Workshop teaches archival skills

A skills development workshop for people interested in learning about archival and conservation techniques for personal collections of memorabilia will be held on Saturday (April 28) at Southern Cross University’s Lismore campus library.

The workshop is being hosted by the Aquarian Archive Inc. in conjunction with the Richmond River Historical Society, Southern Cross University library and the Office of Regional Engagement.

The workshop, in the library’s Manning Clark Room, will be led by Geoff Foley, Richmond River Historical Society secretary and trained archivist.

The workshop is the result of a group meeting, hosted by the University’s Office of Regional Engagement, which found that many community members held uncatalogued collections and that the development of archival skills was necessary to ensure the conservation of the region’s cultural resources.

Mr Graham Irvine, president of the Aquarian Archive Inc, said the workshop would provide people with the necessary skills to create an archive by learning how to assess and uniformly catalogue their own collections.

“In addition to personal skill development, it will also enable individuals to work within their own communities to help others who hold informal collections of material to create their own archives,” Mr Irvine said.

“In the future, the uniformly catalogued information contained in these personal archives can be integrated into a larger regional archive.”

The workshop starts at 9am on Saturday and places are limited. For more information contact Graham Irvine on 6620 3378, Geoff Foley 6621 9993 or Craig Littler 6626 9491.