14/11/2009: New award celebrates work of volunteers in archives
The National Council on Archives (NCA) is today launching the National Archive Volunteering Project of the Year Award to recognise excellence and innovation in how the archive sector works with volunteers.
The Award is co-ordinated by the National Council on Archives, will be delivered in partnership with CyMAL: Museums Archives and Libraries Wales (a division of the Welsh Assembly Government), the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, the Scottish Council on Archives and the Society of Archivists. The Award is designed to celebrate the contribution of volunteers within the archive sector.
The Award also aims to promote good practice in volunteering, in line with the recommendations of the NCA’s Volunteering in Archives report published in June 2009.
Geoff Pick, Chair of the National Council on Archives, said:
“The National Council on Archives gratefully acknowledges the support given by our partners in the development of the Volunteering in Archives report and in helping us to create this new Award. Volunteers in the archive sector help archivists to make services more accessible to users and to run projects that engage a wider sector of our communities.
Without these volunteers, many of the projects run by our archive services simply would not happen or would be much less successful than they are. The Archive Volunteering Project of the Year Award will go some way to recognise and celebrate the achievements of our volunteers”.
Roy Clare, Chief Executive at MLA said:
“MLA is delighted to be associated with the Volunteering in Archives Award. I believe that volunteering makes an important contribution to local neighbourhoods by bringing people together from different backgrounds and helping to build a sense of belonging.
This award will ensure that the work being done by archives services to encourage volunteering and to act as a role model for others is recognised. We know that there is excellent work being done in archives through involvement of volunteers - this award will give them the opportunity to shine.”
Assessment will also be set against a number of criteria including:
- Impact on volunteers. For example, the organisation can demonstrate good employer support of the volunteer; that the project has supported volunteers in gaining entry into workplace or further training
- Impact on service. For example, the project has encouraged diversification of volunteers within organisation, or that the organisation can demonstrate that it has robust plans for sustaining and developing its work with volunteers
- Wider impact. For example, that the input of volunteers has had an impact on local communities, or the organisation can demonstrate how it has been able to share the learning with others from its volunteering activity - enabling it to act as a role model
In order for an archive service to be eligible for the award, work must have taken place in 2009/2010; work can be part of an ongoing programme as long as a significant part of the work took place in 2009/10. Importantly, evaluation must include some feedback from the volunteers involved in the project.
The closing date for entries is 31 March 2010.
For further information contact:
René Kinzett, Head of Public Affairs, National Council on Archives rene@nca.org Tel 020 8392 5376
05/11/2009: The Value of Volunteering
The fourteenth annual quality forum for archives and local studies took place at The National Archives, Kew, on Wednesday 4th November 2009.
This year, the Public Service Quality Group (PSQG) Annual Quality Forum focused on the ever-increasing importance of the work volunteers undertake within archive services. To view the review of the forum and access presentations click here.
23/10/2009: AGM of the National Council on Archives
A report of the AGM of the National Council on Archives held on 14 October 2009 is available to view here.
14/10/2009: Sector Review Briefing No.9
The ninth briefing about the sector review is available to view here.
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