Team

Miriam is an archivist with a background in medieval history. She has worked as project archivist for a wide range of collections, from the Archives of European Intellectual Life to the papers of Zimbabwean economist Tony Kirk. Most recently, she has been researching historic practices of recording and preserving everyday experience in children’s residential care homes as part of the University of Stirling’s ARCH project. She joined the Scottish Council on Archives in 2022 to support the launch of the new Your Scottish Archives digital portal. 

Justina joined the Scottish Council on Archives in May 2022 as the Digital Communications and Admin Assistant. In addition to providing administrative support to ongoing projects, she also runs SCA’s social media accounts and newsletter.

Justina has a degree in Art History and has trained as a conservator, focusing on easel paintings and researching issues of sustainability in the conservation field for her Master’s thesis. She has also worked as an Archive Intern at the National M. K. Čiurlionis Museum in her native Lithuania, and has volunteered at the conservation studios of the Bowes Museum and the Laing Art Gallery in the UK.

John Pelan took on the role of Director of the Scottish Council on Archives in December 2017. John provides organisational leadership for SCA and, working with trustees, staff and stakeholders, develops its strategic direction.

John has worked in the culture and heritage sectors in Scotland for several decades. Prior to joining SCA he was Director of the Scottish Civic Trust and previously held senior positions with the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland including Depute Secretary and Director of Communications. John is passionate about archives and the role they have in fostering a sense of identity and engagement with the past.

Ellie Pridgeon is providing copyright training for archivists as part of the SCA CPD programme in 2021 and 2022, and is leading on the research element of SCA’s Everyone’s Stories Matter project as part of the AHRC-funded Outreach to Ownership initiative. Ellie is a qualified archivist and records manager, and has been working in the sector for over 24 years. She is director of Consultant Archivist, an organisation that provides advice to the community, arts, museum, higher education, and local authority sectors. Over the last 9 years, Ellie has worked with around 70 clients based in Scotland, England, Wales, Ireland, as well as overseas, including SCA.

Taylor joins the SCA as project officer for Voices: The Community Story, which has evolved and grown from the pilot project titled Voices: The Hebridean Story. She has just graduated with a degree in Management and Sustainable Development from St Andrews University and has a passion for history and preservation.

She really enjoyed her time with the SCA last summer and is looking forward to contributing towards a project with such emphasis on community ownership and preservation. Taylor hopes to continue gaining experience within the heritage sector and is excited to use her experience of the oral history process to support the groups involved in Voices: The Community Story whilst gaining hands on experience in key areas within the sector such as records management and community liaison.

As a trained conservator, Audrey has worked for organisations ranging from the Royal Opera House, London, to the State Library of New South Wales. She was the Senior Conservator at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and went on to establish her own business, Conservation Consortium Scotland in Edinburgh.

Following the successful delivery of the NHLF funded Skills for the Future project, Opening Up Scotland’s Archive, Audrey built on the project’s legacy, widening participation and engagement, working closely with community archives and local history groups, to encourage their sustainability and development. The Partnerships and Engagement Manager is responsible for the management and delivery of SCA’s outreach and engagement programme, including the co-ordination of a programme of activity focussing on community archives, volunteering and non-professional audiences.

Robert Wright joined the Scottish Council on Archives in 2016. The Programmes and Operations Manager is responsible for the management, development and delivery of SCA’s capacity-building and advocacy programme of training, events and resources. The Programmes and Operations Manager oversees SCA’s popular programme of events and development training, covering everything from preservation and conservation, to copyright and retention schedules.