Sixty years of archival education in England, 1947-2006: looking back and looking forward

1
Sixty years of archival education in England,
1947-2006 looking back and looking forward

• Dr Elizabeth Shepherd
• School of Library, Archive and Information
  Studies
• University College London
• e.shepherd_at_ucl.ac.uk

2
Introduction Professional education

• Long, specialised, strongly conceptual
• Transmits specialised knowledge
• Ideas and concepts
• Understanding of occupational sub-culture, its
  values and norms
• Training school in university, academic degrees,
  research programmes

3
Introduction Overview of UK archival education

• 1947 to 1972 six UK universities established
  archival programmes
• 1947-1980 traditional market in local government
  archives
• 1980-2000 records management a distinct part of
  the discipline
• 2000s impact of digital records
• how should academic discipline develop in future,
  the role of research?

4
Historical development of archives and records
management education in England

• Early 20th century developments
• University Diplomas in archives, 1947-1980
• Records management and digital records teaching
  developments 1980-2006
• Archival education in 2000s

5
Early 20th century developments

• Recruitment to the Public Record Office (PRO)
  local archives historical classical education,
  plus in-house training
• Report on Local Records in 1902 recommended
  school on the model of the Ecole des Chartes in
  Paris
• Universities begin to teach palaeography,
  diplomatic, local history and librarianship

6
Early 20th century developments

• Palaeography diplomatic
• Hubert Hall, University of London, 1896
• Hilary Jenkinson, Kings College, London, 1930s
• R L Poole, Oxford University, 1897
• Local history
• Liverpool School of Local History and
  Palaeography, 1902/1911
• Librarianship
• Library Association and London School of
  Economics, 1902
• Library Assn and University College London,
  School of Librarianship, 1919

7
University Diplomas in archives, 1947-1980

• 1947 three developments
• University College London, archive studies in
  library school (Hilary Jenkinson and British
  Records Association)
• Liverpool University, Diploma in the Study of
  Records and Administration of Archives (Professor
  of medieval history, Geoffrey Barraclough)
• Oxford, Bodleian Library training scheme

8
University Diplomas in archives, 1947-1980

• Syllabus, Liverpool University, 1947
• Latin English palaeography (2 papers)
• Diplomatic, administrative history, real property
  law and local history (1 paper)
• editing calendaring historical documents (1
  paper)
• theory and practice of archive administration,
  practical work Lancashire Record Office (1 paper)
• oral examination

9
University Diplomas in archives, 1947-1980

• UCL syllabus, 1970
• three compulsory courses (record office
  management, records management, finding aids)
• six options, (administrative history,
  palaeography diplomatic, description of
  records, law of real property, historical
  sources, local government organisation, company
  law accounting, history of science
  technology, use of computers in record offices)

10
Records management and digital records teaching
developments 1980-2006

• Records management education
• Report and model syllabus for records management
• Northumbria University MSc in Records and
  Information Management, MA/MSc in Records
  Management by distance learning
• Traditional archival programmes modernised

11
Records management and digital records teaching
developments 1980-2006

• Digital records education
• Traditional archival programmes reshaped to
  address digital records eg UCL
• Glasgow University MSc in Information Management
  and Preservation
• Some programmes fail closure of Society of
  Archivists correspondence course and of
  University of Wales, Bangor MA

12
Archival education in 2000s

• First professional qualifications at graduate
  level (Masters) at seven universities
• Liverpool University undergraduate year Diploma
  or Certificate in Professional Studies Records
  and Information Management
• mid-career MRes in Library, Archive and
  Information Studies at UCL
• PhD and research programmes

13
Conclusion

• How should archival education move forward in the
  UK?
• Academic research community for archives and
  records management
• Forum for Archives and Records Management
  Education and Research (FARMER)
• PhD conference in archives and records management
  
• Archives and Records Management Research Network
  (ARMReN) 2006-2007

14
Archives and Records Management Research Network
(ARMReN)

• Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research
  Council (AHRC), 2006-2007
• help develop research in discipline of archives
  and records management
• link academics in archives and records management
  with researchers who use archives and records
  professionals
• collect and disseminate information about
  research
• foster the development of young academic
  researchers
• act as a central point for the exchange of ideas
• encourage new collaborative partnerships, within
  the UK, Europe and internationally

15
Sixty years of archival education in England,
1947-2006 looking back and looking forward

• Dr Elizabeth Shepherd
• School of Library, Archive and Information
  Studies
• http//www.slais.ucl.ac.uk/research-ARMReN
• http//www.slais.ucl.ac.uk/
• e.shepherd_at_ucl.ac.uk