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@ucl.ac.uk Second Asia-Pacific Conference for Archival Educators and Trainers, 17-20 October 2006, Tokyo

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, King’s 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@ucl.ac.uk Second Asia-Pacific Conference for Archival Educators and Trainers, 17-20 October 2006, Tokyo