The working life of Museum of London

Part 3 : Volunteer Inclusion / Visitor Inclusion

Welcome to the third part in a look back over the first 10 years of the Museum of London’s Archaeological Archive & Research Centre. Part 1 looked at how the archive was set up and its first projects, whilst part 2 looked at how the LAARC expanded its community engagement programme. This part brings things up to date.

Building on previous successes, 2008 saw the start of a brand new Volunteer Inclusion Programme (nicely abbreviated to VIP) funded by Renaissance London . Its aim was to improve the storage and accessibility of our collections whilst involving an inclusive mix of volunteers.

The programme saw immediate results. Objects that had been stored in disintegrating bags and crumbling boxes were now packed into high quality containers. Our volunteers were sourced from a wide range of organisations, with a mixture of ages, backgrounds and social situations all working together.

Over the course of 6 projects the programme developed to include intergenerational groups, e-learning projects, a wide range of specialist-led workshops and an ever expanding network of volunteer contacts.

The 7th project took inclusion to a whole new level. How can we make the most inclusive project possible we wondered? Let anyone get involved was the answer. From Oct-Dec 2010, the project relocated to the Museum of London itself, with a core team of ex-volunteers, gathered from previous VIP projects working on collections in the galleries whilst simultaneously engaging with visitors. It worked on three levels: visitors were learning about archaeology via handling and interaction with volunteers; volunteers were developing new skills in public presentation and engagement; the archive was getting lots of essential collections care work completed at the same time. The Visitor Inclusion Project was born.

The key factor was our Hands-On Archaeology workshops, where any member of the public, any museum visitor, could have a go at packing finds themselves.

The project was a huge success and in 2011 was awarded the prestigious national award for Best Educational Initiative at the  Museum & Heritage Awards.

The VIP returned home to LAARC for the next two projects before once again heading to the Museum of London to run the Visitor Inclusion Project again, this time, celebrating LAARC’s 10th anniversary and expanding to include handling tables focusing on LAARC’s main remits, conservation, osteology and archaeological records.

Meanwhile, our Long-Term Volunteers, many of whom joined in LAARC’s early days, steadfastly work through major archives week in, week out, back in the stores transforming the conditions of early archived material.

And every month, new archives are deposited by the many archaeological units that excavate London; many researchers come in to find out about sites, areas, objects and the lives of Londoners past; many members of the public visit each week on our public volunteer led tours (each Friday and 1st & 3rd Saturdays!); and volunteers are currently working on creating a full set of themed learning collections which can be used for outreach and educational purposes.

As with everything, one never know where we’ll exactly be heading next, but the first 10 years have been a blast and with London’s archaeology speaking for itself, here’s to the next decade.

LAARC VIP10: Weeks 6 and 7

I sometimes wonder if the world is secretly spinning around faster each year – we’re already in March and 7 weeks of our Visitor Inclusion Project celebrating 10 years of the London Archaeological Archive & Research Centre have already passed.

It’s usually the Calm Before The Storm, but in our case things have become a little more sedate since week 5’s half term onslaught of visitors. However, that’s not to say things have stopped. Our various tables of finds and activities have attracted over 2000 people in the past two weeks; adults and children, men and women, young folk and elders, Londoners, UK residents and many overseas tourists too.

Indeed, it’s been great to chat to so many different people from all over the world. There’s been visitors from Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Greece, Poland, South Africa, Argentina, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Canada & the USA. As fate would have it, we’ve also seen many Russian visitors who tend to turn up on Mondays when our Russian speaking volunteer is in the galleries and Russian conversation flows. I too have been inspired to recall my A-Level French and chat away to our Gallic friends on occasions…

In our Hands-On Archaeology workshops we’ve hosted special groups like our friends from the Mulberry Centre , the National Autistic Society, the Home Education network and the University of the 3rd Age. These groups have worked on pottery from the GPo75 excavation at Newgate Street alongside many visitors who have joined in on the day. Some visitors have liked our workshops so much that they’ve come back several times to handle even more pots.

