Bill Douglas & Peter Jewell Special Collection Launch Event

Last Thursday an event was held to launch the Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell Collection at Tremough. Bill Douglas, a Scottish film director, and his lifelong friend, Peter Jewell, were both avid collectors of books, memorabilia, and artefacts relating to the history and prehistory of cinema. After Bill died in 1991, Peter donated their collection to the Exeter University Foundation. Our collection is formed of duplicates from the Bill Douglas Centre at the University of Exeter's Streatham campus, and contains books relating to the history of film and visual media and includes annuals dating back to the 1940s, Hollywood picture albums, and a range of novels that have been turned into films.



Selection of books from the Collection


The event was aimed at and attended by film students, as well as some keen members of the library, and was kicked off with an introduction to the Collection by Peter Jewell himself. He gave a brilliantly rambling history of his and Bill's friendship and the beginning of the collection, frequently going off on a fascinating tangent. He gave a brief outline of the history of pre cinema, which was illustrated with images of panoramas, books, a cinematographe, optical toys and other ephemera, all taken from the Collection at Exeter's Streatham Campus.

This was followed up by Phil Wickham, Curator of the Bill Douglas Centre, who spoke about how to use the Centre, and what the collections can tell you about film. This was really useful for the students, as it brought home what an amazing resource is available to them and of how much value it could be to their work.

After a short break, we heard from Richard Daniels, Senior Archivist at the Stanley Kubrik Archive at the University of the Arts London. Richard explained the history of the Collection, and how it can give researchers a unique insight into the filmmaking processes of Stanley Kubrick. It is also a valuable resource for film students who want to find out more about the process in general, from filmmaking techniques and photography to screenwriting and film marketing.

Julian Rodriguez, Head of the Department of Media at UCF, then spoke about responding to the Stanley Kubrick Archive, and how students have used the Archive as inspiration for their own projects. He showed two short films by Animation and Documentary students at the London College of Communication which were inspired by the Collection. One of these was an animation that had taken inspiration from the jacket worn by the character Danny in The Shining, which is housed in the Archive.

It was a fascinating day, and I learnt a lot about film history and the processes of film making. From an archivist's point of view, I learnt how our holdings could be of use to our film students. In the Patrick Gale archive, for instance, we have the beginning of the film making process documented through treatments, screenplays and correspondence when Gale was approached to have one of his novels turned into a film. In a more abstract sense, students could take inspiration from several of our collections, like the students at LCC did with the Kubrick Archive. It was, overall, a very positive day, and I hope we see some film students using the service in the near future.

Friends of Tremough Visit

Sarah and I were back to work last Sunday (yes, a Sunday!) to speak to the Friends of Tremough group about our Archive and Special Collections Service. The group was created about a year ago by members of the local community to try to forge more positive links between Tremough and the surrounding communities. Many of them had connections with the site from when there was a girl's convent school here. It was a very enjoyable afternoon and they were all very interested in what our Service has to offer.

Before they arrived, we set out some of our favourite items from the archive, such as beautiful sketchbooks from Tom Cross, notebooks with sketches and scribblings from Kneehigh Theatre, a volume of the Camborne School of Mines magazine and a student register, and a script written by Nick Darke for Morecomb and Wise. Of particular interest to some members of the Group was the original paperback book jacket design for Patrick Gale's 'Notes from an Exhibition'. Despite not having heard of the author before, one member of the group assured us that she would buy the book and pass it round her quilting class! We had also brought out a letter from Elizabeth Anderson, written to Gale, in which she describes her memories of Barbara Hepworth, who appears as a character in the book. Let's say she paints a less than flattering picture!

It was a really positive experience, and the group had lots of questions for us and were extremely interested in what we do. Some said they would even like to come back and spend a day in the reading room, going through some of our collections. Also as I have now only been working here for two months, I haven't yet become familiar with all the collections, particularly the Nick Darke and Patrick Gale archives, so it was useful for me to also get a general overview of all our holdings. Several proposals came out of the visit, as to how we can help them and vice versa, and we might hopefully get a spot in their newsletter. So I hope this will be the start of a very good relationship with some valuable members of the wider community.

