Project management in educational archives...

Project management in an educational archive could be greatly influenced by the origins of the project concept. If the project has been requested by administrators from outside the archive, then their request and their needs may have a very important impact on work schedules, funding or facilities, and connections between archive staff and others during the course of the project.

Project management in educational archives...

Staff in educational archives will be called upon or will seek to develop special projects, and they should be prepared to develop strategies to cope with project management. Consideration should be given to budget controls, staff deployment, equipment or facilities and work timelines.

Educational archives and institutional publications…

Institutional journals and newsletters can provide educational archivists with opportunities to promote their activities, develop support networks, and outline proposals for new developments.

Educational archives and institutional publications…

Educational institutions usually produce a range of printed official publications for public distribution, such as commemorative books, journals and newsletters. The educational archivist may be called upon to collect and preserve these publications, possibly in collaboration with librarians or library technicians working within the same institution or another allied institution or organisation. The archivist may also be required to provide their own written contributions or visual images to any of these publications on an occasional or regular basis.

Educational archives and the local community...

An educational archive with sufficient resources could also collect records of significant buildings and natural landscape features in the area adjacent to the parent institution's campus. These records would provide researchers with information about the physical development of the area surrounding the campus. This would permit changes to buildings, vegetation, transport routes and methods of transport as well as the implementation of power sources such as gas lighting and electricity.

Educational archives and local community records...

An educational archive with sufficient resources may be able to collect and preserve records related to other educational institutions in the local community. Records of earlier private venture, corporate and government educational institutions could be preserved in order to provide an overview of the evolution of the local educational landscape in a particular area.

Educational archives and external publications...

External publications such as local newspapers and magazines may provide information about the development of an educational institution that the institution may have lost.

Educational institutions and business records...

Records managers and archivists in educational institutions must be aware of official requirements associated with the preservation of legal and financial records. These requirements will determine access to these records, as well as the development of disposal schedules.

Educational archives and special events...

Educational archives can store records and objects related to special events such as music concerts, drama performances or science demonstrations. These items could include written, audio or film records of the actual events as well as the reactions of audience members or participants.  

Recording teaching and learning materials...

Educational archives can store records of library catalogues and inventories from different eras. These records can be used to indicate changes in collection policies as well as teaching and learning methods. They also reflect the availability of resources for teachers and students during particular eras and the popularity of certain resources within the library environment.

The educational archive and material culture…

Records of books for educational institutions…

Educational historians have frequently drawn attention to the importance of text books in schools. Educational archivists will need to consider preservation and storage challenges related to access to these texts, and develop strategies that support the creation of programs that highlight the collection of records that relate to the ‘business’ of selecting and acquiring school texts, and the educational processes associated the use of these texts within schools.

The educational archive and material culture…

Records of furniture for educational institutions…

Archivists engaged in work for educational institutions will be confronted with questions related to the “look” of physical areas used for teaching and learning activities. Examples of original furniture in these areas may have been preserved, or archivists may be required to preserve existing stores of two-dimensional images of furniture, such as design drawings, as well as sketches and paintings or photographs. Archivists may also need to collect written or oral history records that describe the ways in which furniture was used by teachers and students.

Educational archives, research and promotional records...

One of the joys of archive work for an educational institution is the development of a research agenda that will support the writing of historical accounts of the parent institution, organisation or government department. Research using newspapers can provide insights into early attempts using advertising and promotional techniques that were aimed at building student enrolments and the public reputation of the educational institution.

Educational archives and the preservation of promotional records...

Many staff members in educational administrations devote a considerable amount of time and effort to public relations and advertising activities,  and archivists in educational institutions should be prepared to develop policies that guide the preservation of records related to public relations and advertising schemes. This is a difficult task, as public relations and advertising schemes can rely on print, electronic and digital media, and educational staff engaged in promotional activities can also work with staff in other private or public organisations.

Education archives and material culture...

Education archives and school dress...

School archives can collect items that relate to school dress. This could include photographs, drawings or paintings and even patterns associated with school uniforms for students, as well as representations or actual examples of the types of dress worn by school staff. Images of different forms of dress could indicate the ways in which outfits would support the development of a particular type of school image or special school activities.

Education archives and material culture...

Classroom equipment...

