The Business Archives Council of Scotland organises an annual conference in the Autumn, occasional training days and in 2017 started it’s Corporate Connections event to support networking for business archivists and custodians of business archives in Scotland. Details of past events can be found here.
Events
AGM
The 2020 AGM was held online via zoom on Wednesday 16th December. Registration was via our eventbrite page. The AGM will follow the Corporate Connections events which starts at 10:30am.
The following papers were issued to members:
Corporate Connections
Corporate Connections is an initiative launched by BACS in 2017 to encourage face to face conversations, bringing together the small community of business archivists and custodians of business archives in Scotland, many of whom work alone to share our experiences. Regular social meet ups are held twice a year, with a rotating theme to kick start conversations and let you meet your peers. Anything and everything business archives will be openly discussed among friends.
Due to Covid-19 our 2020 Corporate Connections events were moved online. The BACS team invite those with an interest in business archives to this informal event where current challenges, successes and ideas are shared over virtual tea and biscuits (to be provided by the attendees!)
The theme of our next event is ‘Connections to Slavery & Empire in Business Archives’. Discussion will be led by Jennifer Melville, Project Leader of the Facing Our Past project at the National Trust for Scotland. As Jennifer writes here:
“The National Trust for Scotland has a wealth of stories about slavery associated with its places… But we have been less forthright in relating darker, more difficult, stories and in explaining some particularly challenging – to modern eyes, even offensive – items in our collections. The truth is that many of the places now in our care were built, or made much grander, using the enormous wealth accrued through the subjugation of others – slavery in the West Indies and indentured servitude in the East.”
Such stories and connections can be found throughout business archive collections with many companies and organisations having direct and indirect links to slavery and empire. What is the role of archivists and curators in understanding our collections and ensuring these stories are told? What does the work of decolonising business archives look like? The discussion will consider these questions and Jennifer’s experience with the NTS project ‘Facing Our Past’.
- Where: Online via zoom (link to be sent in advance of the meeting)
- When: Friday 19th March, 11.00am – 12.30pm
- What: This discussion will focus on the role of archivists in understanding and revealing connections to slavery and empire in business archives.
- How: To reserve a place, please book via our eventbrite page. Or you can email Karyn.williamson@aberdeenstandard.com
Places are limited so we advise booking early to avoid disappointment. Please direct any questions or comments to the same email address. A zoom meeting link will be provided in advance of the meeting. Find out more about the previous events here.
Our online events are open to all. Normally our regular in-person events are for BACS members who are business archivists or custodians of business archive collections. Not a BACS member already? Come along to see what BACS has to offer and become a member! (Annual membership starts from £10 Individual Member, £20 Organisational Member, £50 Corporate Member).