The Half-Way Point
Posted Monday, 19th May 2014
The second quarter of 2014 marks the official half-way point in the project. Although there is still lots to do, it would be a good idea to reflect upon the achievements of the ‘Baptist History: Hidden Treasure’ project thus far.
The beginning of 2013 can be categorized as the development segment of the Delivery Phase. It was in this segment that the project team was recruited and inducted, and the activities could be thoroughly discussed in order to be swiftly implemented. By Autumn 2013 four out of the five new members of staff had already been recruited and were settling into their duties. With a Learning & Participation Officer creating and organising the outreach side of the project, two Cataloguers to catalogue the Angus collection, and an Administrator to support them, the Activity Plan was put into action. Of course, it is not just the employees of the Angus Library who make up the project team, but also the volunteers who make such a difference by giving up their own time to assist with both the archiving and the exhibition research & interpretation.
Work quickly began on the first exhibition of the Project: “Slavery: the Historical and Modern Perspectives” with much of the research being carried out by our team of dedicated volunteers. The exhibition was opened to the public in October/December 2013 and was an immediate success. The brand new website further enhanced the impact of the exhibition as well as providing a platform for the public to search for details of ancestors who worked as missionaries for the BMS – a task carried out, again, by our enthusiastic and diligent volunteers.
Schools became the focus in early 2014 with two archive taster days being held in the Angus in January. The feedback received was wholly positive and supportive, both from the students and from The Angus staff. The schools resources are now in the process of being launched from our website. If you are interested in using these resources they are available to be downloaded for free. We also welcome any feedback on these resources which you can submit using the ‘contact us’ feature.
The outreach phase was, and is, the ‘visible’ part of the project, yet much of the project happens behind the scenes. Our two cataloguers, who frequently blog about the weird and wonderful aspects of The Angus, have unearthed much of the ‘Hidden Treasure’ which the rest of the project team is then able to use to enrich other aspects of the project, such as the exhibitions and school resources. Our second exhibition: “Stethoscopes & Petticoats: the Changing Roles of Non-Conformist Women” used some of the material newly discovered in our archives. Who knows what we may find for our next exhibition on Baptists in Conflict?
With many upcoming milestones and activities to look forward to, the project still has a long way to go. However, it is clear that things are in full swing and it’ll only get better from here.
by Anja Clark
Project Administrator
Categories: News
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