Learn how your logbook could inspire a tick list for the next generation with the Mountain Heritage Trust (MHT). Find out more from MHT archivist Maxine Willett who will be hosting bespoke sessions for BMC-affiliated clubs or individuals with personal collections at the BMC office in Manchester on Thursday 18 September.
Maxine works to preserve the history and culture of British mountaineering, cataloguing the huge range of material left behind by climbers, walkers and mountaineers. All sorts of items from prototype cams and early guidebooks to 19th century cameras and odd socks from Everest find their way to the MHT office in Penrith, and by uncovering their stories Maxine can create a picture of climbing past.
The BMC is offering workshops with Maxine on the 18 September 2014. You can attend on behalf of your club or just yourself to find out how to preserve your own climbing history. We find out what archiving actually means, whether it requires more than cotton wool, and why you should look after that guidebook you’ve scribbled in!
We asked Maxine a few questions to help you get started:
What is the point of archiving items of climbing history?
It ensures the establishment of ethics and traditions and the technical development of gear is recognised and understood thus informing our understanding of climbing practice today. For example, we hold the prototype friend made by Ray Jardine as well as a prototype Whillans Box, together with the finished article which have then gone on to be used on many and significant climbs.
What sort of things might an individual or club want to preserve?
Both of them would want to preserve climbing logs and photographs, but there are also diaries, minutes of club meetings and newsletters. The Rockhoppers have just celebrated their 60th anniversary and have amassed a real treasure trove which they have generously shared with MHT - as have many other clubs
How do you choose what not to keep?
By being objective. I ask myself what the item in question is and what does it tell me and how does it relate to other papers/objects.
Is archiving materials expensive?
Yes, very much so. MHT is responsible for storage, staff costs and other overheads including insurance, plus the costs of conservation and digitisation - it all adds up. Thanks to the BMC my post is funded for the next two years, but that'll pass very quickly and we need to become sustainable to ensure proper care and access is maintained through ongoing events and exhibitions.
How can we preserve personal stories or experiences that aren't written down or photographed? One of the best mediums is via audio and MHT holds some wonderful interviews that Alan Hankinson and Giles Barker did as research for their books. This last collection has recently been added to through the fabulous work Phil Kelly, Graham Hoey and others undertook to turn Giles' draft manuscript into Peak Rock. Likewise John Porter drew on audio interviews he had collated for his biography of Alex MacIntyre - One Day as a Tiger.
What sort of things does the MHT have in its archive, and how can people access them? MHT holds archive collections for people such as Chris Bonington, Joe Tasker and Siegfried Herford as well as for lesser known, but just as important climbers, such as David Haffner, who is far more representative of the climbing community as a whole.
There are other collections, e.g film from organisations such as the Kendal Mountain Festival as well as many other objects such as Dougal Haston's oxygen mask from his successful ascent of Everest to the large glass plate camera used by the Abraham Brothers when taking their stunning climbing shots. The latter is currently on display at Keswick Museum, but anyone can make an appointment with me to view items in person. There are also full details of catalogued items available via the MHT website.
Can you describe a typical day in an MHT archivist's week? No! I never know from one day to the next what I might be called upon to do. Obviously there is an element of organisation and planning to one's week, but a phone call or email out of the blue can set me off on a different course to uncover the history of a specific item or head off to look at and advise on collections. For instance, I've been interrupted during this interview to respond to an enquiry from BBC4 who are making a documentary initiated by the re-mastering of the 1924 Everest expedition film by the British Film Institute.
What are the items that you find most exciting? Those that are most personal and have a degree of provenance - you know exactly where, when and by whom something has been used. Likewise to sit reading a letter or diary entry or looking at photographs; these transport you to a different time and place.
What do we use or create today that we might want to archive for the future? Exactly the same types of information, although much of it is recorded digitally so we need to safeguard the preservation of such records. Emails, texts, photos taken by phone are much more fluid and harder to keep track of - if you want to keep something particularly precious, back up and print off a hard copy too... that's why we can still appreciate the Wastwater Head Inn Visitor's Books which include Walter Parry Haskett Smith's ascent of Napes Needle.
If I can’t attend the workshop, how else could I learn about archiving? Give me a call in the first instance - 01768 840911 or send an email maxine@mountain-heritage.org as I can potentially advise remotely; if not, then I'd be delighted to arrange a visit and offer a bespoke session.
Meet Maxine: book a session now!
If you're responsible for records, historically important equipment or an archive belonging to your club or even if you have your own personal collection, you can book an hour-long appointment with Maxine on Thursday 18 September to get guidance on the best way to ensure its long-term preservation. Book an appointment here.
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