Gloucestershire Archives Summer Work Experience Week (13–17 July)
Between 13 and 17 July, Gloucestershire Archives hosted its second summer group work experience programme. Eight students, aged 15–17 (Years 10–12), from seven schools across the county took part: Holmleigh Park High School, Severn Vale School, Ribston Hall High School, Stroud High School, Churchdown School Academy, Newent Community School and Cheltenham Bournside School.
The main project for the week was to work collaboratively to create an exhibition on the community noticeboards for our September Saturday event, Go with the Flow which will explore the theme of rivers.
The students began by searching our online catalogue for documents relating to local rivers and waterways. Through their own research, they identified eight topics to focus on: river dangers and water safety; flooding in 1947 and during the 1960s and 1970s; poetry inspired by local rivers; the Purton Hulks, Britain's largest ship graveyard; links between witchcraft and rivers; Gloucester Docks and shipping; and fishing.
As part of the project, the students were shown how to select, order and process document requests before accompanying staff into the strongrooms to retrieve the records. They learned how to assess suitable material for display, considering whether items had a strong visual appeal or “wow factor”, were robust enough to be copied, and were accessible and legible for visitors.
Each selected item required a caption that was clear, concise and informative, while also including the document reference so that visitors interested in viewing the original records could locate them in our searchroom in the future.
In addition, each student selected one or more river-related documents to read or discuss on film. The resulting video will be shown during the September event, and all of the students thoroughly enjoyed taking part in this activity.
It was particularly rewarding to observe how the group approached the final stage of the exhibition project. By the end of the week, the students were confidently working together, chatting, sharing ideas and helping one another as they arranged the copied documents and decorations on the display boards.
With both the exhibition and film completed, the students spent their final day with the Gloucestershire Family History Society (GFHS), researching their own families and local businesses. One student discovered that she was related to someone who had “Santa Claus” as part of their name, much to the amusement of the entire group.
Overall, the week was a great success, providing the students with an insight into archive work while helping them develop research, teamwork and communication skills through a real-life public engagement project.
