April 28, 2025, by Sarah Colborne
From Clues to Context: Exploring Archives as an Archaeology Student
This is a guest blog by Yan Chin, a second year Archaeology undergraduate student who completed a placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections in 2025 working on the records of Florence Boot Hall of residence.
How does it feel to work with archives, with their rich historical value? As an archaeology student, this question’s been on my mind for a while, and I finally got the chance to explore this fascinating industry.
Getting Started
When I received the confirmation email securing my placement as an archive assistant working on the Florence Boot Hall, I wanted to be as prepared as possible. I familiarised myself with the general history of Florence Boot Hall, tried to navigate their online catalogue, and reviewed the Derby Hall online archive as the work I work on Florence Boot Hall would follow a similar approach. The preparation I have done before the placement has equipped me with a general understanding of the project which makes me feel less nervous.
Right from the start at Manuscripts and Special Collections, I felt welcomed. The working environment was really supportive and inclusive. I liked how the space had both quiet working areas and relaxing zones, making it easier for people to work in the way that suited them best. This setup gave me a better idea of what a good working space should look like.
Aerial photograph of Florence Boot Hall and the Trent Building, c.1930. UR 1390/3,
My Role in the Placement
I was tasked with creating a detailed box list for the materials and researching the hall’s history to draft an administrative description. Receiving training from the conservation department has strengthened my confidence in handling fragile documents and ensuring the materials is preserved from further damage. Reading through documents, mainly letters written by the warden has provided me a valuable insights into the hall’s function from warden’s narrative. It was not only a residence for university students but also served as a training space for education students and a conference venue for various organisations, particularly those advocating for women’s rights. I created to-do lists and recorded everything I had completed after each shift. This approach allowed me to quickly pick up where I left off each week and mitigate the chances of feeling lost or doing repetitive work.
Box file from the Florence Boot Hall archive with acid-free paper and paper clips to protect materials from future damage.
A Shift in Perspective
Throughout the first half of my placement, one of the most rewarding parts was the sense of discovery, I feel like a detective putting all the clues together to uncover the obscure story of Florence Boot Hall. Since there’s not much info about the full history of Florence Boot Hall online, using primary sources gave me a real feeling of achievement. One moment that stood out was finding a photo of Emma Houston, Florence Boot’s great-granddaughter, planting a tree at the 75th anniversary of the hall. That link between the family and the hall still being alive today felt really special [for more information about the family’s continued link to the hall, see this blog post by the Alumni Office].
I also had something I found challenging which was reading handwritten documents. The variety of handwritten styles in letters can be difficult to read, making the tasks more effort demanding to extract key details. To tackle this issue, I researched techniques for reading archival handwriting. I found helpful advice, such as comparing it to similar documents or simply taking a break and revisiting the text with fresh eyes. Using these strategies, I was able to read those tricky words and gain confidence from this experience in tackling challenges independently and making good use of the resources from the internet.
What I’ve Learned
Speaking generally, my written communication skills were improved when I conducted the history of the hall. I learned to use clear and simple wording to explain historical information, avoiding jargon to make the content more accessible to a wider audience. Problem-solving was also a crucial aspect of my role. I developed a systematic and proactive way to tackle challenges, which I plan to continue improving in future projects to work more efficiently and effectively. Attention to detail was another skill that I significantly improved, it is crucial to have to ability to spot out the highlights in loads of documents, as my role is to ensure the completeness of the hall’s history. For example, listing out some notable figures like Monica Partridge from the invitation list helps to shape historical narratives that people are not familiarise with and that is the power of primary sources. Making people or events in the past more relatable as it has direct connection, it can strengthen the credibility of research and making the evidence more convincing and trustworthy.
A note of Helen Meller (the 5th warden of FB Hall) preparing the 70th anniversary celebration pamphlet about a short history of the hall. Stating that Monica Partridge was a former student in the hall.
In retrospect, the most valuable lesson I learned from the placement is that my awareness of the significance of public engagement in the heritage and cultural sectors has grown. Archives and artefacts are not just about preserving; in fact, they played a key role in connecting people with history. This insight will stay with me as I navigate my career choices after my graduation.
At the start of my placement, I assumed my role was to go through all the archival material in the order listed in the Excel spreadsheet. However, by the time I carried out my placement, I realised that my ultimate task was much more than just cataloguing a box list. Instead, I had the great opportunity to highlight the fascinating stories that would help the students and the public gain a better, well-rounded understanding of the hall’s development.
Looking back, does placement make people more employable? This is a question many university students ask, and after completing my placement, my answer is yes. The experience went beyond my expectations, offering valuable opportunities to engage in different aspects of the project and understand the core mission of the cultural sector, which is the biggest takeaway.
Access
Work is still in progress on detailed cataloguing of the collection but with advance notice, the records of Florence Boot Hall can be accessed in the Manuscripts and Special Collections Reading Room at the University of Nottingham’s King’s Meadow Campus. Information on booking a visit can be found on our website: Visiting the Reading Room.
The Florence Boot Hall archive was originally curated by former warden Hellen Meller, who in 1998 published a book about the history of the Hall: History of Florence Boot Hall, 1928-1998 : to mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the Hall (East Midlands Collection Not 5.G12 MEL).
A heritage wall using images from the archive is on display at Florence Boot Hall and a digital gallery featuring photos, documents and plans can be found here: Student Halls of Residence
Heritage wall designed by Cherry Anderson with Wendy Greenop, at the newly refurbished Florence Boot Hall.
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