And One on Archives.... Digitisation: A Lifeline for Archives

After recent visits to the Wellcome Collection and London Metropolitan Archives it’s really hit home that digitisation doesn’t just make our lives easier as researchers but is an important life line for archives and one of growing importance.

I’m a huge fan of archives and physically visiting them, where you come face to face with documents and to be honest, feel like a proper historian. And yes I probably fall into that category of people who gets lost in awe of original documents, at least at first. Because they are a direct record of the past. They are real pieces of history and I get just as excited as if I were to pull a piece of bone out of a trench. Maybe that opens me up to ridicule but to me visiting archives is something that distinguishes us as historians, or more broadly, as researchers.

Nothing beats finding something really special - like the stationary heading for Anton Jamrach’s exotic animal business that I found in the NHM archives for example. I couldn’t believe the elaborate detail and depictions of all sorts of creatures, including elephants, rhinos and a monkey that strongly resembles a man. I couldn’t have imagined that something like that would have survived and yet there it was and it was pretty cool seeing it in the flesh rather than on a computer screen. Unfortunately I can’t upload a picture due to the copyright restrictions imposed on it, which actually  brings me to what sort of inspired me to write this blog; the changing attitude of archives thanks to digitalisation.

Wellcome Library, London
Zoological Society of London: a variety of animals,
including a lion, a goat and a tiger.
Wood engraving.
Collection: Iconographic Collections
Library reference no.: ICV No 23587

Through visits to Wellcome and the LMA I was surprised to learn how much more open they have become, especially with regard to access of their images collections. I suppose I’ve been used to hearing “no” and “you have to oblige to copyright rules”, which I fully respect, but find it refreshing to hear that the tide is changing and open access seems to be more embraced. The Wellcome collection’s digitising policy applies right across their collections including their special collections, manuscripts and images. In fact they are so keen to promote use of their collections that Wellcome Images was re-launched and all fees were wavered. People from around the world now have complete access to the images Wellcome has digitised. I mean how fantastic is that?  It’s an opportunity to get images out there, to get people talking about them and stimulate discussion not just about the images themselves, but also about the collections they have come from. As evidence it was explained to us that Wellcome Images formerly had 10,000 visitors/users a year, but when it was re-launched that figure rose to 10,000 in just 4 days. With the rise of social media there are ample ways for images to gain high publicity in very short spaces of time and that can be a great tool for promotion.

The LMA shares a similar policy, believing that digitalisation provides ample benefits, including the provision of global access and ensuring the archive has a wider reputation. It also introduces the collections to new audiences, is cost effective and creates preservation surrogates of the originals. I’d also underestimated the commercial benefits that many of the agreements around digitising provide. In some cases they can be a life line and vital source of funding in a very vulnerable sector.

I’m not unfamiliar with archive websites or those that provide access to archive material like Ancestry, I was just surprised to learn how much emphasis is being place on this area of development and just how much like businesses archives have to run. Archives can be intimidating places to visit but the process of digitalisation demystifies them, especially, larger and better established institutions that have a highly respected reputation. Promoting access through various mediums and harnessing the potential of digital media has more benefits than I had ever considered, both for the archives and for the growing number of researchers out there.

One from the archive.... Restoration Controversies

Restoring England’s Heritage – Transmitted on BBC 1 5/12/13

I know, I know another television driven blog piece, but again it was one I saw and thought raised a number of issues interesting issues regarding public history and the preservation of heritage.

Presented by Gyles Brandreth, this one off episode was a follow up piece marking the 10 year anniversary of the BBC’s Restoration series (2004) which saw the British public vote as to which heritage sites from across the country they wanted to see saved from ruin and receive grants from HLF. I vaguely remember the series but can’t claim to have watched it. But what a novel idea? Using a television series on BBC 2 to highlight the plight of British heritage on a regional basis and encourage the public to rally to its protection. I can’t help but feel that the concept had great potential and it would certainly be something that would have caught my attention as a television viewer. However, having done a bit of further research around the piece it would appear that very little was actually achieved as a result of the series, those that were awarded funding struggling to overcome bureaucratic obstacles and other things that prevented restoration efforts. 

That said, in revisiting the legacy of the series this short episode once again drew attention to the question of preservation and raised some interesting questions about its place in modern society. Evidently, this episode was one of a number made but in keeping with the regional focus of the original series, each focused on a specific region and was only aired in that particular area. The one I watched therefore focused on London. At the opening Gyles made the strong assertion that amongst London’s construction boom a great deal of heritage is being left to crumble away. Given that we Brits are a nation of history lovers,who often seek out period features in our homes, I was quite taken aback by this remark at first, but then when you think about it, this hankering for nostalgia has left us with so many properties now in need of preservation, that some are going to fall by the wayside; especially when you consider the economic climate and budget restraints facing local authorities. Right from the beginning a number of the debates surrounding preservation therefore became clear.  

Sandy Coombe
http://www.turnerintwickenham.org.uk/the-restoration-project/

These debates were then put into context through the discussion of several examples which illustrate restoration, redevelopment and non-action. The case for restoration was put forward by the example of Sandy Coombe, Turner’s country retreat, which has been fighting a long battle for preservation. The most recent turn of events has seen HLF grant the Trustees of Turner’s House a small development fund in order to start a campaign for the £2 million need for complete restoration. In this case a voluntary group has been essential to its survival, for without their campaigning it could easily have been bought by a property developer and all connection to Turner lost. That said however, can we afford to cling to every property that has ties to famous British individuals? A line has to be drawn somewhere and perhaps that is why causes such as this never reach the national level but remain local causes. If the nation was littered with blue plaques and houses preserved in memory of former owners, would those we have continue to have any value or meaning?

Battersea Power Station
http://www.industri.uk.com/battersea/filming.html

The more controversial example of Battersea Power Station was used to argue the debate between preservation and redevelopment. The plans for the redevelopment of this site were much contested and remain to be, for the power station chimneys are an infamous part of London’s skyline and conservationists don’t want to see those lost. Developers concluded that the originals couldn’t be preserved and would have to be replaced with replicas and this continues to be a contentious issue. Developers have had to work closely with English Heritage who were responsible from approving development plans and who continue to work closely with developers throughout construction but questions around the nature of redevelopment and whether this is the right course of action still exist. As a whole the power station may be staying and brought into the twenty-first century but at what cost? Are preservation and redevelopment compatible to any degree? Will Battersea provide evidence for this? I wonder.

Broomfield House

www.broomfieldhouse.org/files/BroomfieldHouse_Scaffolding2

The final example shown is that of Broomfield House in Palmers Green. The original assessors from 10 years ago revisited the site in the hope that some sort of redevelopment had taken place and having heard of its importance, as a viewer you will that to be the case - but sadly it isn’t and we’re greeted by, for want of a better word, a ruin. It has been left untouched for the last 10 years and continues to decay, despite the continued efforts of the Broomfield House Trust to secure HLF funding. It’s a rather subdued note to end on, but is this to be the fate of other heritage sites? If someone had taken a wrecking ball and placed a plaque in its memory it might not have been so saddening, but there is something about seeing this once glorious building in such a dilapidated state upon the landscape, that gives off quite a poignant message.

Sadly we can’t save every piece of heritage, but who makes the choice as to what we do save? Restoration attempted to put these decisions in the hands of the public, but from what I gather little changed and I just wonder who will be making these decisions in the future, or in fact, whether there will be these decisions to make. At present it appears to be local enthusiasts campaigning for funding for sites with local meaning, but what if that ends. Who will champion the cause then? And will heritage always have a place in the hearts of the British public?