Please note: Café Royal Books exhibition will be closed on Monday and Tuesday (13-14 May) due to our Photography in Virtual Culture conference. The exhibition will open again on Wednesday 15 May. Apologies - everything else is open as usual!
Thinking about starting your own archive?
Learn how archiving and archives have changed since the advent of the digital age and key areas to consider when starting your own archive.
Course Format
Over six weeks, this practical course explores what it means to archive collections today – working with physical and/or digital material. Course leader Kathryn Tollervey starts by exploring the need for an archive and who it is for. Then we look at guidelines on cataloguing and metadata, as well as the processes of digitisation and preservation for both digital and physical material. We discuss what digital solutions are best for different types of collections. Throughout the course we focus on access and legacy of the archive.
Taking place weekly on Zoom, sessions include a blend of lectures, group discussions and presentations. Participants are provided with lecture slides and a list of resources for further study.
Who is this for?
Open to all, especially photographers who are interested in starting the process of archiving their material, whether of personal value or historical public interest.
Week One | Introduction on Tue 19 Sep
An overview of the course and an exploration of the history and changing forms of archives.
Guest lecture: Andreas Pauly
Week Two | Legacy on Tue 26 Sep
Why is there a need for an archive and who it is for? Any copyright implications and future possible contexts in how collections could be used.
Guest lecture: Isaac Blease
Week Three | Access on Tue 3 Oct
How to make archives available to different audiences and how to promote your archive. Introducing the use of open access and community involvement to increase reach and build stronger stories within archives.
Week Four | Digitisation and Born Digital on Tue 10 Oct
Introducing the debate on whether to digitise collections, in full or part. Practical guidelines in finding a suitable affordable platform.
Guest lecture: Rhoda Boateng
Week Five | Cataloguing and Metadata on Tue 17 Oct
An introduction and practical guidelines.
Week Six | Storage & Conclusions on Tue 24 Oct
Introduction to different solutions & considerations for both digital and physical material. Final Q&A session on next steps with your archive.
Kathryn Tollervey is the Archivist at The Photographers’ Gallery. She has twenty years’ experience working in photographic archives such as Foster + Partners (Norman Foster’s architectural studio) photographic & special collections archive, the Victorian high street photographer Edward Reeves’ Archive and the archives of celebrated American-photographer Lee Miller.
Rhoda Boateng is Project Archivist for the McKenzie Heritage Picture Archive at Black Cultural Archives. Established by photographer Anita J. McKenzie, the archive provided publishers, broadcasters and organisations with photos and other images of African, Asian and Caribbean people, cultures and communities, spanning the 18th to the 21st centuries.
Isaac Blease is an archivist and curator of photography based in Bristol (UK).
He works on independent curatorial projects, and is currently the Collections Manager at the Martin Parr Foundation in Bristol, where he oversees research, loans, documentation, digitisation and access with the archive.
Andreas Pauly is a freelance photographer of architecture and art. He first met Evelyn Hofer in 1982 and went on to work with her for many years on various projects and exhibitions in Europe and the USA. Working together they developed a long-standing collaboration and close friendship. He took over the management of Evelyn Hofer’s artistic estate following her death in 2009.
Please note: All bursary places have now been allocated.
A limited number of partial bursaries covering 50% of course fees will be awarded on a first come basis. Applicants who wish to be considered for a partial bursary should submit a statement (max. 500 words) to projects@tpg.org.uk, outlining how Starting an Archive would contribute to their professional development. Successful applicants will be notified within a week of submission.
We actively encourage applications from groups who are currently under-represented in the cultural sector in the UK. This includes people who identify as D/deaf, disabled* and neurodivergent; those with caring responsibilities; candidates from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds; and arts and culture professionals, prioritising independent artists and freelancers.
*The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as someone who has a physical or mental impairment, and the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Sharing that you are disabled will not be used in any way in judging the quality of your application.
Details on how to access this event will be confirmed upon registration. Please check your junk/spam folder if you haven't received an email from TPG staff confirming your place.
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