2014 Conference

Let the Right One In? - Challenging Perceptions of Access to Business Archives

This year’s conference was held on Thursday 13th November 2014 at the Elgar Room in the Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2AP.

The aim of the conference was to discuss ideas and issues around access to business archives. This was enabled on the day through group discussions, case studies and practical advice and a panel session.

Following on from the conference a guidance note about access has been developed - a resource designed to assist managers, professionals and users in the field.

Follow what happened on the day through the Storify and Pintrest Boards: archives using social media and archives using twitter.

The conference speakers and their presentations:

Session 1   ‘Accessing’ Archives Through Social Media?

Kiara King (Archivist, Ballast Trust)

Access to business archives: the opportunities and pitfalls of social media

Session 2   Delivering and Opening Up Access

Mike Anson (Chair, Business Archives Council)

What has the BAC done for us?

Rachael Griffin (Director, Pentabus Theatre)

Pentabus Theatre Company Archives – from cowshed to catalogue

View the film

Suzanne Keyte (Royal Albert Hall on behalf of Liz Harper, Archives Manager)

The World’s Most Famous Stage – opening up access to the Royal Albert Hall Archives

Session 3   Let The Right One In? – Gaining and Allowing Access

Duncan Campbell-Smith (Business Historian) - read by Mike Anson

Archivists: guides or guardians?

Maria Sienkiewicz (Group Archivist, Barclays Group Archives)

'Take the 109 bus and bring a packed lunch’: Confidentiality, reputation and logistics – the challenges and opportunities of opening up business archives

Session 4   Access – Past, Present and Future

Christopher Hilton (Archivist, Wellcome Library)

'Can we, should we, would they notice?': issues around access to digital records

Panel Discussion (chaired by Richard Wiltshire)

Melinda Haunton from The National Archives was present during the breaks to answer questions on the Archives and Records Association's Accreditation Scheme. Take a look at workshop notes for the specialist/institutional repositories. The principles discussed can be applied to the business sector.

The conference was followed by drinks in a nearby venue to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Business Archives Council