So things are going well and it’s not over yet – there’s still three more weeks for you to join in. Come find us in the Museum of London foyer and Archaeology in Action ever Monday, Tuesday & Friday from 10.00 – 16.00 and in for Hands-On Archaeology, each of these at 15.15.

Each week during our current Visitor/Volunteer Inclusion Project, celebrating 10 years of the London Archaeological Archive & Research Centre, we’re posting volunteer profiles, letting you find out a little more about our excellent volunteers. Today it’s Yulia:

1) When did you join the volunteer programme and why?
VIP 8 (2011), passion for archeology and curiosity about museum work

2) What was your most memorable day whilst volunteering?
Induction day, it was love from the first sight

3) What was your favourite object you discovered whilst volunteering?
Roman ring!

4) What’s your favourite part of the museum?
everything is great

5) Upper galleries of lower?
both

6) Favourite year in London’s history?
2010 – my first year in London

7) Favourite Londoner?
Florence Nightingale, a pioneer of modern nursing

8) Mortimer Wheeler or Indiana Jones
Reality & fiction… I always come along with former – Wheeler

9) If you could dig anywhere in the world where would you excavate?
Historic centers of the modern metropolises

10) What’s next for you after this project
I’m sure there will be something interesting!

We’re now three weeks away from the end of the LAARC’s residency in the Museum of London’s galleries, promoting London’s archaeology, and where you can still join in yourself through our curator-led Hands-on archaeology sessions.

Continuing a year’s exposure of some of the Museum’s hidden archaeological treasures, our second object of the year sees us skip forward several millennia to the early Iron Age – an age where we still fundamentally rely on archaeology to interpret and understand ‘London’ and ‘Londoners’:

Object 2

Prehistoric (Early Iron Age) Iron Dagger & Sheath

The second object in our top 10 has moved us from the Palaeolithic to the early Iron Age. And what better an object to explore the archaeology of the Iron Age than an iron dagger! Known as the Bermondsey dagger, this well preserved object was unearthed by a Thames mudlark in 2003, in front of Chambers Wharf. Consequently it was donated to the Museum where our conservation department have stabilised and investigated the object. Just as our artefact last month represented one of the earliest examples of a London-made object; this dagger also belongs to some of the earliest iron-made objects in Britain dating to this period. Using the magic of science (that is, radiocarbon dating) the wooden sheath has produced a date range of 810-500BC – a slightly earlier date than other similar daggers that normally fall between the 6^th and 4^th centuries BC.

The dagger and accompanying sheath (made of ash wood) was essentially found by chance, but its original deposition may have been quite purposeful. The river Thames continued to be treated as a sacred river throughout prehistoric times and this dagger may have been ritually deposited as part of a funeral offering. This dagger adds to a small group, all of a similar type, that have been found in the Thames bed at sites such as Westminster and Mortlake. They would have been highly prestigious items and perhaps hint to Iron Age aristocracy based in the Thames valley.

Although the dagger is of good preservation it is missing much of its decorative construction that would emphasise its high status. A similar dagger in the Museum’s collection and currently on display shows the dagger is missing a copper-alloy outer sheath of overlapping, metal strips. Another missing element is the ‘twin loop suspension system’ which marks this dagger as particularly British-made, as opposed to similar Continental daggers of the same period.

As a tidal river the Thames is slowly excavating objects, some of which are thousands of years old, under its own will. This dagger is a perfect example of the amazing preservation the river bestows upon its dedications. It also highlights the importance of finders, such as the Mudlarks, in recognising, reporting and, in this case, allowing the Museum to share some of the river’s most treasured possessions.

Next month object number 3 – where we move into the Roman period and the beginnings of ‘history’, but showcasing an unusual object that represents a major branch of archaeology that has only burgeoned in the last few decades…

Every week as part of our archive’s 10th anniversary celebrations we post volunteer profiles to let you know a bit more about our excellent team of volunteers. But sometimes, our excellent objects also want to be heard. So here’s one of our most popular catches, the fish fridge magnet:

1)    When did you join the volunteer programme and why?
I’ve been around since day one. Actually I’ve been around since even before this. I was around before the archive even opened. I used to show volunteers what to do, how things should look. And did this from the first time they put me in this box.

