Norfolk Record Office collage
Working at the Norfolk Record Office has been an incredible introduction to the archive sector. Having had no first-hand experience of using an archive prior to applying for this position, I came into the position not really knowing what to expect. I applied for the traineeship because I was looking for something challenging and new that would also be relevant to my previous experience working with schools.
My traineeship focuses on Education and Outreach, so I often work with school pupils of all ages, and also young people and their families during school holidays. Something that has been very rewarding was designing a First World War themed creative writing competition for young people. I came up with the idea after attending a workshop about archiving the arts at the National Archives. It inspired me to consider the possibility of using archives as a basis for creative writing and art. The challenge for the entrants was to write a piece of creative fiction based on extracts from the diaries of a solider, nurse and church army worker. The entries we received were incredibly imaginative and moving.
The winner of the younger age category wrote a story called Love at First Shell which combined the experiences written in the diaries of the solider and nurse. The prize was an ‘archive experience’ for the winner and her class. This included playing the Indenture Game, learning how to use microform readers, looking at the original First World War documents and seeing the strong rooms. This project has shown me that there are many possibilities for outreach and creativity within the archive sector.
Another project I’ve worked on is a Heritage Lottery Funded project called North Norfolk Stories. The project involves a number of partner organisations and aims to engage more people with heritage. For the project, I researched the local history of ten North Norfolk villages and created local history packs that will be in Norfolk Libraries for people to access. These included archived photographs, trade directories, tithe maps and more. It really helped develop my research and time-management skills and I enjoyed contributing to the project.
At the Norfolk Record Office we open late to the public on Thursdays, and often use this opportunity to hold evening events. One particular event that I enjoyed working at was our Recording Norfolk’s Downton evening, based around the illustrated journals of a woman named Hilda Zigomala. She was a wealthy socialite who travelled the world and often lived at Rougham Hall in Norfolk. I spent a lot of time looking through the beautiful journals and picking out particular images and quotes for a mini-exhibit. I was also interviewed about the event and featured in the local paper. One of my favourite lines from her journals is from 10 August 1894 where Hilda writes:
‘I must say I like getting, so to speak, wound up to go for a fortnight as hard as ever you like…although of course the reaction afterwards is awful, but all enjoyment must be paid for all the world over.
I am really enjoying my experience as a trainee at the Norfolk Record Office, and I’m sure I’ll continue to learn more, and develop my education and outreach skills, for the rest of the traineeship.