Conference: The Beating Heart of London’s Business

The Beating Heart of London’s Business: Exploring Company Archives Their Uses and Users

On the 12th and 13th April 2013 a two-day conference, organised by The Archives and Artefacts Study Network (A2SN) and supported by the Postal History Society, the Business Archives Council and the Historical Model Railway Society will take place in London.

This is the second such conference following last year's event in Derby and both seek to explore and expand co-operation between volunteer-led societies involved in business history fields and the academics, archivists and museum professionals working in the same areas. The events aim to prompt an awareness of what these various groups are doing, and to start a dialogue between the enthusiast and academic which may lead to co-operation in preserving and using collections, and furthering our understanding of the past and its relevance to the future.

London, as a venue for the second conference, has been facilitated by John Scott, Chairman of the Culture, Heritage & Libraries Committee of the City of London Corporation, who is one of our speakers. The event is hosted by London Metropolitan Archives and Museum of London Docklands and themes of trade and commerce are drawn from holdings in their care. London is a world-renowned centre for business, a place where the means of communication, written, electronic and physical, come together. It is not surprising therefore to find a vast array of business archives held in archival repositories in and around the City. Whatever your passion, we aim to give you new opportunities, avenues of exploration and fresh insights.

To find out more please download the flyer with a booking form.  Proceedings of last year’s event are also available to download.

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Instruments of Power

Instruments of Power is a follow-on project by Paul Sillitoe from his PhD research at the University of Liverpool. The aim of that research was to develop new ways to make technical drawings more accessible for researchers, by making them more understandable for archivists.

Download a pdf of this image

The text below has been submitted by Paul, his new project will work with archivists and researchers to transform theoretical findings into practical outcomes. So he will be looking for archivists and researchers to act as consultees for the project.

The Problem

Technical drawings graphically represent engineering and manufacturing designs better than any textual description. These potent instruments of power and innovative thought depict progress, process and product across British industry.

Yet they are under-valued, under-used and at-risk research resources - less likely than textual records to be selected as archives, or adequately described for researchers. Why?

As a second-career archivist, from an engineering background, I took reading technical drawings for granted. Yet as I began to manage archival cataloguing teams, I realised that many archivists could not understand them. Their predominantly arts-based backgrounds had not equipped them for this foreign technical language, whose graphical conventions differed across industries and time.

Consequently, many technical drawings, even if secured for archival preservation, remain uncatalogued and inaccessible to researchers. The archival record for Britain’s period of industrialisation is therefore unbalanced.

A Research Solution

My hypothesis is that archivists do not need to understand a technical drawing in its entirety. They only need to be able to extract the information required for appraisal and cataloguing.

The aim of the PhD research was therefore to discover whether sufficient information could always be found within a technical drawing that was unrelated to its subject content. Such generic information, if identified and described, could form the basis for practical guidance to the understanding of technical drawings.

The PhD research statistically surveyed a sample of complex twentieth-century technical drawings. Individual concepts and characteristics were identified, and their frequencies of occurrence quantified. Thirty four concepts and characteristics were identified as almost always occurring within technical drawings, and having potential to be useful to understanding.

Forty further concepts and characteristics were identified as occurring less frequently within the sample. They have potential to be useful to understanding if they are found to occur more frequently in other samples of technical drawings. Archivist and researcher consultees are now required. Consultees are now sought to help assess the practical utility of these concepts and characteristics in understanding technical drawings. The consultation will be held principally online. Your views will contribute to published practical guidance to the understanding of technical drawings for archivists and researchers.

If you are interested in the project, then please contact Paul on paul@sillitoe-uk.net

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The Bartholomew Archive at NLS

Today, the National Library of Scotland opens its exhibition of Bartholomew Archive material in their George IV Bridge building. Putting Scotland on the Map: The World of John Bartholomew and Son will explore the techniques and processes by which Bartholomew brought their maps to life.

The Bartholomew Archive is the remarkable record of the Edinburgh-based firm of map engravers, printers and publishers, John Bartholomew & Son Ltd. It is one of the most extensive cartographic archives available for research in a public institution.

There are some amazing images in the exhibition, some particularly lovely ones that illustrate the role of women in work.

Find out more about the collection on their blog and website and the BBC had some preview images up online yesterday here.

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Scottish Canals Heritage Strategy

Scottish Canals have recently launched their draft heritage strategy

They have a great collection of business archives that are a key part of the heritage strategy and one of the aims is to: "improve understanding, condition of and access to Scottish Canals' artefacts and archive." But interestingly their strategy covers a huge range of types of heritage:

This strategy will cover all types of cultural heritage associated with Scottish Canals. As well as engineering structures, buildings and natural heritage, our estate includes archaeological sites, historical documents and artefacts. We also wish to safeguard and promote cultural heritage that is not physical, including traditions, craft skills, language, literature, knowledge and associations with past events and people.

The consultation will close on 14 January 2013, to submit your feedback click here.

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Meet the Archivists: a review

our goodie bag

We're very pleased with how our first Scottish ‘Meet the Archivists’ event went on the 9th November. This was a free event organised by the Business Archives Council of Scotland, the Scottish Council on Archives and the Centre of Business History to encourage students and academic researchers to make the most of business archive collections.  

Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed information to the day. There's going to be a proper write up of the day in the SCA's Broadsheet next month. A particular thanks to those who attended and have been kind enough to fill out our mini survey and say lots of nice things about the day which seems to have been very successful with everyone rating it either ‘excellent’ or ‘very good’.

Comments included:
“was a really useful and inspiring day”
“Great atmosphere; great line up of interesting and knowledgeable speakers; sessions were at the right pace and information given at the right level; great to have the opportunity to discuss my research with archivists and to get some pointers; loved the goodie bag - and lunch.”
"A really worthwhile training event. Thanks to all involved."

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Meet the Archivists

In 10 days time, on Friday 9th November the first Scottish 'Meet the Archivists' event will take place at the University of Glasgow.

 

This FREE workshop aims to encourage students and academic researchers to make the most of Business Archives by bringing together academics and archivists to discuss and explore with students how business archive collections can be used for their research.  You can find out more and register for the event via eventbrite.

 

This event has been organised by the Business Archives Council of Scotland, the Scottish Council on Archives and the Centre of Business History.  It follows the pattern of successful events organised by the Business Archives Council in London for the last four years and an event held at Swansea University this year.

 

There will be representatives from the following archives available to discuss their collections as well as information about many other business archive collections in Scotland and the UK:

• University of Aberdeen
• Diageo Archive
• Edinburgh City Archives
• Glasgow City Archives
• University of Glasgow Archives Services
• Lloyds Banking Group Archives (Edinburgh)
• Marks and Spencer Company Archive
• National Records of Scotland/National Register of Archives for Scotland
• Royal Bank of Scotland Group Archives
• Tasglann nan Eilean Siar (Hebridean Archives)

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Edinburgh's industries and RCAHMS

As part of Doors Open Days this year the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) is offering a number of talks and tours at their offices in Edinburgh on Saturday 22nd September.  There are two that will particularly focus on the businesses and industries of Edinburgh and its an excellent opportunity to find out more about the work of RCAHMS who contribute much to the business archives sector.

From their website:

Hear experts talking about our extensive collections and view our exhibitions and fi lms. You’ll also get the chance to go behind-the-scenes to discover how we photograph, measure and draw industrial sites, and fi nd out how these unique images form an important record of Scotland’s industrial past and present.

View the programme here.

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Meet the Archivists Poster

We now have a poster for the Meet the Archivists event in November.

The Meet the Archivists event will take place on November 9th 2012. It is a FREE workshop to encourage students and academic researchers to make the most of Business Archives will be held at the University of Glasgow. It will bring together academics and archivists to discuss and explore with students how business archive collections can be used for their research. You can find out more and register for the event via eventbrite.

Please download it and share it with people.

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Scottish Brewing Archive Association Conference

The Scottish Brewing Archive Association are holding their 2nd conference this September in Glasgow.

The conference is titled "A half and a hauf" - a celebration of the links between brewing and distilling in Scotland.  The programme can be viewed online along with a booking form and methods of payment here.

Three experts from the industry will be giving presentations:

• Douglas Murray, Diageo plc - Brewing and distilling: a common heritage 
• Gordon Motion, The Edrington Group - Timber to tumbler: cask use in Scotch whisky 
• Stuart Cail, Harvieston Brewery - Some thoughts on producing wood aged beers 

After the presentations delegates will have an opportunity to participate in a tutored whisky and beer tasting and to chat with the speakers and SBAA committee members over lunch.

The event will be held in the Teachers Building, St Enoch Square, Glasgow on 7th September 2012 and is open to anyone interested in the Scottish brewing and distilling scene: beer and whisky enthusiasts, collectors, members of the industry, historians, students studying brewing and marketing, etc.

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Italian Business Archive ENI on youtube

Thanks to an article in this month's ARC magazine I've discovered the YouTube channel for Eni, an Italian energy company.  They say that:

The history of eni has not only been told in print, but has also been captured on film, hundreds of thousands of feet shot by filmmakers and intellectuals such as Bernardo Bertolucci, Alessandro Blasetti, Folco Quilici, Gilbert Bovay and Leonardo Sciascia, to name but a few.

Eni’s film department operated from the 50s until the mid-80s, and produced authentic works of cinematic art, but mostly documented the history of the twentieth century Italy, and giving us today a complete picture of the years that radically changed the country, both within and beyond its borders.

 Have a look at their films here, including this Italy on Wheels film.

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Industry from above

This week, the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) and its sister organisation in Wales (RCAHMW) and English Heritage launched the Britain From Above website.   It is a treasure trove of aerial photography from across Britain, with 5,000 images online already.

It features some of the oldest and most valuable images of the Aerofilms Collection, a unique and important archive of over 1 million aerial photographs taken between 1919 and 2006.

It is particularly good for seeing some great images of industry such as shipbuilding, steel, locomotives and engineering.  Such as this great one of the Harland and Wolff yard in Govan, 1947.

[from here]

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Meet the Archivists in Scotland

On November 9th, a FREE workshop to encourage students and academic researchers to make the most of Business Archives will be held at the University of Glasgow.

