been a heated debate. They also show that electors were asked to reflect on a range of issues, including crime and the economy. They had to vote for the Continuance Resolution (remaining the same) or Repeal Resolution (allowing a return to licencing).

For Continuance:



For Repeal:





For more information on temperance in Orkney click here.

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #7: Maps

One of the best things about working in an archive is that you are constantly learning and finding out about new sources of information.

Like this website: http://www.nls.uk/maps/.

 Although I have used the National Library of Scotland's website before, I had not used this feature. The selection of historical maps there is excellent.

Although not related, here is an interesting map. It is a plan of the Orkney Islands published by John Thomson and Co., Edinburgh showing the boundaries of the Earldom and the Bishopric (reference number D7/1/1).

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #6: Lets Dance!

Yesterday, having finished a task quicker than I expected, I joked that I felt like doing a little celebratory dance. Anybody who knows me will realise that this was either a joke or an idle threat, as I seldom dance and when I do I look terribly uncomfortable.

Today I looked at an online events diary for Orkney (http://www.visitorkney.com/events/events_detail.asp?month=8&year=2010) and found that there is a Ceilidh at Stromness Town Hall from 7.30pm to 10pm tonight. This new-found obsession with dancing led me to search our catalogue for records on it. With my poor dancing skills, I found it rather appropriate that I found the following instructions:



The photocopied set of instructions for the steps of a dance thought to be for the 850th anniversary of the St. Magnus Fair continues overleaf with a rather helpful illustration.



Do not fear, I shall not be treading on anybody’s toes tonight but perhaps if I did overcome my fear of dancing such instructions might help.

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #5.5: Agricultural Shows

Orkney Library and Archives are open every Saturday from 9.15am-5pm. As I am on duty today I thought I would do an extra blog on the agricultural shows.

The East Mainland show takes place today. Most of the photos we have of this event in years gone by are group photographs of winners at the show. This photo stood out because I doubt anybody will be dressed in such warm clothes on a sunny day like today.

Dispatches From the Summer Assistant #5: School Memories

Last week I promised a Back to School Exhibition. This can now be seen in the display cabinet in the library foyer and upstairs in the Archives Searchroom.

The exhibition includes all sorts of interesting records of how school used to be in Orkney. The earliest record dates back to 1662 but there are also far more recent school photographs. Themes which are covered include the opening of schools (and the closing of Tomison’s Academy), success, improvements, teachers and lots more. One particularly interesting record is a meticulously handwritten time-table from Stromness Academy, for the session 1933-1934.



Some visitors may find themselves or their ancestors in photographs or mentioned in the records on display.

Orkney Museum has been kind enough to lend us a few objects for the exhibition, including a strap used by Miss Kathleen Bruce Twatt at Kirkwall Grammar School. Hopefully you won't remember that item too well!

Children (aged around 7 and up) may enjoy the quiz which accompanies this exhibition. Any child who takes part will receive a free notepad and pencil, as well as the chance to win a copy of Christopher Paolini’s book Brisingr.

We are keen to hear your memories of school. If you would like to share them, please take a moment to fill in one of our School Memories forms. We will then keep these according to your wishes.

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #5: Back to School Exhibition

As people start to think about the new school term (starting on the 17th August) and the Orcadian reports that Tomison Academy has been put on the market it seems a fitting time to have a ‘Back to School’ exhibition.

I am currently preparing this exhibition and hope to show it next week. The items included will cover various subjects including the openings (and closing) of schools, certificates, photographs, an admissions register, a timetable and school magazines. Of course we could not forget Orkney’s great teachers.

If you are lucky you may find an ancestor in our class photos or mentioned in documents. Prior to 1880 education was not compulsory and records created in the last 75 years which contain personal information are not available to readers, however it is hoped that this exhibition will show the kinds of records we have and that family historians may find new sources to learn about their ancestors’ childhood.

The exhibition is aimed at adults and children, giving an idea of how schools were in years gone by. Here is an image of Tomison Academy, South Ronaldsay, showing the children's love of hoops!


If you missed the sport exhibition do not worry, we shall keep a small display in the Orkney Room.

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #4: Palaeography

I must admit that despite having taken palaeography classes, yesterday I struggled to read some documents which a reader had asked for copies of. The documents dated around 1700 and were viewed on microfilm. Even knowing some of the different conventions in old handwriting it has always been the case that some people have neater handwriting than others. Be glad that this blog is typed!

Enough excuses… my experience yesterday reminded me how difficult it can be to read forms of handwriting with which you are not familiar. There are various ways that you can learn palaeography (the conventions and form of old handwriting, with all of its flourishes and abbreviations). It is also good to practice, with yesterday’s experience coming as a timely reminder of this.

