ARA Conference - full of conservation goodness!

For our first face-to-face conference since 2019 we are thrilled to have as our Friday keynote speaker, Zoe Reid, Keeper, National Archives, Ireland. Zoe is the first conservator to hold this post and will no doubt provide an inspiring keynote. She is also presenting (for the first time in public) her work on the Michael Collins diaries in her session on Thursday “Presenting the pocket diaries of Michael Collins, 1918-1922: Conservation, access and interpretation.” (you can read an interview with Zoe here)

The conference takes place in Chester from 31st August to 2nd September and we know that conservators, and many others in the recordkeeping profession, will also be excited to hear Dr Jagjit Singh of  Environmental Building Solutions Ltd speak on ‘Mould in archives and repositories – Preventing & solving conservation, health & legal issues’.

This year’s face to face conference means we have a lovely space with natural light for Victoria Stevens’ 60 minute workshop ‘Stitches (just) in time: textiles in archive history and conservation’

A must for all conservators who care about the future of their profession is the panel session on Wednesday afternoon: ‘Looking to the future of working with the past: a discussion about conservation qualifications, training and development in the current climate’ with Julie Bon, National Library of Scotland, Katie Proctor, West Yorkshire Archive Service and Mark O’Neil, Lancashire Archives.

Part of that current climate is the adjustments made due to COVID and how we are adapting now that the restrictions have been lifted, a number of sessions look at the impact the pandemic has had on them and their work:

‘Pause, Reflect, Reset’ – Sharon Oldale shares her own journey as a small business owner, through the pandemic and out the other side.

‘Making Conservation Happen! The Dickens Fellowship Scrapbooks Project – a Tale of Conservation and Cataloguing in Lockdown’ – Anne-Marie Miller, Codex Conservation

There is also plenty of the nitty-gritty of conservation work to discover:

‘Hidden treasures, in secret kept, in silence sealed’: the conservation and material analysis of two Early Modern manuscripts’ – Victoria Stevens and Bridget Warrington present.

‘Conserving Bishop Cosin’s Library – Identifying priorities for a time-limited project’ – Tony King and Laruen Moon-Schott of Durham University present.

‘Pulp Fiction: Cross Country Adventures in Leafcasting’ from Shirley Jones at West Yorkshire Archive Services

And

‘Washing an oversized 17th century print with Agarose gel’ – Thomas Bower from London Metropolitan Archives.

The full conference programme can be found here https://conference.archives.org.uk/2020-programme/

Social Events

As if all this wonderful content wasn’t enough there are also social events!

The Wednesday night drinks reception will be in the cloister of Chester Cathedral – a short walk from the conference hotel – and fully wheelchair accessible. The cathedral is a one of the UK’s finest and the cloister dates from the 15th Century. If the weather is wet the event will move into the nave of the Cathedral.

Dinner in the Stables Restaurant at the Conference hotel is provided on Wednesday night for those booking the full conference package.

On Thursday we have our Gala Dinner and Awards ceremony.

A sit down dinner followed by live band and dancing.

The awards will be presented during the evening and you can vote on who should win up to 8th July here: www.archives.org.uk/ara-awards

If you are new to conference, coming on your own, not affiliated to any particular group or region and wondering whether attending the Gala Dinner will be a trial in social awkwardness we have the solution! There will be three ARA staff hosted tables and anyone looking for a group to join is welcome to sign up for a place at one of them – your ARA hosts will make the introductions and ensure the conversation flows as freely as the drinks.

Register now!

Rooms in the conference hotel are going fast so don’t delay with your registration!

Full conference package is £555 (including accommodation)

Day rate is £195 (you can add accommodation and social events to this for an extra charge)

Book here https://conference.archives.org.uk/conference-registration/

Bursaries are available (deadline for application 13th June)

Find out more here https://conference.archives.org.uk/delegates/