Our most recent volunteer reflects on the time they have spent in the Archives:
I had started to volunteer in the archives, at Brunel University, in the late Spring and through the summer holiday. My interest in volunteering in the archives was garnered when considering potential paths to explore, once my Undergraduate degree was completed. This was due to me being interested in a Postgraduate course focused on Archives and Records Management, and wanting experience to discover whether I enjoyed the work.
When volunteering, I was primarily cataloguing newspaper clippings, that detailed the development of the University, from a Technical College, along with the various exploits, activism and scandals that were intwined within student life at the University. Additionally, I was also able to scan the clippings, preserving them through the creation of a digital copy.
During my time cataloguing in the archive, I found out much regarding the history of the University, which I found to be intriguing. For instance, I was able to read a piece from the student paper, that detailed the development of the Department of Cybernetics in 1969. The piece was written by Professor F. H. George, as part of a series that provided an overview of the various departments within the University. The piece described the practical and theoretical applications of Cybernetics, along with explaining the aims of the Undergraduate course and Post Graduate research. As someone who enjoys the Science Fiction genre, I found it to be quite an interesting read that was entertaining to catalogue.
Many of the pieces catalogued were rather humorous accounts of the student life at Brunel, which I was eager to delve into. For instance, there were various attempted heists that aimed to steal the University mascot, Isambardina, orchestrated by students at rival universities, with one such occasion including the procurement of hostages.
Additionally, many of the reported scandals within the student newspaper were amusing due to the changing notions of what constitutes modesty and obscenity, making some of the controversies seem to be overreactions. One such instance was in 1969, in which Lynne Berdette Clerk received scrutiny for being pictured in the ‘Brag’ magazine in what was later described as ‘a sultry pose’.
Overall, I found my time volunteering to be rather interesting, enjoying reading up on the humorous accounts of student life at the University, in a welcoming work environment.