Education archives can play a vital role in the preservation of our knowledge of teaching and learning equipment. In addition to photographs of these items, education archives can collect actual examples of equipment, as well as advertising literature, sales catalogues, sales dockets or receipts, and manuals that accompanied these items. Archivists could also preserve information from teachers and students about the use of these items.

Educational archives and the history of education…

In her article “Reinvigorating the history of education”, published in the Education Review (March 2012, p.9), Jillian Dellit drew comparisons between the need for teachers to become involved in the development of the history of education and the approaches taken by family historians as they traced their family trees. As Dellit has noted, knowledge of some educational organisations has almost disappeared, simply because records have not been preserved, and a reliance on anecdotal accounts may not provide complete representations of important educational activities and ideas. Dellit's commentary has suggested the need to develop training schemes and structured programs that can help educators to develop documentation procedures and preserve records of educational activities and institutions.

Educational archives and the history of education…

A recent revival of interest in the history of education in Australia has resulted in commentary on the role of collections of historical records related to schools and teachers. In her article “Reinvigorating the history of education”, published in the Education Review (March 2012, p.9), Jillian Dellit highlighted the importance of preserving historical records related to educational institutions, educational associations and individual teaching careers as a means to understand change in education and prevent misinterpretations.

Educational archives and school displays...

Exhibitions of student work…

Educational institutions have frequently developed traditions of displaying student work on regular schedules. These could be static displays of actual artifacts, such as student work books or art work, as well as photographs of student classroom activities or even special performances staged outside teaching timetables. Archivists need to collect and preserve records of displays as well as items included in displays. They also need to develop strategies that could support the collection of records related to current or future displays of student work.

Educational archives and co-curricula activities...

Records of co-curricula activities…

Many educational institutions are noted for the excellence or range of the co-curricula activities made available for students. Archivists should not only attempt to collect and preserve records of earlier co-curricula activities for students, but they should also liaise with key staff and student figures in co-curricula spheres who could provide records about current and even future developments. The preservation of co-curricula records is vital because these records provide insights into links between educational institutions and community groups and locations outside the campus grounds of the parent institutions. Co-curricula activities are important because they help to form a wide range of influential social networks for members of an educational institution’s student and staff groups.

Educational archives and student achievement...

Educational archives and student progress…

Reference has already been made to the importance of material from the educational archives during the process of evaluating of student results. Primary sources in educational archives can also assist administrators, teachers and researchers engaged in the process of analysing the reasons for student preferences, as well as student reactions to particular curriculum options and teaching techniques. Written, photographic or and audio primary sources in the educational archive can also provide insights into student approaches within different teaching and learning environments.

Educational archives and curriculum development...

Tracing curriculum implementation and curriculum change…

Co-operation between archive staff and teachers can support valuable research related to the implementation of curriculum programs and associated curriculum changes. Reference has already been made to the vital support role of educational archives in the development of the educational evaluation of curriculum development, but educational archives can also provide administrators, teachers and researchers with access to primary sources that help to expand an understanding of the broader relationships between the school curriculum, political, economic and social change, and cultural movements.

Educational archives and social networks...

The educational archive, social networks and teacher activities…

Reference has already been made to the importance of the educational archive to senior educational administrators and administrative support staff in matters related to financial and property management issues. Staff in the educational archives and teaching staff networks can also develop important links, as educational archives and institutional records management programs can preserve information related to curriculum development, teaching aids and facilities, student assignments, student results, teaching achievements and the public presentation of student work from the classroom. Records of changes to the school curriculum as well as teacher achievements and student results could contribute to educational evaluation schemes as well as the promotion of the parent educational institution.

Educational archives and social networks...

The educational archive, social networks and student activities…

Staff in educational archives may be called upon to contribute to the development of student programs, and students can become valuable supporters of educational archives programs. Archives staff could help to devise units for student work experience programs, as the day-to-day activities within educational archives can supply students with insights into the development of administrative work skills and information management. Access to educational archives could also play an integral part in the teaching of History, Visual Arts and Media Arts, as well as Language and Literacy programs. Teachers and students can use images and written texts stored within educational archives to inspire the creation of new student representations through the productions of art works, computer-generated imagery and internet web-sites, poetry, prose and drama. Of course, students enrolled in History courses could have access to primary sources, and they could also provide archives staff with new primary and secondary sources for the institutional collection by providing oral histories, photographs, art work and new historical accounts of school life.