I’ve been working in the Brasenose archives since 2011, firstly as the archives assistant and more recently as the archivist. However, it never fails to amaze me that the college’s archives have been kept in the same place since at least 1516. My desk is situated in the Muniment room, below the Treasury in Old Quad tower and it’s from here that I look after and support access to the archive collections. The role of archivists has changed dramatically over the past twenty years, especially with the emergence of the internet and emails, and I’m often asked what it is that archives are and an archivist does!
Archives are collections of information, which come in many forms, from letters and maps to digital files and sound recordings. I work alongside the college librarians but unlike the books in the library, most of the archives are primary sources of information, which provide first-hand information and evidence. The content of archival material at Brasenose relates to college life and its members from 1509 to the present day and I receive over twenty research enquiries a month relating to it. It’s very rewarding when the archives fill a gap in someone’s family history project or allow a University student to study written documents from the 17th century. Before the end of the 19th century much of the income of Oxford colleges came from the ownership of land throughout the country and our wonderful collection of hand drawn maps allow many researchers to track down the history of their house or specific areas of land. Most of the archives, including these, are usually open to everyone and free to visit by pre-booked appointment.
Most of the Oxford colleges have an Archivist who is employed to care for traditional paper archives as well as manage modern, digital records. We have a responsibility to collect important documents, such as statutes, financial and student records for evidential reasons, as well as to enable those in the future to learn about the past. Many of the archives here are not yet catalogued, so my job involves cataloguing collections of documents. Cataloguing archive collections is not a quick job, as it often involves reading lots of individual documents (such as bundles of letters) and assessing their value. Most recently I have begun to catalogue the papers of College staff, including correspondence written during the Second World War. It’s very exciting opening boxes and discovering snippets of personal histories alongside more information about the College’s past and the people who lived, worked and studied here. I’m hopeful that our catalogues will be made available online in the near future. Being a College archivist is a varied and busy job. As well as conserving historic volumes and manuscripts, I also have to manage copyright issues and monitor the environments in which the archives are stored to ensure material isn’t affected by varying temperatures or humidity.
The Muniment room and the Treasury, where the college’s legal documents and valuable items were traditionally stored are soon to be renovated and for the summer of 2015 the archive office will be based in the Cloisters. Alongside this, the current archive basement store will be renovated and most of the archive will be moved off-site for protection and security. This will affect access over the next year but is a necessary requirement, which will enable me to concentrate on assessing a large amount of currently unassessed material for retention or disposal, a process known as appraisal in the archive world. The next couple of years will be a very exciting time for the library and archives, and I hope to engage more members of the college with the collections and the history of the college through tours, interactive sessions and exhibitions in due course.
If you are interested in the College archive collections, the history of the College or have records to donate relating to College or student life please contact me at [email protected]
You can also keep up to date with all the latest goings on by reading the Library and Archives Blog
Georgie Edwards
Archivist