The Basic Archive Skills Training course is now brought to you by the British Records Association (BRA), and is delivered by course facilitators Margaret Crockett and Janet Foster, with Mark Pomeroy and Jonathan Rhys-Lewis as guest speakers. The course was created by Margaret and Janet in 1991 and has been delivered to thousands of participants since then. The course has been revised and developed over time to ensure it remains relevant and is responding to the evolving needs of the museum, library and archives workforce. The course has been consistently fully booked and many organisations have routinely sent new employees as part of their induction and training. In 2020 the course was adapted for online delivery via Zoom and this has proved to be more convenient for participants. In early 2025 Margaret and Janet entered into an association with the BRA for the future administration of the course.
The course combines presentations, facilitated discussion and group exercises aiming to foster a relaxed online learning environment. The Basic Archive Skills Training course is suitable for people working with archives and records without formal recordkeeping qualifications, and who feel that they would benefit from some basic training in the principles of managing records and archives, including:
- Archives and records assistants
- Managers of archive staff
- Librarians and information managers responsible for archives and records
- IT professionals seeking an overview of the aims of archives and records management
- Anyone else who has responsibility for managing archives and records
The course consists of four core sessions focusing on the main areas of collecting, appraisal, description and preservation differing in length as appropriate. Sessions will include ample time for questions and a high level of participation is encouraged.
A PDF of the course handbook will be provided, which will contain:
- Supporting notes for the sessions
- A select bibliography
- A glossary of archive and records management terms developed specifically to support the course
- Useful contacts
- Additional sections covering aspects of archives and records management not included in the course
Participants are encouraged to prepare for the course by thinking about questions or issues that have arisen in the course of their work, for consideration by the speakers and the class as a whole.
Anyone registered for the course will need to have the Zoom app. The link to the Zoom session, together with the handbook and workbook for the group exercises, will be sent to participants via email shortly before the course date (usually two to three working days).
Course facilitators
The course is delivered by Margaret Crockett and Janet Foster who have been offering basic archive skills training since 1991 when they decided to develop the first Basic Archive Skills Training Day. This expanded over the years to a range of off-the-shelf and tailored training courses for people working in the field who are unable to access longer-term education in archives and records management. Janet and Margaret are both qualified archivists and records managers with a wealth of experience working for a wide variety of clients in the UK and overseas. They co-authored the “Train the Trainer” toolkit published by the International Council on Archives and have developed and delivered in-person, online and distance learning training content addressing all aspects of archives and recordkeeping.
Guest Speakers
Mark Pomeroy has held the role of Archivist at the Royal Academy of Arts since 1998 and has extensive experience of processing archives both corporate and private. Recent publications include London Bekommt Eine Offizielle Kulturinstitution von der Society of Artists zur Royal Academy, in Meyers Minis. Big in London (Stadtmuseum, Tübingen, 2024); The Letters of James Northcote to his Brother (with Jonny Yarker, Walpole Society, 2021).
Jonathan Rhys-Lewis has been advising on Collection Care issues for over 35 years. He is the co-author of "Preserving Archives" (2017) and has taught widely both in the UK and abroad. He is also co-author of the Collection Care course for the International Council on Archives.
Programme
9.30 Introductions
10.00 What are Archives? Terminology and concepts: facilitated discussion
10.30 Collecting policies and accessions: presentation
11.15 Break
11.30 Accessioning exercise
12.00 Appraising records for archival value: presentation and exercise
12.45 Lunch
13.15 Archival Processing, Arrangement and Description: presentation
14.15 Arrangement exercise
14.45 Break
15.00 Overview of preservation management for archives: presentation
15.45 Preservation exercise
16.15 Final questions
16.30 Close
Learning outcomes
At the end of this course participants will be able to:
- Articulate the concepts and principles that underpin archives management
- Explain the differences between managing archives and books
- Identify the main elements of an archive acquisition/collecting policy
- Develop archive accessioning documentation
- Understand the main principles of archival appraisal
- Undertake basic archive processing activity
- Understand the factors to consider in promoting the preservation of archives
