I was given talks by different staff members on seeking out and taking in material, appraisal, secondary research materials, using the cataloging system to search for materials, the ins-and-outs of the strongrooms.
Accessioning & Cataloging
Many of the core archiving skills I learned on the go whilst working at the Gloucestershire Archive. I accessioned and cataloged various physical documents that had been given to the archive and, with help from colleagues, learned how to arrange and describe for find-ability. My time at the archive was interesting as there was a shift from CALM to Epexio mid-way through my time there. This gave me a unique insight into conceptualizing a tool that fulfills the requirements of both archivists and researchers.
I also learned the importance of keeping biases and opinions out of description, how to use inclusive language to aid in find-ability, and how to judge whether or not an item should be closed for access.
Ingesting
At Gloucestershire Archive I was lucky to be able to work under Claire Collins, Digital Preservation and Access Officer. Claire has worked with Dr. Viv Cothey to develop a bespoke in-house ingest system using Strawberry Perl. Using this system, dubbed 'Curation And Trust' I learned the ingest process, the theory behind what makes a successful system, how to package and store born-digital material.
Another exciting development during my time at the archive was the introduction of a new ingest system. This again, allowed me unique insights into the scoping, development, and testing of a new tool.
