Archives Project

Recently, our placements from Aston University finished their archival module. Read to hear about their experience and the impact volunteering and placements have on small museums.

‘We are history students from Aston University who have been encouraged to experience the nature and core functions of an archive. As students we recognised the value and importance of preserving archives and how crucial they are to historical research. We chose the Pen Museum as it showcases a niche part of the history of Birmingham, which to us was very intriguing and we wanted to learn about what happens behind the scenes. Additionally, it would improve many of our life skills such as communication which we could take with us further into our course. We found ourselves involved in various activities which ranged from sorting pen nibs to cataloguing archival materials. We discovered many fascinating pieces such as instruction manuals which would be used to construct and operate a pen, as well as documents of families of former pen companies. Our tasks will benefit the museum in the future through helping to organise the archives. Overall, with our experience we were most surprised the sheer wealth of history behind the pens and those who made them. We both would highly recommend visiting and experiencing all that the Pen Museum has to offer.’

Placements such as this which allow us to update, organise, and assess our archival materials. If you are considering work placements or volunteering roles, please reach out through our volunteering page!