New guidelines for recording seals in archives: Focus Group meetings - OCTOBER

New guidelines for recording seals in archives: Focus Group meetings

Seals are crucial features of many documents (especially for the medieval and early modern periods), but as ISAD(G) provides little guidance about them, how they are recorded in catalogues varies greatly. Finding out about seals and what to do with them can be difficult for professionals and volunteers alike. Providing adequate levels of collections care can also be challenging, given the varying size and types of seals.

A new initiative led by Charlotte Berry (Archives Manager, Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick), Philippa Hoskin (Director of the Parker Library & Fellow Librarian, Corpus Christi College Cambridge) and Elizabeth New (Reader in Medieval History, Aberystwyth University) seeks to establish guidelines for recording seals that will provide a standard cataloguing template. The guidelines will also contain advice and tips on handling, photographing and collections care, as well as useful glossaries and further reading. The Guide will be endorsed and published by the Archives & Records Association UK & Ireland in Dec 2022/Jan 2023.

We have already run a couple of workshops which have helped to shape the Guide so far, so many thanks to those who took part. In order to finalise the Guide, a series of online Focus Group meetings will be held this autumn. These will help ‘test run’ the draft guidelines and supporting material, and to provide feedback and professional advice. No prior knowledge of seals is required - but those who know lots are equally welcome! The Focus Groups are open to all, including volunteers and professionals from the library, museum, archaeology and any other relevant sectors.

Attendees are encouraged to look through the draft documentation ahead of the meeting to facilitate discussion, so we ask that you sign up in advance so that we can email this out to you in good time.

We are offering three dates, so please choose the one which suits you best. All those who attended the earlier two workshops are also welcome to join us again.

The Focus Group meetings will take place on

Monday 17th October 2022, 2.00-3.30pm UK time

Thursday 17th November 2022, 2.00-3.30pm UK time

*ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS ESSENTIAL IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE MEETING LINK AND DOCUMENTATION*

*REGISTRATION WILL CLOSE 24 HOURS BEFORE EACH MEETING*

To register please contact Dr Elizabeth New [email protected]