ARA Archive Volunteering Award for 2022
The 2022 award will be an opportunity to thank our volunteers for all their continued support and work over this very difficult time. We welcome projects which demonstrate how archives have supported volunteers through the past year and have adapted projects to suit their circumstances whether remotely or in new ways of working together…. but apart. Winners will have a national platform to celebrate their volunteers’ contribution to the service and gain publicity for their archive’s role in supporting individuals and community through volunteering programmes.
The 2021 Award Winners were Suffolk Archives: Pride in Suffolk’s Past and Warwickshire County Record Office: WOVeN (Warwickshire Online Volunteer Network) with Mining the Seams.
Suffolk – the panel liked how they took into consideration ethical issues when creating the project and that the volunteers were central to the project and took a proactive role in steering the project. It was good to see how they got around the limitations of collecting during the pandemic and still managed to harvest stories to be added to the archive.
Warwick – this project was well thought-through. The approach the team took was particularly innovative when it came down to the use of technology to support remote volunteering. The well-being aspect of the project particularly at a time that was challenging for many people who felt isolated was particularly well thought out and they have managed to create and sustain a community as one of the key legacies of the project.
The Archives and Records Association seeks to celebrate the role of volunteers in supporting archive services, and to collect good practice case studies to inform the wider sector. This award is a key strand of the work of ARA’s Volunteering in Archives, Action Plan, bringing to life the recommendations the ARA report Managing Volunteering in Archives. The award is also supported by The National Archives UK, the Welsh Government’s Museums, Arts, Archives and Libraries Division, and the Scottish Council on Archives.
This award is open to archives across the United Kingdom and Ireland. Awards will be publicised widely throughout and beyond the sector.
A short nomination form is available from the ARA website here: Volunteering in the Sector — Archives & Records Association and organisations may nominate projects, or ongoing volunteer programmes, that ran during 2021/2022.
Completed nomination forms need to be returned to volunteeringaward@archives.org.uk by 9th May 2022 and the winner will be announced during Volunteers week 1-7th June. If you have any queries about the award please contact Sally Bevan, Volunteering Awards Administrator, (020 7332 3815) or via volunteeringaward@archives.org.uk