Catching up with Alice

Hi this is Alice again, one of the LHSA archive interns. I’m halfway through the internship, and it is going super quickly!

It feels like there’s a lot still to get through, but my work is progressing well. I’ve now got lots and lots of lists and am working through creating the source list. This will be both as a source list in a conventional format and as a supplementary online resource. I’ll have to thank one of last year’s interns who had previously used the online platform prezi – it’s been an incredibly helpful format to display my findings and ensure they are presented in an accessible way.

For the content I’ve been focusing on different hospitals, different campaigns, and female staff. After consulting lots of records, activism within all of these focuses has been a recurring theme.

I’ve been struck by how current and relevant a lot of the women’s health records feel. A good example being some of the Head On mental health campaign records. Head On was set up as part of the Scottish Women’s Health Fair in May 1983, the poster below illustrates the concerns women at the time were facing. The pressures and concerns on these women in the 1980’s are indeed strikingly similar to concerns many face today.

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As I’m studying for my Archives qualification alongside work I also enjoyed reading the probation nurses’ timetable. Nurses had to complete a preliminary training school and work as probationers before qualifying – I’m definitely grateful my archival training doesn’t include learning how to make gruel or a fish soufflé! There’s an insight into the cooking element of their training here, as you can see nurses were also learning how to make food for specific conditions such as diabetes. However, the timetable equally shows how the role of nurses has changed over time. There are dieticians who would assist patients with their diets now, and cooking isn’t a part of medical staff’s duties anymore.

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I’ve also sat in on, and then conducted, some oral history interviews. These have been really interesting, particularly getting women’s first hand memories of working in hospitals in Edinburgh in the past. It really helps illuminate some of the records I have been consulting.

For International Women’s Day there will be an exhibit here at LHSA with some of the records relating to women in the collections. This will be an informal drop in exhibit so do pop along. To book your place visit here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/international-womens-day-women-within-lothian-health-services-archive-tickets-93065889581

Some of the records from the health campaigns have a definite modern feel/aesthetic, and made me think of placards from the recent women’s marches which we have seen around the world.  

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Indeed, I’ve been looking at women in the HIV/AIDS collection which is really interesting, and is similarly visual.

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Consulting with a variety of records also helps me understand how a variety of researchers use LHSA’s records. You can really see from the HIV/AIDS collection how it would be helpful for ECA students too – nice to be reminded of archives’ different uses! Hopefully the resource I am creating will similarly have multiple uses for different users.