A Brief History of Conservators' Regional Groups
The first regional group to be formed was in the Midlands at the beginning of 1983. A small group of conservators decided that meeting together on a regular basis would be beneficial. Most conservators, or conservationists as they were known then, worked in isolation, and the opportunity to meet with fellow professionals would enable them to discuss problems, share new information and invite speakers to give presentations on related topics.
Later on that year, following the success of the Midlands Region Group, a meeting was arranged at Sheffield City Archives, with the intention of establishing a similar group in the north. Some twelve conservators attended, unanimously agreeing to establish the Northern Region Group of Conservators.
Since then both regions have flourished, adapting to the changing needs of conservators. The Midlands Group meet about four times a year, with the Northern Region group meeting twice a year. During the years a multitude of topics have been covered, just about every participating office has been visited, a range of speakers have presented and demonstrated a variety of subjects, and new developments in the field of conservation have been welcomed and explored. Meetings are informal, and any conservator resident in the region can attend. This informality has encouraged conservators from local authority archives, university libraries and archives, binderies, museums, and the private sector to attend, widening the field of expertise and experience.
In 1995 conservators in Wales decided to establish their own group. Thirteen members attended the first meeting at the National Library of Wales, and enjoyed a full programme of presentations. A first for them was the writing up of the minutes in two languages, English and Welsh! They have also flourished and hold regular meetings, usually with high attendance.
Some South West region conservators began a group in 2003 to address the isolation of the wide spread offices and private practices in this end of the country. The founding members were predominantly society members, but felt the inclusion of others especially lone private paper and archive conservators would be beneficial to the group and might encourage new members to the society. An earlier group was formed by Chris Woods in the late 1980's but went quiet by the mid 90's. Now meetings tend to be annual, although we aim for two, due to the expense of travelling long distances from Cornwall to Wiltshire and all points in between, and the need to make the meetings a worthwhile training session as well. We have had some very interesting and inspiring events at the National Hydrographic Office, Dorset History Centre and Devon Record Office. If you would like to attend please contact Deborah Phillips at Devon Record Office, deborah.phillips@devon.gov.uk
The success of these regional groups is based on the need for conservators to maintain links with fellow conservators, and awareness of developments within the profession. This is very important as evidence of continuing professional development is required for various assessment programmes and professional bodies. Many conservators are still working alone, and it is important that the facilities exist enabling them to 'network' with fellow professionals.
Last modified 24/08/2007
