Last Friday I travelled up to Manchester to attend the Archives and Records Association's second Summer Seminar for New Professionals. It was set to be a great day of networking and interesting talks, all set in the very impressive John Rylands University Library.
The first talk was by Fran Baker, who works in the Special Collections in the Library and has been working on a project to preserve the digital correspondence of Carcanet Press. I was really intrigued about how such a seemingly large and complex task could be undertaken, but hearing about all the various stages in the process made it seem a lot more manageable than I had thought, from initial surveys to transfer, accessioning, and documentation, to eventually making the archive available online.
I was really interested to hear from various recruiters there tips on applying to project-based roles, since a lot of jobs aimed at newly qualified professionals at the moment are project based. It was reassuring to hear the advantages to this kind of work, for instance that you can get a wider breadth of experience, you get a new perspective on the profession on each project, and you can be more selective in your approach and choose a role that matches your skills.
The day ended with a discussion on the future of the Archive Sector. As predicted there was much debate on Archivists increasingly needing IT skills and the willingness to accept advances in the digital aspect of the profession. another interesting point was that Archivists increasingly need to have the ability to network with people outside of the profession, i.e. people who work in other areas of your institution. This is particularly important at the moment were the need for advicacy is so strong. It was generally thought that pre-course level would be a good time to get this experience.
The seminar was a really great place to meet people in a similar situation to me and also to hear the experiences of those who have qualified and gone on to find work. It is certainly reassuring to know that there is a support network in place for those entering the profession. I will definitely be getting involved in future New Professional events and would urge anyone who's a trainee, student or recently qualified to do the same!
The section for New Professionals can be found on the ARA website here.
The first talk was by Fran Baker, who works in the Special Collections in the Library and has been working on a project to preserve the digital correspondence of Carcanet Press. I was really intrigued about how such a seemingly large and complex task could be undertaken, but hearing about all the various stages in the process made it seem a lot more manageable than I had thought, from initial surveys to transfer, accessioning, and documentation, to eventually making the archive available online.
I was really interested to hear from various recruiters there tips on applying to project-based roles, since a lot of jobs aimed at newly qualified professionals at the moment are project based. It was reassuring to hear the advantages to this kind of work, for instance that you can get a wider breadth of experience, you get a new perspective on the profession on each project, and you can be more selective in your approach and choose a role that matches your skills.
The day ended with a discussion on the future of the Archive Sector. As predicted there was much debate on Archivists increasingly needing IT skills and the willingness to accept advances in the digital aspect of the profession. another interesting point was that Archivists increasingly need to have the ability to network with people outside of the profession, i.e. people who work in other areas of your institution. This is particularly important at the moment were the need for advicacy is so strong. It was generally thought that pre-course level would be a good time to get this experience.
The seminar was a really great place to meet people in a similar situation to me and also to hear the experiences of those who have qualified and gone on to find work. It is certainly reassuring to know that there is a support network in place for those entering the profession. I will definitely be getting involved in future New Professional events and would urge anyone who's a trainee, student or recently qualified to do the same!
The section for New Professionals can be found on the ARA website here.
