{"id":1379,"date":"2020-04-08T08:15:58","date_gmt":"2020-04-08T08:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=1379"},"modified":"2020-04-07T07:14:39","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T07:14:39","slug":"archives-what-they-are-and-what-you-can-do-with-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2020\/04\/08\/archives-what-they-are-and-what-you-can-do-with-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Archives \u2013 what they are and what you can do with them?"},"content":{"rendered":"

During this period <\/span>where many of us are in effect house-bound, we thought that it would be useful to <\/span>revisit the basis on which the <\/span>Dorset History Centre<\/span> (DHC)<\/span><\/a> was <\/span>established in 1955<\/span> \u2013 i.e. to <\/span>preserve and make accessible archives<\/span> and to ask the question \u2018what are archives?<\/em>\u2019 and \u2018why <\/em><\/span>should we keep them?\u2019<\/em> . In an era when funding is increasingly <\/span>difficult to acquire, it makes to sense to be able to <\/span>show<\/span> the value that archives provide \u2013 and what we would lose if archives were not preserved for current and future generations.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What are archives?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

A<\/span>rchives are <\/span>in essence items holding <\/span>recorded information<\/span><\/a> (hard copy or digital) such as <\/span>letters, diaries, financial or business records, photographs, plans, maps <\/span>or film and sound recordings.\u00a0 <\/span>Archives are often assumed<\/span> to be unique items \u2013 i.e. no <\/span>other <\/span>copy existing.\u00a0 However, at DHC we hold many printed items which are also classified as \u2018archival\u2019 \u2013 in large part because things that<\/span> we sometimes see in great profusion at one time can become extremely rare in future times.\u00a0 Newspapers are a good example of this \u2013 how many people for example will possess a copy of <\/span>the Dorset Echo from 1 April 1952?\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Although something of a clich\u00e9, it is also true to say that one person\u2019s rubbish is another person\u2019s <\/span>gem<\/span>.\u00a0 This <\/span>means that we need to be rigorous in terms of what we retain.\u00a0 DHC will only keep a tiny percentage of the total information<\/span> generated in Dorset, and <\/span>we try and acquire a representative sample of archives from all sectors of society<\/span> and the communities that make it up \u2013 from the councils, landed estates and <\/span>businesses to the <\/span>charities, clubs<\/span>, solo artists <\/span>or tradesmen \u2013 anyone or anything with an interesting story to tell.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
D1\/OC\/3A<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why <\/span><\/b>keep<\/span><\/b> archives?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Archive<\/span>s<\/span> are, most importantly<\/span>,<\/span> evidence \u2013 of a business transaction, an event or a <\/span>creative act which cast a light on the <\/span>past<\/span>, something that <\/span>may <\/span>also <\/span>influence<\/span> present or<\/span> future decision making.<\/span>\u00a0 <\/span>At the local or personal level this could be the record of a baptism or marriage,<\/span> attendance at school<\/span> or the boundary around a property.\u00a0 <\/span>Records cast light on decisions <\/span>a court or council may have made or the electoral <\/span>fortunes of an earlier time.\u00a0 Sometimes archives can be used for reasons which are unrelated to why they were originally <\/span>created.\u00a0 For example, the meteorological records kept by a ship\u2019s captain are now consulted for evidence of climate change<\/span>.\u00a0 Archives are often very useful for showing how often history can repeat itself – something we see when looking at architectural styles<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

Not just paper!<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Archives can be sound \u2013 e.g. oral history or film.\u00a0 DHC holds significant quantities of both.\u00a0 <\/span>The more modern the format, often the more fragile<\/span> it can be<\/span>.\u00a0 Our earliest parchment records are over 1000 years old<\/span>, whereas film<\/span> or digital content can deteriorate relatively quickly.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

What can I do?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

You may well hold archives of your own.\u00a0 <\/span>We will also be publishing a series of future blogs which examine common archival types that you may find at home whilst sorting through cupboards and <\/span>drawers.<\/span>\u00a0 We will discuss how you can best preserve them and how, if you would like to add to Dorset\u2019s archival heritage, you could consider depositing them at DHC.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Please email archives@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk<\/a> if you want any further advice about something you might have found!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During this period where many of us are in effect house-bound, we thought that it would be useful to revisit the basis on which the Dorset History Centre (DHC) was established in 1955 \u2013 i.e. to preserve and make accessible archives and to ask the question \u2018what are archives?\u2019 and \u2018why should we keep them?\u2019… Read more Archives \u2013 what they are and what you can do with them?<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36],"tags":[82,43,51,48,150,151],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1379"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1382,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1379\/revisions\/1382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1379"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1379"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1379"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}