First Steps

Broadly, Community Archives are  resources managed by voluntary organisations which collect original sources about their community. These original sources, known as archives, can be in many formats, such as photographs, oral history recordings, letters or minutes of organisations. They may include some printed material such as programmes of events or activities, or posters advertising these events. More recent original sources may have been created as digital files. Original sources are usually unique.

Community Archives groups may also collect other resources to support the archives collections, such as books and other reference materials, including copies of newspapers or local publications. While these are very useful resources, they are not archives. It is best to store these separately from the archives collections as they do not need the same level of preservation or care.

Some Community Archives groups collect museum objects as well as archives. Objects also need to be handled carefully, preserved, catalogued and made accessible for exhibitions and research. We recommend that you get advice from Museums Galleries Scotland about how to care for them properly and how to catalogue and photograph them so that you can record the stories that make these objects relevant to your community.

If you are starting up a Community Archive as a standalone body, then you will want to attract members and encourage people in your community to help. You should develop a constitution and membership rules, decide how to fund your new organisation and how to manage your finances and find somewhere to meet and to store your collections. If you intend to run the Community Archive as a charitable organisation you can find advice from the OSCR (the Scottish Charity Regulator) here.Alternatively, you may want to start a community archive as part of your established group, and this toolkit can help with this as well.

There is a lot of information available around managing an archive and you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. It’s a good idea to connect with other community groups with archives or get in touch with the local authority archives service (every local authority employs an archivist or a records manager) or with nearby university archives. If you have moving images or sound archives (films, cassette tapes or mp3 recordings) then you should get help form the specialist archives like the National Library of Scotland’s Moving Image Archives. Here’s a useful starting point to find archives services that can help you: The National Archives.

We also suggest you watch a video which will explain the main things you need to know about collecting archives, click here to watch.

The main resources that a Community Archives group needs are volunteers and sources of funding.

Volunteers will be needed to collect archives, catalogue them and make them available to the wider public. They can help set up exhibitions and answer enquiries. People will volunteer if they enjoy the activities and if they feel valued and supported to give their time and skills to the aims of the Community Archive. You can find out more about volunteering here.

Funding the Community Archive is an ongoing concern. You will have some ongoing costs such as rent, and some capital costs such as shelving. Donations, subscriptions and crowd-funding will all help. Here are the main sources of external funding:

• Museums Galleries Scotland Funding
• The Heritage Fund

Everyone wants Community Archives to keep going, but unfortunately some will run out of money or volunteers and will need to close. It is a good idea to think about the future and plan what will happen to the collections by including a clause in your constitution about this. You may want the collections to be looked after by the local authority archives service or by a similar community archives nearby. It is sensible to talk to whoever you want to take on that responsibility and ensure that they are ready in the event that you cease to operate.

Community Archives are usually run by volunteers and rely on the willingness of volunteers to keep everything going. It takes enthusiasm, dedication and long-term commitment to maintain a community archive, and some planning about how you operate can help this to run more smoothly.

Here are some things to think about:

• What do you want volunteers to do?
• What will volunteers gain from volunteering with your organisation?
• How will you ensure the health and safety of your volunteers while they are volunteering with you?
• Do you need to take out public liability insurance to cover your volunteers? You might find it helpful to look at the insurance cover provided for members of the British Association of Local History Societies or you may prefer to speak to an independent insurance broker to discuss what insurance you might need.
• Can you let volunteers be flexible about when and how long they volunteer or do you need to organise rotas and cover opening times for the general public?
• Will you provide any training?
• Will you cover any out-of-pocket expenses?
• Do you need to provide your volunteers with a written agreement? If so, it is good practice to be clear that this is not an employment contract and that there will be no financial remuneration.

Writing up whatever you decide in a Volunteer Handbook is a good way of explaining what you do and how to do it. A Volunteer Handbook is also a good place to provide a list of the committee or board members, lists of roles and responsibilities, any policies you have developed and a directory of all the volunteers (with their permission, of course). Make sure you date each version of your handbook and keep a copy of your old handbooks as part of your organisation’s archives.