Max Archiving and Archivists Podcast Series

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Anne-Marie Purcell has worked for the University of West London since 2017 as their first archivist. She talks about the diverse collection that UWL has built from it's amalgamated colleges throughout the years. Anne-Marie hopes in the future for the Archive to include more material from the different parts of the University to create a more representative collection for people to enjoy. The UWL has recently acquired the Heathrow Archive Collection which, with the help of Heritage Lottery Funding, has now been fully cataloged and is on exhibition on the UWL Ealing campus.

Juliet Scott, Principal Consultant & Artist and Meg Davis, Operations Manager for the Tavistock Institute of Human Relations, talk about the way the Institute has used Social Science to explore contemporary issues and problems throughout the last century. Wellcome Trust are now the custodians of the archive, both the paper material and the born digital collections, however the Tavistock Institute promotes the collection through means of festivals, exhibitions and dance performances.

Emma Stower, Archivist for the Henry Moore Archive talks about her experiences over the 30 years she has worked with Moore's Artwork and the related material, including an extensive photographic collection that Moore himself took. The Henry Moore Foundation is based at Perry Green where the Artist set up his Studio, within a 60 acre site with sculpture gardens and purpose built archive store. Emma talks about the ongoing digitization to improve access to the collection, the experiences of staff working with Moore and his family, and her interest in creating an oral history record of those that knew him closely.

Aymée Thorne Clarke in her current role of Archivist at renowned architectural firm Rogers Stirk Harbour and Partners enjoys being able to employ her previous knowledge and experience of art and architecture. Aymée talks about the challenges of managing archival material in an active, international company, and her concerns that the archive should continue to represent not only the landmark projects from the practice's history but also the more contemporary projects. Exciting projects being undertaken to develop the archive include the current relocation of the archive material and reviewing processes to try and best catalog newer 'born digital' projects.

Paul Logie has worked as the Assistant Archivist at the University of Aberdeen since 2004. In that time, the University Archive has been moved into a spacious purpose built facility in the academic Library.

As well as the collections from the 3 original Colleges that make up the University, the Archive also houses 5000 different collections. Paul talks about the pros and cons of managing such a large and varied collection, which includes material from all over the North East of Scotland.

Barbara Vesey, has worked as the England and Wales provincial archivist for the Society of the Sacred heart since 2012. Established in the early 19th Century the Society has since been involved in education of girls around the world, and in the UK since 1842.

Barbara talks about engaging with the past and present members of the schools, the notable achievements of the nuns throughout the years, and trying to promote the archive collections whilst remaining sensitive to the values of the Society. Some projects that Barbara has worked on include a Timeline of the Sacred Heart Society, and a joint exhibition with the University of Roehampton on a 300 plaque War Memorial initiated by the Sisters.

Jacqui Grainger, has been the Librarian at the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies (RUSI) since 2017. Although a relatively unknown archive, Jacqui hopes that by digitizing the collection it will make it more accessible to both Members and the general public. RUSI receives many inquiries about heritage assets that formed part of the RUSI museum, closed in 1962, and this interest has led Jacqui to work on a part-time PHD collaborating with the AHRC and the University of Westminster, exploring the history of this 'Lost Museum'.

Sian Prosser has been Archivist and Librarian at the Royal Astronomical Society since 2014. The Society has a specialist Library and Archive with a large collection of books, manuscripts, photos and instruments centred on astronomy and geophysics, dating as far back as the 15th Century. Sian talks about German Astronomer Caroline Herschel and the planned digitization of her journals, artist inquiries for inspirational photographs of planets, and the RAS's place in the context of modern space exploration.