Celebrating volunteers’ week: honouring your dedication
Did you know that last year, a dedicated team of volunteers contributed over 1,040 hours to support the work of the RCP’s Archives, Heritage Library and Museum? From assisting at public events, to helping us care for collections, volunteers play a crucial role in enriching our services and preserving our heritage.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication!
Holly, Museum Volunteer
I have been volunteering at the RCP since January 2023 and continued to develop new museum skills.
I have been involved in a wide range of activities over the past year, including more practical experience of preventative conservation, when assisting in cleaning of the objects on display in the museum and the busts in the Dorchester library. Working with other volunteers, we continued to rehouse and digitise the vast collections of prints, and then have worked at auditing them. It is very exciting to find prints which previously had unknown locations (such as porcupine man)!
I have also volunteered at some of the museum's evening events and had the opportunity to look through recipe books to find a recipe which could be made during the Healing Words autumn lecture. These events are not only very interesting but also highlight how history, and objects in the museum, can be brought to life.
I am so grateful to have been able to volunteer at the RCP, as it has taught me invaluable skills about collections care and have been able to work with the very supportive museum team. I look forward to assisting in more projects.
Printed copy of the RCP report "Fluoride, Teeth & Health"
Rebecca, Archives Volunteer
My name is Rebecca Hayward, and I volunteered at the RCP archive for two weeks as part of my postgraduate course in Archives and Records Management at UCL. I had very little prior hands-on experience in archives, with a background in libraries, and I was excited to apply what I had learnt on the course so far in a real-life scenario. I was particularly interested in the RCP for its rich institutional history and my academic interest in the history of medicine.
The task I was assigned was to catalogue and repackage a collection concerning the Committee on Fluoridation and the consequent RCP report Fluoride, Teeth and Health. The work involved learning how to use RCP’s Axiell catalogue, developing a hierarchy of sub-fonds, series, and files to integrate into the current system. I initially used Word to create content lists and draft file-level descriptions that I could later add to Axiell.
The fluoridation of drinking water remains a politically and ethically charged issue today, and so I was conscious of the necessity to focus on neutrality. Another highlight of the project was exploring how the RCP approached sensitive language in the archives, requiring discussions about accessibility, cataloguing standards, and how archives can support users without reinforcing historic harm.
It was amazing to work with such a knowledgeable team and to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the library, museum and archive collaborate across the RCP. I came away with new skills, a stronger sense of confidence, and a deeper understanding of how archives process and adapt information for both researchers and the wider public.
Title page from "Quæstio medica, cardinalitiis disputationibus mane discutienda in scholis medicorum ... an diebus æstatis ferventissimis vinum glacie diluere innoxium?"
Yvonne, Heritage Library Volunteer
The wide-ranging tasks I have been involved in since the start of 2024 helped me secure a spot on the MA in Library and Information Studies at UCL, and I have been lucky enough to carry on volunteering alongside my studies. It has been invaluable to consider contemporary librarianship preoccupations such as access vs preservation, fiscal constraints vs donations, and to contextualise the importance of a robust collections management strategy, with the real-life operation of the historically significant RCP collection.
This year, I have helped to improve over 9,000 catalogue records for materials dating back to 1450 by identifying whether they were written in Old English, ancient Greek, Latin or (in one case) Aramaic! More recently, I have been applying my cataloguing module learnings to the medico-legal and oversized tracts. I am happy to report that anyone needing a 17th century Latin dissertation on “whether in the hottest days of summer it is harmless to dilute wine with ice” (Quæstio medica, cardinalitiis disputationibus mane discutienda in scholis medicorum ... an diebus æstatis ferventissimis vinum glacie diluere innoxium?) can now find it on the RCP catalogue!
My time as a library volunteer at the RCP has been immensely rewarding, and it has been invaluable to learn from Katie Birkwood, rare books and special collections librarian. I am looking forward to many more hours rummaging through the treasures of the beautiful Dorchester library collection, and supporting the efforts of the Archives, Heritage Library and Museum team.
Asmaa, Museum Volunteer
I have been volunteering with RCP since March 2024. During this time, I have gained hands-on experience working with collections, including cataloguing, inventory, and collections care. I have been involved in a range of tasks such as creating catalogue records of new accessions using Axiell in line with the Spectrum standard, photographing collections using a DSLR camera and editing the images to meet database requirements, assisting with exhibition installation, and rehousing prints in archival-grade storage for long-term preservation.
Currently, I am carrying out a location audit of the prints collection, ensuring all items are in their specified locations and properly photographed. Volunteering with RCP has been a great opportunity to build my skills and gain valuable experience. The AMS team has always been supportive, taking the time to answer questions and assigning tasks that align with volunteers’ interests.
Thank you, Volunteers!