Real-Life Communication
If you're dealing with old documents, then communication skills
aren't that important, right? Wrong! Good written and verbal communication
skills are both imperative to an archivist's job.
"If somebody
is looking for something, but they don't really know what they want or
how to find it, you have to be able to ask them the right questions to find
that information," says archivist Donna Murphy.
She adds that you must
get an idea of what the researcher wants, because sometimes an item might
have been called something different 30 years ago. You have to get enough
information to be able to identify the item.
"How you communicate the
information and the description of the records you've processed is very
important in order for you to find the information in the future," says Murphy.
The
Greens, a local family, are well aware of the scope and mandate of your archives,
and they have chosen to donate some family items which date back to the Victorian
era.
The collection consists of family photographs, a woman's
diary, wedding invitations, passports, calendars and newspaper
clippings. You've appraised these items and have determined that they
do indeed meet the requirements for your archives.
If your collection
focuses on travel throughout the years, explain how each item listed above
might qualify.