The Archive Development Project

RSCDS Archivist Alan Macpherson describes exciting new developments.

Citizens!Protectmonuments, buildings, objects anddocuments from former times. Allofthese areyour history andyourpride. Remember thatthis is the basis upon whichour new artshall flourish!

Vladimir Lenin, November 1917

When Lenin wrote this he was referring to more than documents, but the sentiment expressed is very relevant to our Society.The Society would not exist unless someone had preserved the dances which our co-founders used for Book1, and since that time our art has indeed flourished. The RSCDS is a wonderful organisation which promotes and nourishes a much-loved style with strong links to the dances and dancers of the past. Although our dance is subtly changing and evolving (as it must), it is the past that points to the future and its records must be held in trust for those yet to come. The history of the Society and of SCD is encapsulated in a room in 12 Coates Crescent, and as Lenin ’ s plea suggests we have a responsibility both to preserve the collection and to make it available to all those interested in the Scottish form of the country dance. The RSCDS Archive was established in 1978 by Dr Alastair MacFadyen, the first Honorary Archivist. From its small beginning the Archive, under the care of successive Archivists, has steadily expanded and now contains a fascinating portrait of our development, from our beginnings in 1923 to the present day. Currently the catalogue lists 4183 items with many more awaiting accession. The collection is diverse and includes published books, manuscripts, minute books, correspondence, photographs and audio recordings. It spans the period from the eighteenth century to the present. Here are some examples: Charles Compan, Dictionnaire de Danse, Paris 1787 John Walsh, Compleat Country Dancing Master, London 1719 John Willison, Aide Memoire [MS], about 1750 Francis Peacock, Sketches relative to the history and theory, but more especially to the Practice ofDancing, Aberdeen 1805 Thomas Wilson, The Complete System of EnglishCountry Dancing, London 1820

‘Preservation and accessibility ’ are essential elements of any archive worthy of the name, and these tenets drive the major development project we are now undertaking. The Society has an obligation to the many hundreds of members who have deposited their dance memorabilia in the Archive to ensure that these are preserved and made accessible for future generations. We want both our members and the world at large to know about the wealth of information that resides on our shelves. The project has two aims: • To catalogue, digitise and preserve the collection, making it available online for

RSCDS members and researchers everywhere; • To develop knowledge of the history of branches through oral history interviews with members. This development project is partly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, and this has enabled us to employ a professional archivist on a one-year contract working with the Society ’ s Honorary Archivist to complete the project by the summer of 2015. We are cataloguing the collection to international standards before digitising and making it available online via ICA-AtoM, software developed by the International Council of Archives.AtoM is an acronym for ‘Access to Memory ’ and began as a collaborative project aiming to provide the international archival community with a free, open-source software application to manage archival descriptions in accordance with ICA standards. It is easy to use and flexible, and it allows us to make all our descriptions and digital objects available in one place. The advanced search system will allow searches using phrases and key words while showing the relationship of the record being searched to other parts of the collection. AtoM is popular with archival services all over the world, including the University of Strathclyde Archives, NATO Archives and the City of Vancouver Archives. When the project concludes we shall have: • Digitised the archive content; • Established an online searchable catalogue using the ICA-AtoM system; • Collected Oral Histories and Dance Trails from amongst our branches and affiliates; • Increased the awareness of our history amongst our members and the public; • Refurbished the archive room to provide additional storage and improved work stations; • Created an archive that meets international standards. A good archive is an active archive, and an important part of this project is to gather oral histories. This initiative needs you, the members, to make it a success.Tell us about your history! Tell us about your favourite dances and why they are favourites! Tell us about dances that relate to your particular part of the world! Tell us about the founding members of your branch! Interview the ‘ worthies ’ in your branch, to record their interviews and stories. Above all, talk to us and work with us to make your Archive not only excellent but superb!

Sample page from new catalogue