Archivist Trustee
To contribute professional archival knowledge and expertise to the governance of the archive, ensuring the organisation preserves, manages and provides access to collections in line with best practice, while fulfilling the legal duties of a charity trustee.
Key Responsibilities
As a Trustee:
Uphold the Archive’s vision and values
Ensure the Archive complies with charity law, governance requirements and relevant legislation (e.g. data protection and copyright)
Oversee the strategic direction, policy and financial health of the Archive
Contribute actively to Board discussions and decision making
As an Archivist Trustee
Advise the board on professional archival standards, ethics and practice (e.g. preservation, cataloguing, access, digital archiving)
Provide guidance on collection development, acquisition and disposal policies
Help to design and oversee a digitisation programme
Help the Trustees assess risks relating to the collections care and long-term sustainability
Support fund raising and grant applications
Act as a critical friend to the Archives volunteers and administrator on professional matters
Champion the value of St Ives Archive with other cultural institutions in the town
Support outreach, community engagement and education
Person Specification
Professional experience in Archives, record management or in a related heritage sector
Understanding of current archival standards (digital preservation, access and ethics)
Awareness of charity governance
Ability to think strategically and contribute to collective decision making
Commitment to the Archives aims and values
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.
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Wesley Methodist Church
St Ives Road
Carbis Bay
TR26 2SF
United Kingdom