From Musing about Museums to Analyzing Archives . . . 

Hatley Castle at Royal Roads University

"I am a collections management expert and I would do a STELLAR job as your archivist." 

This is the message I found in a notebook of what I wanted to relay when I interviewed for the position of Archivist at Royal Roads University. When I found out about the opportunity, it intrigued me. As mentioned, my consultant/contract work was not making a whole lot of money (might have something to do with the volunteer gigs . . . ) and so I was always on the look-out for full-time, permanent position where I could use my collections management skills. Here was my chance to stretch myself, to really learn about archives and archival work. I had of course done some work previously in the Government House archives but this was going to be immersed in the profession. And an awesome thing happened: I rocked the interview and presentation, and not only because I brought up an 80s photo of when I visited the site when it was Royal Roads Military College (!!), but because I demonstrated how my experience would add value to the university, specifically in the library as their archivist. So the next step in my career journey was to enter the world of archives!

Rockin' the big hair look
at the top of Hatley Castle at Royal Roads

I previously wrote quite a bit about what it was like to be the archivist in a library at a university located in a National Historic Site (many layers to explore!). There was much to learn there, and I loved getting to know the people and the place. There were many dimensions - the Dunsmuirs of the Hatley Park days, the ex-cadets from when it was a military college (many of whom were still very active in preserving their story and the site) as well as the work required as the university archivist. I was a department of one, with a couple of summer students along the way, responsible for entering information into the database, organizing the physical archives, writing posts for the weekly staff online newsletter, giving presentations and creating and staffing temporary displays for events. I also oversaw the digitization of the military college yearbooks, making sure that they were OCR'd (optical character recognition) so that they were searchable for the alum. It was a rich and fulfilling professional time on a stunning campus that included beautiful lunchtime walks.

The Japanese Garden

Seriously, if you ever get the chance to visit - DO!!

I also had the opportunity to collaborate with and get to know people who worked at RRU - there is so much knowledge there, and many great programs. I particularly learned a lot from the presentation course called the Instructional Skills Workshop. More of a life-lesson on how to trust myself, and to BELIEVE that I know a lot and can get the message across without overthinking or excessive prep. Rereading this post and the one before on giving presentations reminded me that if I simply breathe and ground myself, I can confidently engage with any audience, understanding that they are genuinely interested in what I have to share. I think I learned from the peacocks that that roamed the campus that being 'showy' isn't a bad thing . . . deep within, I possess knowledge and a compelling narrative that can captivate others. 

I truly love the opportunity to learn new things, think in innovative ways and embrace challenges that I have never considered before. I am so grateful for my time at Royal Roads University, to have served as the archivist that allowed me to gain a further understanding of archives. This experience built upon the foundation of university work that I had at University of Victoria and further deepened my appreciation of working at a National Historic Site, much like my earlier role at Government House. Experience by experience, brick by brick, this is how I grow and evolve; I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that have shaped my professional path.

Part of the RRU Archives collection I oversaw