In April, Dorset History Centre appointed Sophie Smith as the Archivist to catalogue the Herrison Hospital collection. In this blog she gives us her thoughts on her first three months…
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When this Wellcome Trust funded project at Dorset History Centre began we were tasked with structuring the catalogue of the Herrison Hospital collection. The spreadsheet listings were already an excellent starting point, but some things required moving around, creating new parts of the catalogue and then uploading the list into DHC’s collection management system ‘Calm’.
The best place to begin was in the boxes that had not yet been checked or listed to find them a suitable place within the catalogue. We have then looked at parts of the collection that were stored in different places in the repository, such as the maps and plans. For example, the archive has three large folders of plans of the private patient wing of the hospital and two large maps of the Herrison site stored separately to the rest of the collection. Whilst appraising this material, continuous discussions have taken place with our Conservator about any documents we come across that may require attention to assure their long-term preservation.
Working through the collection it is surprising how complete and varied the records are and there is certainly a full picture of how the hospital operated. The records currently being uploading to our system are the patient records, which are the records that are most heavily used as they contain admissions registers, order papers, discharge books and every record in-between that could document the life of a Herrison patient.
The project now is concentrating on getting some volunteers to help with repackaging and further indexing of patient Order Papers. They are currently folded in bundles, and while some indexing has previously been done, we would like to add more information to the indexes. Case books are also something we are currently considering as part of an indexing project as case books often contain letters written by patients and these letters are often the only records that still exist containing this point of view.
We have also been consulting with academics on this project, and this has been extremely helpful as it allows us to gauge from them what information may be important to include in indexes and catalogue descriptions. Academic engagement and research volunteers also allow vital research to be done that an Archivist couldn’t otherwise do, as the priority of the project is making sure documents are made accessible for people to do their own research.
A longer-term view of the project is that once the catalogue is completed and documents repackaged, our Community Engagement Officer will use the information, along with oral history recordings, to help members of the community with lived experience of mental health issues. Along with this, academics will use this collection to further research into areas such as medical history and how the past could be used to help shape the future of mental health.
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If you would like to volunteer as part of the Herrison project, positions are advertised on the Dorset History Centre Website or you can check the link here to learn more.
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**Please note that the Herrison Hospital Collection is subject to GDPR (Data Protection) legislation, and it can be difficult to research people within the last 100 years. Please contact Dorset History Centre (archives@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk) if you have any queries.**