This Monday was a very exciting day for us in the Archives, with the launch of our Twitter (which we are all now totally addicted to) and a tea party in honour of all our fantastic volunteers in the afternoon. With the promise of tea and cake and some very special guest speakers it was set to be a fantastic afternoon, and it didn't disappoint. We were joined by some of our brilliant student volunteers and members of staff who've all done their bit over the last few years. Our speakers were Sarah Riddle, Collections Curator at the National Maritime Museum Cornwall, and Lynne, a volunteer who has been working on an amazing collection of photos at the Museum.
We really value the help from our volunteers, and it was great to hear from Sarah how valued they are in much larger institutions - in fact the National Maritime Museum is largley run by volunteers, from researchers to boat-builders, marketing assistants to conservators. For me, the highlight was listening to Lynne talk so enthusiastically about her project to catalogue a collection of photographs donated to the Museum by David Weller. The 600-odd photos were taken by Weller and his father and provide a unique photographic history of the Falmouth docks. Although the photos came with a meticulous index, Lynne was able to use her local knowledge to add even more detail. One of the photographs, a beautiful image of a ship called Waterwitch, was chosen to be February's 'Curator's Choice', and can be seen here.
It was fantastic to see a volunteer so dedicated to her work. Here at the Tremough Archives we have had some amazingly dedicated volunteers of our own, with three having committed over a hundred hours to the Service each! So for them there was a short award ceremony with certificates, not laminated, but housed safely in archival sleeves...
Next week is National Volunteers Week. We should all celebrate the contribution that volunteers make in terms of time, expertise, and enthusiasm (and all that for free!), not only in Archive Services, but across all sectors.
 |
| © Archives & Special Collections Service at University College Falmouth & Univsersity of Exeter's Cornwall Campus |
We really value the help from our volunteers, and it was great to hear from Sarah how valued they are in much larger institutions - in fact the National Maritime Museum is largley run by volunteers, from researchers to boat-builders, marketing assistants to conservators. For me, the highlight was listening to Lynne talk so enthusiastically about her project to catalogue a collection of photographs donated to the Museum by David Weller. The 600-odd photos were taken by Weller and his father and provide a unique photographic history of the Falmouth docks. Although the photos came with a meticulous index, Lynne was able to use her local knowledge to add even more detail. One of the photographs, a beautiful image of a ship called Waterwitch, was chosen to be February's 'Curator's Choice', and can be seen here.
It was fantastic to see a volunteer so dedicated to her work. Here at the Tremough Archives we have had some amazingly dedicated volunteers of our own, with three having committed over a hundred hours to the Service each! So for them there was a short award ceremony with certificates, not laminated, but housed safely in archival sleeves...
 |
| © Archives & Special Collections Service at University College Falmouth & Univsersity of Exeter's Cornwall Campus |
Next week is National Volunteers Week. We should all celebrate the contribution that volunteers make in terms of time, expertise, and enthusiasm (and all that for free!), not only in Archive Services, but across all sectors.
No comments:
Post a Comment