Archives and Special Collections Board

Last Thursday I attended the Archives and Special Collections Board meeting, which is held here at Tremough twice a year. It is a chance for representatives from the Archives and Special Collections Services from Tremough and our sister Service at the main Exeter Campus in Devon, as well as academic representatives, to catch up on what the service has been doing and achieving, and what it plans to do in the next few months. Unfortunately the turn-out wasn't quite what we'd hoped for, but as I was in charge of the Minutes I couldn't complain as it was difficult enough as it was trying to keep up with discussions and all the ideas flying around! Those present included representatives from the Camborne School of Mines, the Exeter History Department, the University College Falmouth Theatre Department, and the Head of Corporate Development for UCF.

Being new to the Service, it was interesting for me to hear the objectives that had been set out in the previous meeting in June, and how or if these had been achieved. This gave my understanding of the context of the Service another level, and showed me how far the Service had come on in that time. But for me the highlight of the meeting was the Archivist's Report, through which Sarah was able to inform the Board of all the latest goings on. An action from the last meeting was that user statistics should be presented to the Board annually. One of my first tasks when I started here was to use the statistics collected over the last four years to create graphs and charts showing how use of the service has grown and evolved, and so I got to present my work to the Board. There were some really encouraging figures, for example the number of enquiries last year had gone up by 60% from the year before, and the proportion of UCF and UoE student and staff users is steadily increasing. The number of teaching sessions had also gone up by 450%! Comparing the total usage of the collections, it was clear that those collections which are catalogued are being used much more than those that aren't, which demonstrates the importance of cataloguing. It was great being able to present these positive findings, as they really demonstrate the worth of the Service.

There was a good deal of discussion over fundraising and the idea of an Archive and Special Collections Fund, and there were several ideas for digitisation projects. Plans were also made for special show-casing events aimed seperately at staff and students, so that academics can incorporate the Service into their teaching, and students can learn how to use archives and perhaps use our them for their own research.

Coming out of the meeting, it felt like there were an awful lot of actions to get through before the next one in a few months, but it was nevertheless a really valuable experience getting feedback from the broad range of representatives present.

Visit to the University of Exeter Archives

09/12/2011
Yesterday I was given the opportunity to visit the archives at the University of Exter's main campus, where I was shown around by Christine Faunch, Head of Archives and Special Collections. There is quite a lot of interaction between our two institutions, since both UCF and Exeter are part of the Comined Universities of Cornwall. Tremough Campus, where the University College Falmouth and University of Exeter Cornwall Campus' archives and special collections are based, is the Hub of the CUC, and degrees are offered here by both UCF and Exeter.

Coming from a very new service that has been running for about three years, it was fascinating to see a very much established HE archive. One of the most important collections at Exeter is the incredibly rich collection of twentieth-century literary papers by writers associated with the south-west of England. Among these writers are Ted Hughes, T S Eliot, Agatha Christie, Daphne Du Mauier, and many more. At Tremough we hold archives associated with our physical location. I feel it is really important to keep archives within their own conext as far as possible, for example by keeping them in the place they were created. They would not have the same poignancy and meaning if they were relocated to somehwere else in the country, unless there was some connection with their original owner. It seems so appropriate to hold the papers of Daphne Du Maurier, for example, in the South-west where many of her books are set. While I was at Exter, I was shown a note book for 'Rebecca' by Du Maurier. It was incredibly fragile, so much so that it can't be opened, although a surrogate of one of the pages has been made and is on display. This notebook, I was told, had been used in a plagiarism case against Du Maurier, to prove that the work was original, and so is a very important piece of her history.

One collection of regional and international importance is that of Ted Hughes, Poet Laureate from 1984 until his death in 1998. The collection contains manuscripts and typescripts, letters, photographs, and copies of books. Hughes moved to Devon in 1961 and remained there until the year of his death. Only a couple of days ago it was announced that a memorial stone was to be dedicated to Hughes in Poet's Corner at Westminster Abbey. The memorial, though many miles away in London, recognises and appreciates the idea of place as an important context. It was designed by a Devon stonemason, and has been placed at the foot of the memorial to TS Eliot, mentor to Hughes and another writer with close links to the south-west. The works of others associated with Ted Hughes are also kept at Exeter, for example several beautiful works by american artist and sculptor, Leonard Baskin. Baskin lived for nine years in Devon, near Hughes, and illustrated his work 'Crow'.