It will bring together academics and archivists to discuss and explore with students how business archive collections can be used for their research.  You can find out more and register for the event via eventbrite.

This event has been organised by the Business Archives Council of Scotland, the Scottish Council on Archives and the Centre of Business History.  It follows the pattern of successful events organised by the Business Archives Council in London for the last four years and an event held at Swansea University this year.

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Frame on Frame: textiles films from the Scottish Screen Archive



Image from here

On Thursday 17 May from 6pm Dovecot Studios in Edinburgh presents a film night by Dr Jonathan Murray who is a Lecturer in Film and Visual Culture at Edinburgh College of Art entitled:

Frame on Frame: textiles films from the Scottish Screen Archive

This event uses textile films held by the Scottish Screen Archive to look at what they tell us about who we were as they do about what we wore:

Given the historic cultural, industrial, and economic importance of textile manufacturing for Scotland, it is no surprise that the Scottish Screen Archive contains a wealth of documentary films depicting the subject. As one might expect, such material often examines traditional and modern fabric-making processes at considerable length. Yet the works in question also speak to an audience far wider than professional textile-makers and scholars alone, and their interest is more than just factual and technical in nature. If the films surveyed below explain the weaving of Scottish fabrics, they also illuminate the diverse, and often surprising, ways in which Scotland wove ideas from or around its native cloth and carpet. We find gendered and imperial British identities within the post-WWII nation championed or challenged in some of these films, while others lay bare the constant push/pull between competing values of tradition and modernity that shaped so much of twentieth-century Scottish culture and identity.

Book your free tickets via Eventbrite

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Business Archives TNA podcast

Alex Ritchie, the Business Archives Advice Manager at The National Archives, gave a talk on Business Archives: New Initiatives and Developments on the 22nd March 2012.

The talk looked at the background to company archives and the recent development of national strategies to promote business archives more widely along with other new projects.

It is now available to listen to as a podcast here.

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Business Archives: New Initiatives and Developments

If you're in the Kew area tomorrow (22 March) Alex Ritchie, the Business Archives Advice Manager at The National Archives, is giving a talk on Business Archives: New Initiatives and Developments at 2pm.

The talk will look at the background to company archives and the recent development of national strategies to promote business archives more widely. There will be an update on the current ABC survey, which seeks to identify the records of the architecture, building and construction sectors. The talk will also focus on individual projects under way to improve storage and access to the records of companies such as Marks & Spencer and Clarks Shoes.

Find out more here

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Marks and Spencer Archive

Image from here

The new Michael Marks Building opens its doors to the public today, Friday 16th March. This building is the home of Marks and Spencer's Company Archive which has been relocated from London to the University of Leeds.  Read more about it in the University press release here and on the BBC here.

As well as a new building the archive have also created a wonderful new interactive website Marks in Time where you can find out about the company's history, its collections, events that they are holding and even share your memories of M&S.

Image from here

Best headline for the story comes from the SCA with 'this is not just an archive... this is a Marks and Spencer archive.'  The SCA along with The National Archives, the Archives and Records Association and the Business Archives Council all sent letters of congratulation to M&S on the new Company Archive.

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Valuable lessons of the past

Is the title of an article by Alisdair Northrop in the March 2012 issue of Scottish Business Insider.

It looks at why business history is relevant for today’s companies and explains that:

Scotland has an extraordinary business heritage. In the past the country was at the heart of the industrial revolution as a major player in many areas including ship building, textiles and locomotive manufacturing. Although much has changed it still has many world leading companies. But what can we learn from our past and are there more ways we can exploit our heritage? There is also a danger that some of the valuable archives of Scottish companies could be lost forever.

You can read the article online here or view a pdf version here. It features discussions and quotes from Archivist Lesley Richmond at the University of Glasgow, business historians Prof Ray Stokes from the Centre of Business History and Prof Charles Munn.

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Network Rail opens up its collections

Image from The Guardian

A great example of a business archive opening up its collections was unveiled last week with the wonderful new Virtual Archive website for Network Rail's collection of engineering drawings and plans.

The archive collection held by Network Rail has more than 5 million records dating back more than 300 years.

The site has categorised items by people, stations, companies, bridges & viaducts and tunnels.

Explore it here.

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The Value of Business Archives for Research

A reminder that there is a workshop on the Value of Business Archives for Research being held this week on Friday 27th January in Swansea at the University Archives on the subject of business archives and their use for researchers.

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Digitising the BT Heritage Archive

Some business archive news for the start of the new year.  A million pound project to digitise the BT Heritage Archive was launched this week in London on 11th January.  The project is called New Connections: BT e-Archive and is:

A collaboration between Coventry University (CU), BT Heritage and The National Archives (TNA). It aims to catalogue, digitise and develop a searchable online archive of almost half a million photographs, images, documents and correspondence assembled by BT over 165 years. This large and remarkable collection details the history of Britain’s leading role in the development of telecommunications and the impact of this technology on society. The BT Archive is held, with limited public access, in central London and is by any standard a collection of national and international importance, recognised by UNESCO.

You can find out more on the project blog.

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