2)    What was your most memorable day whilst volunteering?

Every day on this current project is awesome. As I’m bang in the foyer where everyone who comes up to us can see me, I get loads of attention. And as I’m not even a proper archaeological artefact, but I still like serve a useful purpose ‘cos I show people how you should look after things, I like it when the people come up to me and look at me all weird like before they realise I’m just a fake and I’m there for another reason. And just when they get the reason why I’m there, one of the staff will say “that’s our Red Herring” and I swear, I crack up laughing every time they say it.

3)    What was your favourite object you discovered whilst volunteering?
I like the other animal bones that the volunteers are packing in Archaeology In Action. The fish bones are good as it’s always interesting to see what you look like under your scales. But then I also like the iron objects. I feel like I’ve got some kind of connection between those things and even when it looks like there’s nothing to them, just an old lump of rock or something, they do the x-ray and bang, there it is, all hidden underneath like.

4)    What’s your favourite part of the museum?
Actually, in the summer I like being outside with the bees in the garden, but now when it’s all cold I like it indoors down in the Sackler hall with all the lights and the massive telly.

5)    Upper galleries of lower?
Forget all them, the archive’s where it’s at. The galleries, yeah, they’re all good, but it’s like a tiny tiny percentage of what the museum actually has and in the archive, it’s all a bit mystical ‘cos you don’t know what’s in them boxes.

6)    Favourite year in London’s history?
Tough one. But I’m going for 1860, when that bloke Joseph Malin opened London’s first fish and chip shop.

7)    Favourite Londoner?
Sir William Walworth and if you don’t know who he is then go check him out.

8)    Mortimer Wheeler or Indiana Jones
Hmm… probably Indiana Jones.

9)    If you could dig anywhere in the world where would you excavate?
I’m a fish! I can’t dig!

10)    What’s next for you after this project?
The Olympics! But then I’ll be back at LAARC helping out future volunteers, showing them how to store other finds.

Thhanks Fish! And you can come visit him for yourself every Monday, Tuesday & Friday until 23rd March, in the Museum Foyer, from 10am -4pm.

Every week as part of our current Volunteer / Visitor Inclusion Project celebrating 10 years of the archaeological archive, we’re posting volunteer profiles allowing you to find out a little more about our excellent teams of volunteers. Today it’s Solange:

1) When did you join the volunteer programme and why?
October 2011 – the VIP9 project

2) What was your most memorable day whilst volunteering?
Day 1

3) What was your favourite object you discovered whilst volunteering?
I didn’t discover them, but I liked the roman sandal rosettes

4) What’s your favourite part of the museum?
Roman galleries

5) Upper galleries of lower?
Upper

6) Favourite year in London’s history?
1666 and the great fire (and 1969 – the year I was born)

7) Favourite Londoner?
Dr Johnson

8) Mortimer Wheeler or Indiana Jones?
Mortimer Wheeler

9) If you could dig anywhere in the world where would you excavate?
Dura Europos

10) What’s next for you after this project?
Vindolanda

Part 2: Expanding our Engagement

By 2005 the London Archaeological Archive & Research Centre had established itself as both the home of London’s Archaeology and a centre of excellence for collections care management. Off the back of 2005’s Conservation Award the next step was to develop our levels of engagement within London’s communities.

2005’s big event was our first Community Archaeology Project based just next to our archive in Shoreditch Park. Involving over 700 school children plus many family groups on weekends, the project brought together the chance to learn about local history (the site was a residential street destroyed during the Blitz), to learn archaeological techniques (sessions involved both excavation and finds washing) and to have fun whilst doing so.

The following year we moved a little further North and investigated the Tudor Tower at Bruce Castle Museum in Tottenham. Another major success, involving hundreds more local children and discovering unknown aspects of the tower and building’s history. Learning through active participation was certainly proving to be the way forward.

In 2007 our community excavation took place in Southwark, inside the grounds of Michael Faraday Primary School. This project enabled children to connect directly with the history of their school whilst still acquiring basic skills in discovery and interpretation.

