Goodbye Michael

Today we say farewell to our longest serving and one of our best known members of staff, Michael Bolik.  Michael is a familiar face to all of our users having been with the Archives since 1987 but his association with the University of Dundee goes back further as Michael studied here in the 1970s. He has the rare distinction of having studied or worked under all six Principals of the University of Dundee.

The importance of Michael’s contribution to Archive Services cannot be overstated.  Significant among his many contributions in the past 25 years is the key role he has played in organising the records of the University of Dundee and its predecessors. He has also worked on many other important collections including the records of the Glasite and Sandemanian Churches.  His knowledge of the University archive collections is extensive and his expertise will be missed by us all. Michael has also provided invaluable advice and support to a large number of our users and it is no surprise that several major publications have cited him in their acknowledgements.

Michael quickly grasped the importance of new technology in promoting our collections and created our first webpages in the early 1990s; his role in  managing our IT needs has been crucial in allowing ARMMS to flourish. We have over 30,000 digital images of our collections which have been managed by Michael, and he has been responsible for overseeing the use of some of these in publications around the world. His often behind the scenes assistance, for example with A Dundee Celebration and Lost Dundee, did not go unnoticed by his colleagues. 

We will miss Michael not just for this work, but for his personality.  His sense of humour and genuine interest in the lives of those who work with him have meant that everyone in ARMMS has found him a pleasure to work beside. Michael has made many friends across the University who will be saddened by his departure. However, our sadness is tempered by our happiness that he is starting a new life and we wish him the very best for the future. 

Good luck from everyone at ARMMS and CAIS.

Tortured English

A common criticism of FoI is the tone of the responses sent to applicants. The legislation requires answers to contain precise and specific words and phrases which, at best, can sound rather dry. At worst, they give correspondence an unintended air of officiousness which can create or increase perceived barriers between an applicant and the public body from whom they are requesting information. This is counterintuitive when we remember that FoI is supposed to be one of the channels that improves the relationship between the public and public authorities by making access to information not only more straightforward, but a right protected by statute.

For instance, if someone in Scotland requests information about another person which can't be provided because its release would contravene the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) (ie the release of one person's personal information to another would not be appropriate), the response is likely to mention the following sections of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FoI(S)A):

 • S.16 - so that the applicant knows that their request for information is being refused (even though the public body does have the information that has been requested).
• S.38(1)(b) - the specific exemption from disclosure being claimed by the public authority.
• S.38(2)(a)(i) - the justification for claiming the exemption in S.38(1)(b), which informs the applicant that, in the view of the public authority, the release of the information requested would breach the principles of the DPA.

The public authority also has to provide an argument supporting their position. In this example, that argument doesn't include a consideration of 'substantial prejudice' (also known as the application of a 'harm test'), but that is something that is required by some other exemptions. The argument in this example revolves around a potential breach of the principles of the DPA, and thus might include reference to parts of that Act (over and above the references already made to sections of FoI(S)A) such as:

• The definitions of data, personal data and sensitive personal data (if appropriate) in S.1 and S.2.
• One or more of the 8 data protection principles listed in Schedule 1, Part 1.

If the argument being made concerns a breach of the first data protection principle, then Schedule 1, Part 2 (S.1-S.5), Schedule 2 and (potentially) Schedule 3 of the DPA may all be relevant.

And so on (and the above is by no means comprehensive). The more complex the request, the more difficult the language becomes and the alphabet soup gets thicker and thicker.

Tellingly, even at this point, we still haven't finished. In this example, the organisation does not have to undertake a public interest test by virtue of S.2(2)(e)(ii) of FoI(S)A, but that is something that is necessary when claiming many other exemptions. The response also has to include instructions on the process by which the person making the request can compel the public body to review their decision to withhold information.

It isn't hard to see, then, how a formal response to a FoI request can seem stand-offish. Euan Semple in his book Organisations Don't Tweet, People Do rails against the use of cold and dispassionate language in organisations, suggesting that all it does is create distance and frustration, both on the part of people trying to communicate with organisations and for people in an organisation trying to communicate with those outside. It's a fair point and many FoI officers try to make their correspondence sound human whilst meeting all the requirements placed upon them by the law. But, and it's a big but, as soon as a correspondence has to be 'defensible' in some way, it is inevitable that it becomes impersonal to a degree because defensibility implies an over-arching regulatory framework with specific requirements for compliance. The result can be a stilted tone (pp http://euansemple.com/theobvious/2012/8/11/meaning-matters.html).

Is that a bad thing? On one level, no. As long as the applicant's request for information is properly considered and they either receive the information they have requested or a proper explanation of why it can't be disclosed (which they can choose to either accept or challenge), the system is working and people can exercise a right which didn't exist before 2005. We shouldn't forget that FoI is less than 10 years old (in terms of the date that the legislation came into force) and cultural change is an incremental process. Moreover, the provision of detail to applicants means that they can make an independent assessment of the response they receive and decide whether they wish to request that a decision be reviewed. The detail is important as it underpins any necessary defence of the right to access information.

Although it is important, the detail doesn't make responses easy to read. That's why I was intrigued and heartened by a petition response published by the White House recently. It uses well-judged humour to respond to a petition suggesting that the United States should build a Death-Star, but manages to make some interesting points about the current priorities of the US space programme (https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/response/isnt-petition-response-youre-looking). The tone of the response makes it sound like it was written by a human and the fact that the author was prepared to engage with the petitioner in the right spirit resulted in the response (and therefore the substantive points about the space programme as well as the humorous sections) receiving far more coverage than a simple rebuttal could ever have achieved. It's a great example of a human touch going a long way and something from which anyone working in information compliance can learn.

On this day in Dundee

This is the first of two posts in which we look back to the year just gone and forward to the coming year. In this post we remember some significant anniversaries for the University and for Dundee which occurred in 2012.

