UEA Archives Blog - UEA Library at University of East Anglia

KEY HIGHLIGHTS
ARCHIVE LED TEACHING
VISITING FELLOW
ENQUIRIES - TOPICS AND THEMES
STATISTICS - VISITS AND ENQUIRIES

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Visit from Diss High School, 4 July

A-level English Literature students were introduced to literary archives. On display was original material from Lee Child, Doris Lessing, Naomi Alderman and Sara Taylor. This was followed by a sample seminar with Dr Jeremy Noel-Tod (Academic Director of the BACW) on Seamus Heaney and ‘Uncollected poet’ Gail McConnell. Attendees: 17.

Thank you so much for an enjoyable and educational day yesterday. Our students got a lot out of the visit, and some are now saying that they want to apply to UEA. It was fascinating to read the letters from Doris Lessing and Lee Child alongside the Naomi Alderman collection.
Please also pass on our thanks to Jeremy for a brilliant seminar on Seamus Heaney. It was fantastic to have access to a rare poem and I was thrilled to see him illustrate so clearly the relationship between context and literature. [Mikela]

Norfolk Record Office Trustees (NORAH) visit, 17 July

An enjoyable visit which resulted in a lively discussion on the nature of archival collecting and the innovative nature of the BACW’s storehouse model of collecting. Attendees: 7.

Visit from Catherine Richardson, incoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor Arts and Humanities and Chair of the BACW Governance Group, 26 July

A chance to meet Catherine and introduce her to the unique treasures of UEA Archives and the wealth of research activities happening in the Archives. Catherine was accompanied by Professor Sarah Barrow.

Open Days 6 July & 7 September

On two busy Open Days in July and September the BACW opened its doors to prospective students, their families and friends. BACW is one of UEA's unique treasures and we love to show our extraordinary legacy of creative writing talent. It also gives us a chance to showcase how archives are embedded in teaching at UEA, giving UEA's teaching a unique flavour, a strong focus on industry practice and higher level critical thinking skills. BACW is a highlight on Open Days showing how we 'do different' in the Archive. Attendees across the two days: 137.

Amit Chaudhuri’s notebooks and books feature in the Library’s South Asia Heritage Month book display

Through July and August we were pleased to complement the Library’s book display with notebooks from Chaudhuri’s archive collection. In the tiniest of handwriting they include even smaller re-workings squashed in. They include structural notes for his book ‘Calcutta: Two Years in the City’.

South Asia Heritage Month book display featuring works by Amit Chaudhuri

Norfolk Record Office Volunteers’ Visit

We were delighted to welcome a group of volunteers from Norfolk Record Office for a behind the scenes tour of UEA Archives and BACW. For some it was a return to a familiar campus and for others in was their first visit to UEA and the Library. The visitors enjoyed a display of original archive material including Lee Child, Doris Lessing, Naomi Alderman, Poet Jay Bernard and treasures from our rare books and Suffragette collection. It is wonderful to welcome so many new faces to the archive and learn from their volunteer journeys. Attendees: 24.

Digital Preservation Coalition Blog

UEA Archives and BACW have been working hard behind the scenes on setting up our digital preservation system Preservica. This system will give us the tools we need to preserve digital archives for the long term. Our membership of the Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) has given us access to a generous community of digital preservation tools and advice. Archives Manager Helen wrote a blog for the DPC about our experiences which has become part of the DPC training resources for those starting out on their digital preservation journey. You can read the blog here: https://www.dpconline.org/blog/blog-helen-busby-24

Kryoflux Knowledge Exchange with East Anglian Film Archive

Do you remember floppy discs? We sometimes have to explain to our students what these small square objects were for! We have many types of obsolete physical carriers of digital archive material in our collections. Accessing the content of floppy discs is especially difficult. We are lucky to have access to a Kryoflux which collects digital information from floppy discs and translates it into a modern readable format. The Kryoflux is a very technical piece of equipment which needs careful handling. Archive Manager Helen spent a very productive morning with the East Anglian Film Archive sharing knowledge and testing our Kryoflux. EAFA have excellent technical skills and experience in transferring archives from obsolete physical carriers and knowledge sharing in this way helps us all achieve our preservation goals.

ARCHIVE LED TEACHING

MA Crime Writing - Lee Child Seminar, 12 September

The reading room was packed to the rafters with crime writing talent when it was our privilege to introduce our MA Crime Writers to the archive of legendary thriller writer Lee Child. Examining the letters, drafts and sales and marketing material of the best-selling author of the Jack Reacher novels is always a great session. Attendees: 18.

LDC PGT Introduction, 25 September

A joint welcome to LDC (Literature, Drama & Creative Writing) MA students with Academic Director Jeremy Noel-Tod and Archive Manager Helen Busby. A session introducing students to the British Archive for Contemporary Writing. Examining what a literary archive is, whether archives are useful in the study of literature or not, and how archives are not always as they seem. Attendees: 60.

VISITING FELLOW

In August we welcomed Josephine Murray who is investigating sound in the translation practice of Patricia Crampton, with a focus on her translations of the children’s Miffy books by Dick Bruna. We look forward to seeing Josephine throughout the year during her fellowship.

Miffy series of books by Dick Bruna and translated by Patricia Crampton

ENQUIRIES - TOPICS AND THEMES

BACW COLLECTIONS
CHARLES PICK ARCHIVE Octopus Press, Wilbur Smith and Pick’s memoir CHARLIE HIGSON The Fast Show (30th anniversary) LORNA SAGE ARCHIVE Female constructions of class and selfhood in post-war Britain ROGER DEAKIN Travels in Ukraine and Poland and the walk through the Bieszczady woods.

OTHER COLLECTIONS
HOLLOWAY COLLECTION music festivals (printed ephemera) H.H. LAMB ARCHIVE climatology KENNEY PAPERS portrayal in journals PRITCHARD PAPERS Lawn Roads Flats (90th anniversary); images for an architectural and design exhibition in Japan UEA COLLECTION history of the American Studies programme at UEA; rights for the student run Nexus Television; history of the children’s nursery ZUCKERMAN ARCHIVE Operation Bluecoat and Operation Overlord; German retreat on the river Seine (August 1944); Resistance of concrete walls to bomb blast.