ARMReN: ARCHIVES AND
RECORDS MANAGEMENT
RESEARCH NETWORK
Minutes of Management Board Meeting
20th June 2006 at 14.00
Present: Elizabeth Shepherd (Chair), Steve Bailey, Andrew Flinn, Sarah Holsen, Sue
Howley, Suzanne Keene, Lucy Lyons (minutes), Sally MacDonald, Geoff Pick, Ian
Rowlands, Kelvin Smith, Jaqueline Spence, Geoffrey Yeo
1. Introductions
Backgrounds
Interests
Elizabeth Shepherd
UCL, SLAIS, ARM
Research strategies for archives and records
management (ARM), noting there is no
national network in research yet
Suzanne Keene
UCL, MA in Museum Studies
Andrew Flinn
UCL, SLAIS, MA
RAM(International)
in
Museum archives and research use
ARM
and Access and non-traditional uses
Ian Rowlands
UCL Centre for Publishing
Joining up research in publishing with ARM
Steve Bailey
JISC
Promoting records management practice,
need for intellectual debate
Sally MacDonald
UCL, Director Museums and Collections
Local authority experience, how to stimulate
research
Sarah Holsen
UCL, Constitution Unit
Geoffrey Yeo
UCL, SLAIS, ARM
Kelvin Smith
TNA
Freedom of information and data protection,
records management as key issue in
organizing and access
What archives are and how to relate them to
other resources, concerns with research
profile of archivists
Networking, information about research
activities
Sue Howley
MLA
New research strategy, focus on new agenda,
research coordination and clear networkings
Geoff Pick
NCA
Quality of delivering archives services, who
uses them and why
Elizabeth Shepherd asked if there were any other people from other areas that might be
appropriate to include on the Management Board. Ian Rowlands suggested people from the
private sector, maybe pharmaceuticals. Vicky Lemieux and Ceri Hughes were suggested.
Action: Suggestions for people to be invited onto Management Board should be emailed to
Elizabeth Shepherd by 30 June.
2. Apologies for absence: Louise Atherton, Elizabeth Danbury, May Cassar, Janet Percival,
Caroline Williams
3. Background to objectives of the ARMReN project
Elizabeth Shepherd outlined that as an academic discipline, archives and records management
is still quite new in the U.K. It was traditionally taught by historians and then by professional
practitioners, and only very recently by those with research qualifications in ARM. This is out
of step with what is happening internationally. Organizations such as FARMER and the North
West European Archival Educators Group are vital bringing together archive educators. But
there is a gap in research. Last year’s one-day conference was the first time ARM PhD
students from across UK met as a group. There is no pool of experienced and qualified (PhD)
academic educators in the UK. ARMReN aims to develop a coherent network and develop
interaction between researchers in other domains.
Timing: The project is funded for two years until the end of 2007
Budget: There is a budget of c£20,000 for admin, travel and accommodation, lunches, room
hire and speakers
Who is this project aimed at? Researchers, professionals but it was agreed that it should
engage with other research bodies and funders.
4. Role of Management Board
Activities and roles as defined by the bid include making suggestions, communicating
regularly and advising on progress.
Other activities suggested include:
-Focussing and disseminating outcomes
-Continuation beyond the funded two-year project
-Test out strategies throughout, to make imaginative suggestions
Action: Elizabeth Shepherd will ensure access to the web resource over the summer. All are
requested to contribute content.
Ian Rowlands suggested rather than focus on research, ARMReN should show effective ways
of resolving problems in industry, and prove the impact on organizations. Geoffrey Yeo saw
the need to prioritize and focus research efforts. Geoff Pick asked how this could be done and
commented on need to set up a framework.
Action: Scope noted and to be circulated for comment by E Shepherd.
E Shepherd will set up a closed discussion space made on the ARMReN board for
Management Board members only.
Management Board asked to propose to E Shepherd appropriate networks, discussion lists and
email postings which should be notified of ARMReN activities. E Shepherd will compile a
central list and Board members may then be asked to make circulations from time to time.
There is a need to agree who is posting to which list to avoid multiple postings.
5. ARMReN activities
Web: Website is being developed in parallel with the new FARMER site, which has lots of
contribution pages and is password controlled, to provide an interactive, information resource.
ARMReN website will include projects, publications, outputs and a discussion forum (not
threaded at the moment). It will be up and running over late summer.
Geoff Pick raised the question of why there is a weak research link in ARM. Suggested
looking at what is happening in other countries and raised the question, what do other
researchers research? Steve Bailey saw a gap providing potential for investigation into
archive repositories. Geoffrey Yeo said aggregations were useful.
Action: Management Board to propose to E Shepherd any links, eg. Museums Documentation
Association, Digital Preservation Coalition and Cultural Observatories, to help to build a
network of links and research collaborations.
Archives and History Seminars: The two seminars in the autumn run by Elizabeth
Danbury. There is a need to publish transcripts, and for good mailing lists and postings. Geoff
Pick wanted clarification on who the seminars are aimed at, e.g., London centric, historians
using archives, archive practitioners, researchers etc?
One-Day Research Seminars: Three one-day workshops are key ARMReN activities. There
is funding for speakers and some delegates. Workshops should be open, with some hand
picking participants, but space for discussion. Their purpose is to bring together educators
and academics, to stimulate consciousness in students that there could be a career route in
research and for practicing professionals who think research matters.
Issues raised included:
-getting the right mix
-that themes needed to be confirmed
-definition of research to be quite broad
-to have big meetings early and smaller ones later
-seminars should be discussion based workshops but also include formal presentations
-shorter papers with breakouts and plenary
-to investigate different kinds of archives in different sectors
-make an appraisal of workshops from various viewpoints
-consider other disciplines
-to take key areas like appraisal and collection and consider the impact from different
viewpoints
-to consider the role of research.
Themes for Seminars: Appraisal and Collection, Description, Access and Impact. These
would be looked at from across disciplines and always reflect the main question, what is the
role of research?
Access and Impact
Impact of FOI on contemporary historical research, non-traditional uses of archives in
education and the impact and development of this, who is using archives? How automation
and digitization affects how real archives are used, research strategies and impact
measurement, how to measure broader impact.
Consider including an AHRC funded impact assessment fellow.
Interdisciplinarity, development of others access, e.g., Imperial War Museum, Maritime
Museum.
Appraisal and Collection
Archives and memory, ‘handcrafted versus seamless flow’, changing collection policies,
government need for data, FOI and users.
Andrew Flinn will think of appropriate suggestions for speakers.
Description
Automation, facilitating and finding information, integrated catalogues across institutions,
Royal Institute of Repositories, which is the appropriate description to use from user
perspective and at different stages in the life of the archive? Retrospective descriptions, user
generated description, free text searches.
Action: Management Board to make suggestions for speakers, dates and locations for
research seminars. Suggested TNA, Aberystwyth and Liverpool Foresight Centre as locations
Jaqueline Spence and Elizabeth Shepherd will suggest dates and locations.
E Shepherd to ask Caroline Williams for details of the Foresight Centre.
Kelvin Smith will find out if TNA can be a location for one seminar.
Dissemination:
The ARMReN poster was displayed at the FARMER conference in Aberystwyth, 13-15 June
2006.
Action: Elizabeth Shepherd order small posters and circulate them to the Management Board
for display in their offices or elsewhere. Laminated poster can be made available for display
at appropriate events: please ask Jaqueline Spence or E Shepherd.
6. A.O.B.
Will there be specific (PhD) student outcomes?
Audience outcomes?
7. Date of next meeting
Easter or autumn 2007 tbc