ARA Together
We started ARA Together as way of supporting our members and colleagues in the sector during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has now become much more than just an online community. Our website pages and regular events the programme have provided a space for conversation, sharing of information and ideas.
Through ARA Together we were also able to reach beyond our membership to the widest reaches of the record-keeping sector and also to people working in other sectors such as culture, heritage, history and academia. As the restrictions associated with the COVID-19 pandemic are removed and we learn to live with the pandemic, we are planning to refocus our ARA Together programme onto this area and away from the forum/regular calls that we instituted during the lockdowns of 2020/21.
This will mean that after this month’s ARA Together Online call on 27th April there will be no further regular monthly calls. Instead, we will be looking to run ad hoc online events on specific topics that are of interest to members and the wider record-keeping sector – for example to introduce our new Environmental Sustainability Record Keeping Group. We will also be running ‘Meet the Board’ events on a regular basis so that members can ask questions and put forward ideas in an informal way. Given the number of people who have had difficulties accessing the Discord channel these will be held on Zoom or Teams in the future.
We will also be saying goodbye to the Discord channel for chat and exchange of ideas. Use of the forum has dropped dramatically since the end of lockdown restrictions. We are exploring different ways in which people can communicate with each other online and will update on this when we have a better solution – there are some updates from large ap providers in the pipeline which may impact on this.
We will continue to update our From the Sector and Stay Engaged website pages with latest news and events from the record-keeping sector.
ARA Together’s refocus on the wider sector, and particularly reaching out to those who are not members of ARA, is also reflected in a new e-bulletin: ARA Together Bulletin. People subscribing to a newsletter via our website and ex-members who have indicated they would like to stay in touch will receive a quarterly bulletin with highlights of the work we are doing and information on events and opportunities that might be of interest. Members will already have received all this information via our other channels – ARA Today and ARC Magazine as well as specific emails on topics such as Conference, Awards, AGM etc.
From the Sector
Links to useful guidance and information from organisations across the sector in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
You will also find details of some of the latest funding and financial support available for those who have been affected by the pandemic.
Stay Engaged
Details of online training and CPD opportunities offered by organisations across the archive and record-keeping sector.
Our aim is to provide you with ideas of ways to stay engaged with the sector and take advantage of the many virtual CPD and training opportunities currently available.
With face-to-face training and events still restricted, many organisations across the archives and record-keeping sector are doing a fantastic job of switching to virtual training sessions and webinars.
If you would like your event to be added to this page, please contact Lorraine Logan.
Health & Wellbeing
A list of useful resources on how to look after your mental and physical health and well-being while adjusting to the changes brought about by COVID-19.
With so many of us now working from home, it is vital that we keep physically active and take steps to boost our mental health. Fortunately, as these resources demonstrate, there are many things we can do to support and manage our wellbeing during these challenging times.
Stronger Together
For the public
ARA supports a number of public facing campaigns which aim to engage the general public and increase awareness of the vital work of the archive and record-keeping sector and its relevance to public life.
Explore Your Archive
Explore Your Archive is the archives and records sector's campaign to bring new audiences into contact with the many written treasures waiting to be discovered – or re-discovered - in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Read more about Explore Your Archive here.
History Begins at Home is a campaign which aims to ignite conversations about the past thus supporting wellbeing and connection. It began as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Different themes are explored each month with supporting resources. More information can be found on the campaign’s website.
Archives Card
The Archives Card provides archive users with a single digital card that will give them access to a wealth of original archive material held in participating archives throughout England and Wales.
Archive users can find out more about the scheme, apply for a card and search for participating archives at archivescard.com
The Archives Card provides participating archives with greater reassurance around archive security through improved standards of ID verification and will also provide valuable customer insights, helping members to understand their users. The card is available for any archive service to use and will be offered in Scotland and Ireland in due course. The scheme is operated by the ARA's subsidiary, ARA Commercial Limited.
If your archive service is interested in participating in this new scheme, please contact John Chambers at the ARA here.
For the Sector
#ArchiveHour on Twitter – takes place on the last Thursday of the month 8pm-9pm
#archivehour enables anyone involved in the archives and record-keeping sector to get involved, asking and answering questions on key issues in the archive sector. It regularly hosts guests who lead a discussion on a particular topic, simply follow #archivehour and @ArchiveHour on twitter to find out more. You can find tweets from past Archive Hours in a handy format here.
Parliamentary Activity
The All Party Parliamentary Group on Archives and History was set up in April 2008 under the National Council on Archives (since merged with the Society of Archivists and ACALG to create the Archives and Records Association of the UK and Ireland).
The Group has enabled the sector to engage more effectively with decision-makers and opinion-formers in the Westminster Parliament and given the ARA the ability to create strong links with Parliamentarians who are then able to advocate for our sector more widely.