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The (British) Society of Archivists*
In December 1946 a group of British local government archivists met in Lon
don to consider establishing a society to serve their interests and to provide an
opportunity for discussion of professional matters. Although there was already
in existence the British Record Association, that body was open to anyone in
terested in the care of archives, including owners and users, and its constituti
on did not allow for the establishment of sections to provide for special inte
rests such as those represented by the new, but growing body of purely local
archivists, who, in the United Kingdom, were wholly independent of central
government.
Perhaps inevitably the somewhat limited vision of the founders of that
original Society of Local Archivists was never quite as restricted as it appea
red. It was soon evident that there were elements of central government, out
side the Public Record Office, employing archivists who were anxious to join
this new body and that, for example, in Northern Ireland, the Public Record
Office at Belfast served both provincial and local needs and that its staff saw
no objection to joining with English and Welsh local archivists. So, too, it soon
became apparent that some archivists serving in countries within the British
Commonwealth oversea would welcome a closer professional link with collea
gues in the home country. By the mid-nineteen fifties, therefore, the position
of the Society, as founded, had become somewhat anomalous and in 1955 a
metarmorphosis took place as a result of which a new body, the Society of Ar
chivists, came into being open to any person primarily concerned with the ca
re of archives in a professional, technical or other capacity and working with
in United Kingdom and the Commonwealth oversea. Arrangements were also
made for archivists working within the Republic of Ireland to become members.
The original Society of Local Archivists had been administered by a council
headed by a chairman and had also organised its membership upon a regional
basis, each region having its own officers and programme of activities. Despi
te the change of name, this pattern of administration was retained, but with
the addition of a President and Vice-Presidents to the hierarchy, though the
day to day business remained in the hands of the council and its honorary of
ficers. As if to bring the wheel full circle Sir Hilary Jenkinson accepted an in
vitation to serve the new Society as its first President, an office which he filled
with distinction until his death in 1961Later Presidents included Dr. W. Kaye
Lamb of Canada, Mr. Roger Ellis, then Secretary to the Royal Commission
on Historical Manuscripts, and Mr. Geoffry Ede when Keeper of the Public
Records. Such distinguished Presidents helped to ensure valuable links with the
principal national repository and with Historical Manuscripts Commission and
to provide a greater national, and indeed international status for the new pro
fessional body. From 1952 until 1978 the Honorary Secretary of the Society
was Mr. Peter Walne who, with the cooperation of many others, helped to
develop the Society as the acknowledged national professional association and
also provided that essential element of continuity during those years of rapid
growth in membership and in function.
Sinds 1955 the Society of Archivists has grown until its membership has passed
the thousand mark; it has diversified in that groups have been formed within
its structure, though open to all, specialising in conservation, records mana
gement and those needs peculiar to University and other specialist reposito
ries; it has developed a committee structure covering many aspects of profes
sional and technical work; and, from the outset has published a Journal of
academic and international standing.
The principal fields of activity covered by the present committees are:
Technical, through which there has always remained a close liaison with the
British Record Association;
Publication, primarily for the support of the editor of the Journal, published
twice yearly, but also for occasional publications varying from manuals to vo
lumes of commemorative essays;
Training, which is also concerned with contacts with University courses for
intending archivists; and there are also committees concerned with Computer
Applications;
the Provision of Education Services for schools and teachers;
and a Parliamentary and General Purpose Committee dealing with matters
of legislation concerning archives and archivists and professional practices and
policies, terms and conditions of service for members of the Society.
From early days, a library of technical books and periodicals was built up and
this is housed at the Victoria Library, 106 Buckingham Palace Road, London,
by courtesy of the Westminster Library Service; and, during the past decade,
a Newsletter, with which are associated news-sheets relating to the Conserva
tionist and Record Management Groups, has been published four times a year,
thus providing members with a less formal organ than the Journal and offe
ring a forum for correspondence about professional matters.
From the late nineteen-forties training for archivists within the United King
dom has been more especially associated with three Universities: those of Lon
don (University College); Liverpool; and Wales (both the University College
of Wales at Aberystwyth and the University College of North Wales at Ban
gor). Later a comparable course was also established at University College,
Dublin in the Republic of Ireland. Throughout its history the Society has ta
ken a close interest in the nature of the courses offered and the quality of the
training provided. A Training Committee was established in 1970 and during
the ensuing decade much thought was given both to the nature of professional
qualifications and to the need to provide some additional training in the form
of refresher courses and particularly for those graduates who held professio
nal posts but who had never had an opportunity to acquire a specifically pro-
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