ARA SAM AGM In Conversation With…

ARA Section for Archives and Museums, 10th May 2022

Online discussion panel (46 mins): ‘In Conversation With …’ panel: Career Progression and Diversifying your Skill Set Discussion panel (see biographies below):

•Joanne Fitton (Associate Director: Special Collections and Galleries, Leeds University) @joannefitton

•Anita Hollinshead (freelance consultant and Regional Collections’ Officer, Museum Development East Midlands) @hollinsheada

•Victoria Northwood (freelance consultant) @mrsvnorthwood

•Tamsin Russell (Workforce Development Officer, Museums Association) @TamsinRussell

Our four panellists discuss here their own experience of career progression and how they have diversified their skills. They have all developed wide skillsets throughout their careers, and they have come into heritage through different routes. The session was chaired by SAM’s Secretary Charlotte Berry and Joint Training Officer Sian Yates. Our thanks go to the panellists and to the SAM committee for their input. We plan to recycle some of this content into a future SAM blog at https://aramuseums.wordpress.com/blog/ so keep your eyes peeled for that in due course. Please send any queries or feedback about SAM, our 2022 AGM and the Panel session to the SAM committee at: sam@archives.org.uk

Question timings:

00:00 Welcome and housekeeping, Charlotte Berry, SAM

01:39 Speaker introductions

02:39 Q1: How did you first become involved in the profession and how have your roles changed over your career?

Follow-up questions:

11:19 Victoria: expanding skillset into managing a Tourist Information Centre, historic house and local studies Library

14:24 Joanne: expanding skillset into artworks, coins and textiles

17:00 Q2: The archive sector is starting to move away from requiring postgrad qualifications. What can the archive sector learn from the museum sector, which has traditionally been open to multiple entry routes?

17:59 Tamsin

21:03 Anita

24:21 Q3: What barriers or challenges have you had to overcome in your own career development? [Joanne and Victoria: importance of networking, lone working, changing jobs to expand skills, work/life balance;

31:40 Anita: volunteering and inclusivity, benefits of the Associateship of the Museums Association and being mentored] Follow-up questions: 28: 56 How to increase the number of archive university places and to compete for the available jobs? – Tamsin

36:51 Link to ARA Section for New Professionals – workshops on applications and interviews

37:28 Q4: What is the best advice or tip that you have been given during your careers?

43:38 Questions from the floor, wind-up and ideas for next session

46:34 End

Joanne Fitton

Joanne is an archivist by professional background. She has worked in local authority and higher education settings. At the University of Leeds she is responsible for teams running a Research Centre in the Brotherton Library, and two public Galleries – Treasures of the Brotherton Library Gallery.

Anita Hollinshead

Anita is the Regional Collections Officer for Museum Development East Midlands and worked for Renaissance East Midlands as Museum Development Officer for Derbyshire from 2007-12. She is also a consultant specialising in collections care and development; lottery applications; project management; consultation and community engagement; evaluation; interpretation and Accreditation support.

Victoria Northwood

Victoria is a freelance consultant who has worked in libraries, archives, museums and historic houses since 1995. She qualified as an Archivist (University College London) in 2000, became a Museum Director by mistake in 2011, and finally decided to address the imposter syndrome by undertaking a MA in International Heritage Management (University of Birmingham) in 2019. It didn’t work.

Tamsin Russell

Tamsin’s career to date has focussed on workforce and organisational development, in the public and private sectors, moving to the cultural sector over 20 years ago. She also freelances. Starting as head of training and development for the Science Museum Group, Tamsin led the function and implemented innovative approaches to leadership development; at National Museums Scotland highlights included the development of their Competency Framework, at Historic Environment Scotland her role was in organisational transformation and at National Trust for Scotland she worked on a comprehensive online resource looking at organisational change. Tamsin’s current role at the Museums Association (MA) looks at workforce broadest sense, from research to funding to strategy and delivery.