Three of Baskin's prints and a watercolour are on display at the University's state of the art reading room, as well as a writing desk belonging to Daphne Du Maurier. What struck me whilst going around the Old Library, where the archive service is based, is how visible the service is. There are several pieces of art from the collections on display, as well as items from the archives and manuscript collections. The most obvious and unavoidable presence is the Bill Douglas collection, which has two galleries absolutely crammed with artefacts and ephemera. It is one of Britain's largest collections relating to the history and prehistory of cinema, begun by Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell. And of course here at Tremough, we have our own Bill Douglas and Peter Jewell collection, containing annuals dating back to the 1940s, Hollywood picture albums, and a range of extraordinary novels that have been made into films.

I think our service at Tremough would really benefit from having a stronger presence, particularly among students. Granted, Exeter has had much longer to set itself up as a first-rate resource, yet a few simple ideas here could boost the number of students coming to see us. One issue is that we are very hard to find online: with only a link in a tiny font at the bottom of the 'Library Services' page, its no wonder people don't know we're here. As a service, we can provide unique primary sources which you won't find anywhere else.  We could also try to get some of our records on display, just in a simple free-standing cabinet. We have some really great pieces visually, like photos from the Wildworks or Kneehigh Theatres, and sketchbooks by Tom Cross, painter and former principle of the Falmouth School of Art. Really eye-catching displays could be put together to draw people into the service, and its something I'd really like to have a go at and be in charge of, passing on the responsibility to my successors! Of course, it would take many years to get anywhere near the scale of the Exeter main campus archive service, but we are an important little resource nonetheless, and it would be great to see that reflected by increasing numbers of users.

UCL application done!

14/12/2011
Today, with one day to spare, I finally got my UCL application in for the Archives and Records Management Diploma. What a relief! Writing personal statements is something I have never enjoyed, and as usual left it to the last minute. The main thing to get across is enthusiasm for the course, but its pretty hard to sound enthusiastic without sounding silly. The first draft lacked any enthusiasm whatsoever and was abismal, but with some guidance from Sarah, I produced a much better second draft, and was actually quite happy with it! I think I managed to get across my enthusiasm for the archives profession, without sounding too desperate...

I do geniuinely have a real passion for archive work, and that is why I gave up so much of this year to working voluntarily at various archives. Ultimately that is why I am here, working in the archives service of the University College Falmouth and University of Exeter Cornwall Campus. The whole point of this traineeship is to furnish me, and future graduate trainees, with the experience required prior to starting the course, and I think the experience I will get here will be the best I could have hoped for.

For now, anyway, I'm going to try not to think about it until I hear back from UCL, which will hopefully be good news and that I will have got through to the interview stage!

UCF Timeline

Coming to work in a new organisation, particularly an archive service, can be quite daunting, as you have to familiarise yourself with the nature of the organisation and the archives it holds pretty quickly. This is why its been great to get stuck in to some enquiries. One of the best ways to get to grips with an archive is by answering enquiries, as it involves researching your holdings, and you come to learn quite quickly where you might look for future enquiries.

The first I was given was to be an ongoing project to carry out over my first few weeks here. I was asked to put together a timeline of the history of the College, which was great for someone new to the organisation. Using various sources, I have managed to complete a timeline from the foundation of the Art School at Arwenack Avenue, Falmouth, in 1902, right up to 2013/14, when UCF will become Arts University Cornwall.

Foundation stone of Falmouth Art School, laid by Lord Levan in 1901, at the site at Arwenack Avenue, Falmouth

It has been a fascinating journey, and particularly interesting to see how the College grew, as well as coping with several threats of closure. My main resource was a series of research files, created by a team of researchers who were to make a book about the College. The book was shelved, but our archives service was able to hold on to the many pages of research that had been done. The majority of their sources were newspaper articles, minutes from meetings, reports, and histories written by old principals and students, as well as interviews.



