Vocabulary

Each English term is supplied with its dictionary definition. Think of the corresponding Russian equivalent and its explanation. Fill in the appropriate empty box.

historiographer	a) an expert in or student of historiography; b) a writer of history, especially an official historian
historiography	a) the writing of history; b) the study of history-writing
literature search	(here) a finding aid describing the holdings of the library relating to particular subjects, names, etc.

· Look through the text and:

1) select information which is new to you;

2) say what the job of an archivist was like at the start of the author’s career;

3) comment on the phrase according to which dirty papers give 'the frisson of that moment of encounter with the past, when the edges of the data seem to catch alight'; describe your feelings when you see a very old document in the archives.

BODLEY

In those days, Bodley saw itself as a local record office. It was the base for surveys undertaken by the Oxfordshire National Register of Archives Committee. This experience gave a valuable yardstick for evaluating the functioning of the NRA during those later years of its retirement from active service; but not so valuable for judging its performance now. Like the rest of us, the NRA, and its parent body, has moved from recruiting friends and organising volunteers to professionalising the services it offers. That is one of the themes of change over the period of observation.

The big event of my time at Bodley was the acquisition of the archives of the Diocese of Oxford, which we had to move in from disgusting cellars next to the Trill Mill stream. This stream had long been in the habit of flooding the storage areas twice a year or so, and the smell of rotting parchment is difficult to forget. This kind of experience was then held out as one of the defining activities of archivists, and I am glad to see that we still sometimes maintain the tradition. I had feared, at one time, that the essential rescue work we were doing was removing the element of discovery from the job of record-hunting.

Despite all our work over the years, there still seems no lack of horrible forgotten stores, full of dirty papers. Repulsive, but still giving 'the frisson of that moment of encounter with the past, when the edges of the data seem to catch alight'. For a few, dealing with these things is still the main point of the job; but probably no longer for most. Systematic surveys are not the same as accidental discoveries, and we have worked through most of the big historic accumulations. This is a pity; gum boots and rubber gloves are still important assets if you wish to really understand an archive.

(Cook M. Changing Times, Changing Aims)