The working life of Museum of London

Hi, my name is Joanna Wylie and I work at the London Archaeological Archive and Research Centre (LAARC) as the Archaeological Records (Digital) Officer. I started working at the LAARC in April 2008, ”fresh off the boat” from New Zealand where I worked as an archaeologist for the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.

An archaeological archive differs from a traditional archive as it includes both records (paper, photographic, digital) and finds. At the LAARC, we accept archives relating to archaeological projects undertaken in the Greater London area, and I am responsible for managing the digital records that are received as part of these archives. Archaeology and computing are closely intertwined, and archaeologists are often considered to be at the cutting edge when it comes to all things ‘IT’! Archaeology can generate a wealth of digital records including GIS data sets, digital site plans and drawings, reports, databases and spreadsheets, digital photos, video footage and even websites. Since I started at the LAARC, we have received over 10 000 new digital files!

More specifically, my job as Archaeological Records (Digital) Officer involves:

• checking through the digital records that are deposited to see that they have been prepared in accordance with our Standards for Deposition,
• archiving the records and preparing them for download via our Online Catalogue so that they are easily accessible to researchers, and
• ‘technology watch’ – keeping up to date with digital preservation issues and new advances in archaeology and digital technology

In addition, I assist LAARC Archivist Cath Maloney by responding to general enquiries, issuing site or ‘project’ codes to contractors commencing new archaeological projects in London and supervising researchers who visit the LAARC. I also get involved with the LAARC’s outreach activities which I really enjoy – it’s good to take a break from my computer every once and a while!