Author Archives: Katharine Short

About Katharine Short

When I was 13 every careers questionnaire I did at school suggested I become an archivist. In rebellion I studied History of Art at Cambridge and the Courtauld Institute before giving in to the inevitable and undertaking a qualification in Archives Administration at Aberystwyth University. I worked at King’s College London Archives and the London Metropolitan Archives before becoming the Archivist here at DMU in January 2013. My role is hugely varied: answering enquiries and assisting researchers, sorting, cataloguing, cleaning and packaging archival material, managing our environmentally controlled storage areas, giving seminars, talks and tours, researching aspects of University history, liaising with potential donors and advocating for the importance of archives within the organisation. I am one of those incredibly fortunate people who can say ‘I love my job’ and really mean it.

The Oronto Douglas Collection

Posted on 13/12/2018 by Katharine Short

We are pleased to announce an exciting new collection – papers of Oronto Douglas, Nigerian environmental rights lawyer and alumni of DMU! Oronto Douglas was born in Okoroba, Nigeria. He attended the University of Science and Technology, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, … Continue reading →

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New website for Special Collections catalogues

Posted on 11/12/2018 by Katharine Short

Special Collections is delighted to announce that we have moved to a new cataloguing system with a dedicated new website! The system, Epexio by Metadatis, will give us more behind-the-scenes functionality that will enable us to improve the catalogues we … Continue reading →

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Explore Your Archive day 9 – #InternationalArchives

Posted on 24/11/2018 by Katharine Short

DMU is rightly proud of its #DMUGlobal scheme, an international experience programme for our students, which aims to enrich studies, broaden cultural horizons and to develop key skills valued by employers. For today’s #InternationalArchives theme I chose a couple of years … Continue reading →

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Explore Your Archive day 3 – #ArchiveAnniversaries

Posted on 19/11/2018 by Katharine Short

There have been many significant anniversaries during 2018, not least the 100 year anniversaries of the end of the First World War and of the passing of Representation of the People Act allowing (some) women to vote. It has also … Continue reading →

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Explore Your Archive day 2: #Religious Archives

Posted on 16/11/2018 by Katharine Short

Today’s Explore Your Archive hashtag relates to #ReligiousArchives. For this theme I have selected some work by our architectural students of the 1930s, who were required to produce ‘measured drawings’ of local Leicester and Leicestershire buildings. Special Collections holds a … Continue reading →

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Explore Your Archive 2018

Posted on 06/11/2018 by Katharine Short

It’s November which means … it’s nearly time for Explore Your Archive! Explore Your Archive is a campaign that showcases the best of archives and archive services in the UK and Ireland. The campaign is owned by the sector itself … Continue reading →

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Conference Round-up: Part II

Posted on 22/10/2018 by Katharine Short

Following my trip to Glasgow to attend the Archives and Records Association annual conference, I was delighted to also be able to attend the International Council on Archives Section on University and Research Institution Archives conference, this year held in … Continue reading →

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Conference Round-Up: Part 1

Posted on 22/10/2018 by Katharine Short

At the end of August I was fortunate to attend the Archives and Records Association annual conference, this year held in Glasgow with the theme “People Make Records”. In this blog post I want to round up some of the key points and interesting discussions … Continue reading →

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PHRC Conference Write-Up

Posted on 03/07/2018 by Katharine Short

We were pleased to see that Naomi Daw aka The Heritage Girl mentioned our display in her write-up of the Photographic History Research Centre annual conference: “The display of items from the De Montfort University Special Collections was also fantastic … Continue reading →

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Showcasing our photographic history collections

Posted on 18/06/2018 by Katharine Short

Special Collections was pleased to be invited to prepare a pop-up display for the Photographic History Research Centre annual conference. The conference theme is Material Practices of Visual History. The case includes a brochure from the Kodak Collection library; a … Continue reading →

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