Advert from Lake’s Falmouth Packet, 14^th January, 1938

This advert from the Falmouth Packet shows what classes were available for students in 1938. Back then, the School was a private venture, with classes costing a few shillings a session. By the end of 1948, the art classes had been recognised by the Ministry of Education and the School became the Falmouth School of Art. The School relocated to the Woodlane site, and continued to grow until it was finally recognised in 1975 by the Council for National Academic Awards as a centre for a three year programme of study leading to the award of a BA Honours Degree in Fine Art. In 1984 the School was threatened with closure by the National Advisory Body for Public Sector Higher Education but a rescue mission was put into action, strongly supported by Cornwall College, and a reprieve was granted. The Falmouth School of Art changed its name to the Falmouth School of Art and Design in 1987, and then again to Falmouth College of Arts in 1995. In 1999, the College aqcuired the Tremough site to accommodate the increasing number of students and courses taught, and in 2004 Exeter's Cornwall campus was transferred there. In the same year, the Privy Council granted the College the power to award taught degrees under their own name and in 2005 it became University College Falmouth. The latest development was the merge with Dartington College of Arts, which saw the transfer of Dartington courses to Tremough in 2010. The next stage for the College's development will be 2013/14, when the new specialist Arts University in Cornwall will be created.

I'm really glad I had the chance to do this research. What I have very briefly outlined above is the rapid growth and transformation that the College underwent over the last century, and I now feel I have a good knowledge of the organisation and the context of the archives service. As the college developed, so did its resources, which allowed for an archives service to serve not only the students, but also any potential external users. Just as the College will continue to grow, we hope to too.

Miracle Theatre Donation

15/12/2011
Today Sarah and I took a trip to a chilly old Grammar School building in Redruth to visit the headquarters of Miracle Theatre Company. We were met by Bill Scott, founder of the Company, who took us up to a large, but rather chaotic space; it turned out that the offices were being relocated to downstairs and the walls of the small room we were to work in were also to be demolished that afternoon! Bill would like to have the thirty-odd years of the Company's history preserved, and has therefore decided to donate the collection to our archives.

We arrived, not knowing entirely what to expect, but armed with archival boxes and folders, and cellophane sleeves of various sizes. Our aim was to make a start on packaging and to type up a box list as an example for Bill, so that he could finish the rest in his own time. It is really important for us to have clear box lists for our accessions, since cataloging may not happen for some time, so we try to work as closely as possible with donors. This way our accessions are still accessible, since we can find records relatively easily on our box lists, and as accessions are listed in our locations database, we can locate them easily as well.

Miracle was started in 1979, and was then known as the Cornish Miracle Theatre Company. Although growing over the course of its history, the Company has always employed local actors, crew members and staff, and plays to small venues across Cornwall and the South-West. They tour original works as well as comic adaptions of classic works. Since we hold records for Kneehigh and Wildworks Theatre Companies, this was a thoroughly appropriate collection to take on, and we hope it will be of value for Performing Arts students in particular.

While we were there, Sarah and I made sure all loose posters, flyers and programmes were in sleeves, since a lot of building work was taking place and we were concerned about dust. We kept back two copies where we could for  preservation. Once sleeved, they were put in an archival box, for which we created a simple box list which gave the box number at the top, the type of records they were underneath (in this case posters, flyers and programmes), and finally a list of the productions represented. We also came across some promotional postcards, newsletters, presspacks, and press cuttings. These we put into separate archival folders. Any oversize posters were also sleeved, and will go into our plan chest. We went through the process carefully with Bill so that he can carry on in his own time; there were several more boxes containing performance photos, mini-DVs, and files relating to productions. The posters we saw were brillaint visually, really eye-catching and most had really quirky and interesting illustrations. I'm sure the rest of the collection will be just as interesting, both visually or in terms of content, and will be a great addition to our current Performance archives.

We helped Bill move the items he had placed in the small room we had been working in, which were just some of the things destined for preservation, down to the new office space, and left just as the builders began to demolish the walls!