Many courses in history or archives offer classes in palaeography but if you want to do something less formal there are some really interesting sources for help. In our archive searchroom we have reference books on Scottish palaeography, which you can look at if you are finding documents difficult to read. Alternatively, online tuition can be found at http://www.scottishhandwriting.com/. This website offers a great introduction and tasks to help you practice.

I am currently using a few documents from our archives for a dissertation, on my archives course. It seemed appropriate to post an image of the one with the most fancy flourishes, although it is not particularly difficult to read.



This example of a protest shows some interesting features relating to diplomatics. Diplomatics is an area of study often associated with palaeography. Diplomatics is concerned with features such as stamps, seals and signatures which are often related to authenticity.

If you ever have difficulties reading an old document in the archives, just ask for help. Our palaeographic skills may not be perfect but we will try our best. For details of our attempts to get to grips with old writing, click here.

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #3: Exhibitions Galore

If you have ever felt curious about what the archives hold but not had anything in particular that you wanted to research, you may be interested in our regular exhibitions. At the moment we have two exhibitions.

In the main foyer of the Orkney Library and Archive, you will find The ‘main street’ in Kirkwall: a photographic exhibition and research study. This studies the role that the ‘main street’ (i.e. Bridge Street, Albert Street, Broad Street and Victoria Street) play in the everyday lives of Orcadians and is being conducted by Robert Gordon and Aberdeen Universities. This exhibition includes many photos, old and new.

Last week I created my first exhibition, which can be seen in the display cabinet in the main foyer and upstairs in the archives. Archivists are not known for their sporting prowess and I do nothing to change this stereotype! However with summer in mind, I chose ‘Sport in Orkney’ as the theme for my exhibition to show the variety of sporting achievements by Orcadians at home and away.


The exhibition includes manuscripts, programmes, newspapers and photographs from our archives. In the Orkney room you will also find books relating to sport in Orkney and Scotland.

I really enjoyed putting the exhibition together because it showed the variety of our collections. The sports on exhibition include hang gliding, golf, cricket, wrestling, angling and the regatta. An exhibition about sport would not be complete without mention of football. In this exhibition you can find a Dounby Football Song and description of a wedding custom involving football.

If you look hard enough you may find a photo of a relative or their name in such items as cricket bowling averages.

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #2: Sutherland Graeme Newscuttings

We regularly receive new accessions. These are items which form a new collection or can be added to an existing collection. There are various ways in which these can be given, including as a gift or on loan.

One recent accession which I am currently listing is an addition to our Sutherland Graeme collection (D5). Most of the new accession (D5/52) relates to Patrick Neale Sutherland Graeme, however it also contains items relating to other members of that family and their Graemeshall estate in Holm.

The accession includes various items including a sealed Commission in favour of Patrick Neale Sutherland, Esquire, L.B.E. Lord Lieutenant of the County of Orkney (D5/52/1), log books of the H.M.S. Topaze by A.M. Sutherland Graeme (his father) and family newscuttings books.

These newscuttings are a great source of information about the family, key figures in the communities of Holm and Harpenden. Searches relating to particular people (whether ancestors or well known local figures) tend to start with the identification of key dates such as births and marriages, and achievements, usually academic or work related. Finding out about their lifestyle and hobbies can be rather problematic because people may not have written about their leisure time. These scrapbooks contain a wealth of information relating to the family’s interests. They show that Patrick Neale Sutherland Graeme was a keen churchgoer, was involved in Toc H. and was a talented sportsman (playing cricket and football for the Cambridge Malvern Club). They also show his wife’s interest in amateur theatre and concerts.

Dispatches From The Summer Assistant #1: Visiting archives

Television programmes often create an image of archives as rather serious and slightly intimidating places. Having visited various archives around Scotland, I started to reflect on the different experiences visitors have.

Many archives require visitors to book in advance. The reasons for this may include the size of the searchroom, the number of staff, ensuring that the information is held in the archive, the size or fragility of many archival items etc. Many archives provide a document delivery service every 15 minutes, so booking items in advance ensures that you won’t be kept waiting. In our archives searchroom there are normally two members of staff on the desk, so one is usually able to get records fairly quickly.

Visitors to Orkney Library and Archives do not need to book in advance. Our collections on microfilm are very popular so readers may wish to book microfilm readers to ensure that they are not disappointed. If visitors can’t find what they are hoping to see in our archives, they may be interested in the books in our Orkney room. This is a reference room with books on various subjects relating to Orkney and Shetland.

The images you see of readers handling documents in archives tend to show them wearing gloves. Friends have joked that white gloves are the missing link between archivists, snooker referees and mime artists. Archives are unique and valuable items, so all archives take care to preserve them which is why we ask readers to use pencils. In our archives white gloves are optional for anything post-1800.
Visitors may often come in after looking at books in the library downstairs. We have regular exhibitions and hope that all visitors can find something of interest.