Archive Trustee
Archive Trustees play a vital role in the governance and strategic direction of the organisation. They ensure that the Archive is managed effectively, ethically, and in line with its charitable objective to advance the education of the general public in the history, inhabitants, geography, natural history, the arts, architecture and culture of the parishes of St Ives, Halsetown, Towednack, Carbis Bay and Lelant in the County of Cornwall. Trustees act as guardians of the charity’s assets, ensuring legal compliance, financial sustainability and public benefit.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Governance and Compliance
- Ensure the organisation complies with its governing document, charity law and any other relevant legislation or regulations
- Safeguard the organisation’s assets, including its collections, finances and reputation
- Contribute to setting and monitoring policies, risk management and strategic planning
Strategy and Oversight
- Support the development and implementation of long-term plans for the care, digitisation and accessibility of the Archive
- Champion the value of Archives in education research and community engagement
- Monitor performance against agreed objectives ensuring accountability and transparency
Finance and Resources
- Approve budgets and monitor financial
- Contribute to fundraising, income generation and sustainability strategies
Advocacy and Ambassadorship
- Act as an ambassador for the Archive promoting its work to stakeholders, funders and the public
- Support outreach, partnership-building and advocacy for the cultural and educational value of the archive
Board Contribution
- Prepare for and actively contribute to board and committee meetings (12 board meetings per year plus occasional sub- committee work and events)
- Share expertise and insights, while working collaboratively with other Trustees
- Uphold the highest standards of integrity, confidentiality and accountability
PERSON SPECIFICATION
Essential
- Commitment to the mission aims and values of the business plan
- Understand the duties and responsibilities of charity trusteeship
- Strong strategic thinking, judgement and decision making skills
- Ability to work collaboratively, respecting diverse perspectives
- Willingness to act as an advocate for St Ives Archive
Desirable
- Professional expertise in one or more of the following areas:
- Archives, libraries or museum collections management
- Strategic and/or Project Management experience/expertise
- Fundraising, finance, legal expertise
- Digital preservation and technology
- Education, research and public engagement
- Marketing communications or community outreach
St Ives Archive and the Difference We Make
St Ives Archive is now approaching its 30th year. In that time it has been responsible for taking care of the local history and heritage of St Ives and the surrounding area. From its humble beginnings with a handful of enthusiastic volunteers, the Archive has become a living, growing resource collecting and preserving the personal stories of local people for future generations. It has a state of the art cataloguing system and is shortly to move into premises in the heart of St Ives. As part of this new era we need additional volunteers to take us forward.
What we do
Since it was founded in 1996, St Ives Archive has assembled information on every aspect of the heritage of St Ives and houses a growing collection of books, newspaper articles, maps, legal documents, correspondence and catalogues. Some of the records date back to the 17th century and our image library now stands at over 35,000 items.
There are three basic aspects of the Archive’s work:
Collecting the information - we have a policy about what we can and cannot collect, and we have to have signed forms to accompany everything that is donated (accessions).
Looking after the information - that is the part where we have to decide where everything goes, that it is stored appropriately and that it is documented on the database.
Making it available to all - this covers all enquiries from any source and producing material that makes use of the resources both physical and on-line - this is where the Archive makes its money and is our valuable asset. This activity includes giving illustrated talks, creating visual displays that are used when we hold events such as open days, selling merchandise, books and maps, contributing articles and photos to local and national media. We handle enquiries from the public and charge for research time for any work we carry out. We work closely in partnership with other organisations in the town including Tate, Leach Pottery, Porthmeor Studies, St Ives Museum St Ives Arts Club, schools, as well as universities, Pendennis Castle, Penlee Gallery, Morrab Library, Kresen Kernow, The Cornwall Archive Network (CAN), local, national and international media and auction houses.
The Difference We Make
We have a rich history of working in close partnership with local, national and international organisations. The Archive provides the cement between the bricks of other cultural attractions in the town by drawing on resources about artists, maritime history, family history, tourism, railways, mining, archaeology, festivals, folklore, composers, writers and legends. We hold a valuable resource for everyone interested in learning more about the history of the town and the surrounding area.
Volunteers are required to have an account on the website to complete this form.
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Wesley Methodist Church
St Ives Road
Carbis Bay
TR26 2SF
United Kingdom