Following my first and second blog, covering different parts of my internship at the Richard Burton Archives, in my third and final blog I will focus on my impressions of a typical day working in an archive.
Behind a glass door is a world of stories waiting to be told, on paper, photograph, parchment and cassette tape, all filling rows upon rows of meticulously marked boxes. These boxes sleep on the shelves, ready to be studied and picked up, like shells half buried in the sand. Looking at the boxes you wonder, what treasures can be found here?
With the Centre for Contemporary German Culture (CCGC) collection, I started by listing the contents and order of the material, as the material must stay in the same sequence that it was deposited in. Reaching the photographs, I don gloves, then sort the photos into acid free melinex sleeves to protect them from finger-marks and smudges. While sorting papers and letters, I don’t need to wear gloves, as it’s more of a risk to rip the paper if you handle it through an added layer.
The photographs are in different bundles, and I take string and numbered tags to mark them. While listing the letters, I pay attention to the paper. There are watermarks, colourful letterheads, and handwritten letters in blue ink. They are like signs of the times, something to touch, something to hold on to, from a time when communicating via email was still new.
The letters relating to the CCGC read like an epistolary novel. There is great anticipation regarding upcoming visits, delight about invitations, and various travel plans by ferry, plane, and train. Stories are told through different handwriting and intriguing stamps. Some writers confess their worries about speaking English adequately and want reassurance regarding the planned seminars and readings. Others wonder about the accommodation; will it have a writing desk? How is public transport in the city? The replies are always reassuring, offering good advice and assistance.
Looking through original handwritten letters feels precious. Various stamps tell a tale of their own. Which countries are they from? How much did they cost? Where and when were they stamped? Some stamps, like the following, are artworks in themselves:
Amongst these envelopes are letters sent by well-known writers such as Nobel laureates Herta Müller and Günter Grass, Sarah Kirsch, Christoph Hein, and Erich Loest.
The correspondence is always heartfelt and affectionate, Herta Müller sent best wishes and hopes to return soon, while Sarah Kirsch wrote two postcards of her own design. In Christoph W. Aigner’s letter, we find a handwritten poem, inspired by his visit to Swansea. Günter Grass’s letter carries the most intricate stamp, and there are watermarked papers, that impress through their thickness and texture.
As many of the letters are in German, I not only list them but also provide translations. It takes time to go through them all. When I need to take a break, one of the archivists locks the materials in one of the strong rooms, for safekeeping.
The strongrooms are where all the archival documents are stored in an environment suitable for their long-term preservation. Security is high for these rooms, and only Archive staff members have access. Conditions are constantly monitored for relative humidity and temperature, and the rooms also contain:-
· Leak detection system
· VESDA smoke detection system and 4 hour fire protection
· Pest traps
An important part of the work of archivists is the preservation of the materials. A poster in the office shows different insects and pests, ready to irrevocably destroy one-of-a-kind letters, poems, and drawings. This is why the strong rooms contain pest traps, which are monitored by archive staff.
The CCGC collection includes VHS and audio cassette tapes. With a VHS cassette, you need to digitise the full running time, and there are no shortcuts. It takes as long as actively watching the whole VHS, but the content is worth it. There is great joy in discovering recordings, of poets and writers reading from their work, or holding lively discussions with students, recorded almost 30 years ago.
While I work on the CCGC collection, another archivist is diligently cleaning a new collection, which had just been deposited. Dust and time have been unkind to these materials, leaving them soiled and potentially mouldy. Future researchers will thank her for all her hard work in preserving these treasures.
Yet mould outbreaks can occur. For instance, following a mould infestation, which damaged collections at the Carmarthenshire country’s archives, a new facility was approved by the council in 2016. The new building was completed in 2020 and meets Passivhaus standards, which involve good insulation and an efficient and cost-effective ventilation system.
Did you know that collections can also be dangerous and may need to be quarantined? In particularly collections from industrial works, such as copper or steel, might be unsafe and may need to be professionally cleaned before they can be processed further. The collections might have been exposed to industrial dust and contaminated by chemicals or various metals. Breathing in, or touching the particles which might have settled into the collections could cause serious health issues.
The National Conservation Service, for example, can advise on necessary cleaning steps to be taken. If cleaning is deemed necessary, the cost is estimated, and acquiring funding for such an undertaking is the next issue. Grants are offered by, for example, the National Archives Grants to help, among other things, with endangered collections and cataloguing, but they are in great demand.
At the Richard Burton Archives, the environment is continuously monitored, and all facilities are in line with building standards. “Key systems, including water detection, fire and security are regularly tested, inspected and serviced in line with University procedures” and “The strong rooms temperature and relative humidity are monitored by a radio controlled data logger system linked to the network staff computers” (Collections Care and Conservation Policy, Richard Burton Archives).
Still thinking that working at an archive might be dull? Think again. Whereas listing and cataloguing collections is a big part of an archivist’s work, there are also potential dangers to keep in mind and extensive security measures to uphold.
Following my time at the Richard Burton Archives, I now have a better grasp regarding the patience required to prepare collections, and the work behind making them accessible to the public. It takes a special kind of person to invest their time into preserving our past and present for future generations.
Students, scholars, researchers, journalists, and reporters, all come hungry to the Archives for knowledge and materials, and through all their hard work, our archivists make sure they are well-fed.
Susanne Roesner
PhD Creative Writing
Richard Burton Archives SPIN placement, January 2024