About

Introduction

My name is Vincente Canas. I completed the CILIP Level 3 Libraries, Information and Archive Services Assistant Apprenticeship with Kingston Heritage Service in March 2024. My motivation to undertake this apprenticeship was to persue a career working with archives and collections.

Why archives and collections

Although I have enjoyed museums from a very young age, I was wasn’t aware of archives until I attended a National Archives Summer Series on maps just after completing A-levels back in 2018. Seeing the collection items close up on display after the tallks really sparked my interest, and the idea of working with archives and collections grew from that moment on.

Soon afterwards I started to volunteer at the Museum of Richmond, from where I progressed to volunteering at Richmond Local Studies Library and Archives and Kingston University Archives and Special Collections. My volunteering and efforts to find an apprenticeship were interrupted by Covid, but after re-opening I was able to start the LIAS apprenticeship part-time at Kingston History Centre.

Apprenticeship

My apprenticeship project was on the topic of building digital collections and digital preservation. With more and more born-digital and digitised material being produced, digital preservation is highly relevant to securing modern archive collections, and this is an area I am especially keen to further my skills in.

Volunteering

As my apprenticeship was part-time it took me three years to complete rather than the usual eighteen months, but this had the advantage that I was able to keep up my volunteering at Richmond and Kingston University, giving me additional experience with diffferent types of archives and collections. Last year I started additional volunteering, working with the archives and collections of the Royal Geographical Society.

Next steps

I am currently continuing with my volunteering as I explore next steps. As I do so, I am seeking further opportunities to grow my skills.

Why this blog

This blog reflects on lessons learned and practical experiences gained from ongoing professional development for working with archives and collections. I will also be sharing discoveries from the archives made along the way.

I hope you find something of interest here.