Whilst these projects were going on, we also began to explore new methods of sharing our projects with the wider online community. Photographs from our community projects were added to sets on Flickr, whilst videos were posted to YouTube during the course of the Michael Faraday project.

Back at the LAARC itself, our community engagement was equally expanding in terms of our range of volunteers. In 2006, the “Archive Volunteer Learning Project” began, running until 2007. This project was managed by a conservator working with volunteers on improving the collections and a learning officer, making sure volunteers were developing new useful basic skills. Links and partnerships were made with organisations providing new sources of recruitment and consequently the project involved a wider range of people including long-term unemployed, those with special learning needs and rehabilitated offenders.

The archive was progressing nicely but there was still room for improvement.  Our next focus would be on ways for everyone to feel included.

Next month, “2008 – 2012: Volunteer Inclusion / Visitor Inclusion”

Click here to catch up on part 1: 2002-2005, a look back at our early years

Each week we’re posting volunteer profiles allowing you to find out a little more about the members of our excellent volunteer team. Today’s volunteer is Carl:

1) When did you join the volunteer programme and why?
Joined for VIP9 – interested in the history of London

2) What was your most memorable day whilst volunteering?
Tour of the museum on the project’s last day when I got to handle Viking weapons.

3) What was your favourite object you discovered whilst volunteering?
The St George belt clasp figurine

4) What’s your favourite part of the museum?
The mention of the Vikings in the Medieval gallery

5) Upper galleries of lower?
Upper

6) Favourite year in London’s history?
1997, the year my daughter was born.

7) Favourite Londoner?
Henry VIII

8) Mortimer Wheeler or Indiana Jones
Mortimer Wheeler

9) If you could dig anywhere in the world where would you excavate?
Scandinavia looking for Viking finds

10) What’s next for you after this project?
To see what more volunteering I can do for the archives

LAARC VIP10 – Weeks 4 & 5

We’re at the half way stage of our current Volunteer/Visitor Inclusion Project which not only is the 10th project under our Programme but celebrates 10 years of the Museum of London’s Archaeological Archive & Research Centre.

The past two weeks have been excellently manic thanks to the spectacular numbers that have visted pre and during Half-Term. In these two weeks alone we’ve engaged with over 4500 people at our introduction, conservation, osteology, records and finds packing tables.

But it’s not just numbers we’re interested in. Our brilliant team of 18 volunteers have been on tip-top form, having been sharing their knowledge of various archaeological practices with visitors, enhancing their visitor experience.

Over 80 visitors have had a go at being volunteers themselves during our Hands-On Archaeology workshops; identifying, sorting and repacking pottery from 1975’s mighty excavation at Newgate Street. And the result is that over 130 boxes of material from the site are now in a far better packaging condition and far more accessible for research. Thanks everyone!

We’re receiving some great feedback from our visitors and it’s been great fun for us. And the good news is there’s still time to join in if you haven’t already. We’ll be around in Archaeology in Action for the next 5 weeks until 23rd March. Hope to see you soon.

Each week during our our current Visitor Inclusion Project celebrating 10 years of the Archaeological Archive, we’re posting Volunteer Profiles allowing you to find out a little bit more about our superb volunteers. Today’s it’s Jim:

1) When did you join the volunteer programme and why?
It all started in 2010 when VIP7 was taking place at the museum and I came along to a Hands-On Archaeology session and kept on coming back for more. I then joined the VIP8 project and now I’m back at the museum as a volunteer on this project.

2) What was your most memorable day whilst volunteering?
Most days had highlights

3) What was your favourite object you discovered whilst volunteering?
I’m still waiting to strike gold!

4) What’s your favourite part of the museum?
All of it

5) Upper galleries of lower?
Both

6) Favourite year in London’s history?
Live in the moment – 2012

7) Favourite Londoner?
Christopher Wren because of his fine churches & cathedrals. Who else would we have got them from?

8) Mortimer Wheeler or Indiana Jones
Not aware of Mortimer Wheeler’s films…

9) If you could dig anywhere in the world where would you excavate?
Anywhere in Italy

10) What’s next for you after this project?
Wait and see