Doris Mackinnon

September saw the 100^th anniversary of the 1912 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Dundee. This event involved several members of staff of University College, Dundee including Patrick Geddes, Angus Fulton and Doris Mackinnon.

1912 was also notable for one of the largest industrial disputes in Dundee’s history with around 30,000 millworkers going on strike in the city, bringing production to a virtual standstill. Matters were eventually settled on 15^th April and the strike was soon eclipsed by the news of the sinking of RMS Titanic. It would later emerge that the Dundee built vessel SS Californian had been close to Titanic (the question of how close remains doubtful) but had not responded to her distress signals. Archive Services holds records relating to both the 1912 meeting and to the strike.

Dundee Asylum

This year also marked the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Harry Walker, the founder of an important local jute firm, the papers of which we hold (MS 66/VI).  1812 was also the year when the foundation stone of the original Dundee Asylum was laid.  Its records (THB 7) are held has part of the NHS Tayside Archive.

Other significant anniversaries in 2012 included:

• ·         125^th anniversary of the opening of the second Tay Rail Bridge
• ·         115^th anniversary of the founding of The Dundee Women's Hospital and Nursing Home
• ·         65^th anniversary of the foundation of the Abertay Historical Society
• ·         40^th anniversary of the 1972 University of Dundee North East Greenland Expedition
• ·         25^th anniversary of the arrival of Michael Hamlin as Principal
• ·         20^th anniversary of the appointment of Sir James Whyte Black as Chancellor and of Stephen Fry as Rector.

We hold material on all of these events and institutions in the Archives. If you are interested in finding out more contact archives@dundee.ac.uk or visit www.dundee.ac.uk/archives. 

E-ARMMS Newsletter 19

A monthly newsletter from Archive, Records Management and Museum Services (ARMMS) and the Centre for Archive and Information Studies (CAIS) at the University of Dundee.

This is the latest edition of the ARMMS and CAIS newsletter, eARMMS, that we also post here. Let us know if you would like an email copy each month.


In this edition:

1. Dr John Carvell
2. Benefiting from the Facts
3. Digital Art for Light Night
4. Scottish Art Evening Class
5. New Volunteers
6. Talks
7. Making History
8. Twitter
9. New accession
10. Bumper October for information compliance
11. Completion of JISC project on the costs of FoI
12. University Science and Medical Display
13. Dr John Blair

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1. Dr John Carvell

Archive Services has again been visited by John Carvell, who regular readers will recall had previously come to the Archives in August, when he was the subject of an oral history interview. He graduated from the School of Medicine in 1970 and during his time as a student he was the first president of the University of Dundee Sports Union. In 1968 he was part of the University's expedition to Scoresby Land in East Greenland, serving as the medical officer and sending back a number of reports that were published by the Courier and Advertiser. These offer fascinating accounts of the expedition, ranging from the dangers of crumbling snow bridges and charging musk oxen to the beauty and solitude of the land. Dr Carvell has generously deposited copies of the reports and a map of Scoresby Land with us. Before Dr Carvell’s recent visit we had made printouts of various images taken during the expedition that showed the various team members. Dr Carvell kindly took time to identify these individuals thus enabling us to update our records.

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2. Benefiting from the Facts

The latest exhibition in the Tower Foyer Gallery has been curated by Claire Wallace, a part-time student on the Museum and Gallery Studies postgraduate course at the University of St Andrews, who is doing her work placement with Museum Services. Claire's exhibition looks at some of the most notable benefactors to the university and its various affiliated institutions, and features paintings, sculpture, photographs and artefacts. Among the benefactors whose generosity is highlighted are Mary Ann Baxter, founder of the university; William Ogilvy Dalgleish, one of the principal funders of the medical school; Margaret Harris, whose bequest endowed the chair of physics; and James Duncan of Jordanstone, after whom the Art College is named. Two of the portraits shown in the exhibition are being displayed for the first time since having conservation treatment funded by a grant from Museums Galleries Scotland. Material from Archive Services is also included in the exhibition.-->

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3. Digital Art for Light Night

The D'Arcy Thompson Zoology Museum was open as part of Dundee's Christmas Light Night celebrations, and as part of the event a specially commissioned digital artwork was premiered. Daniel Brown is one of the UK's leading digital artists, and was commissioned by Museum Services as part of the Art Funded RENEW project to build a collection of art inspired by D'Arcy Thompson. Daniel has created a computer program which grows random flower forms whose textures and patterns are drawn from specimens in the Zoology Museum. The work will next be shown in an exhibition in the Gateway Galleries in St Andrews along with other works acquired for the project so far.

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4. Scottish Art Evening Class

Curator Matthew Jarron recently organised a successful evening class for Continuing Education on Scottish Art of the 20th Century, arranged in collaboration with the Scottish Society for Art History and co-tutored by Lesley Lindsay. The six-week course, which was fully booked, featured guest talks and visits to local collections, as well as a tour of some of the university's own art collections.

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5. New Volunteers

Several new volunteers started working with Archive Services in November joining our long-term volunteers Jaqui and Rosanna. Our volunteers do exceptional work for us on a variety of projects. Currently volunteers are helping catalogue the McLean water records, the records of Dundee Art Society, the papers of Professor Charles McKean and of Dr Mary Young and the Lord Roberts / Royal Dundee Institute for the Blind archives as well as helping us with indexing the University Court Minutes, the admission registers of Dundee Royal Infirmary and Canongate books.

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6. Talks

Caroline has given a couple of talks on the archives to local groups recently. Over fifty members of the Perth Probus Club turned out on a cold morning to hear about the archive collections and were particularly interested in the material we hold on the world wars. Caroline also spoke to the Dundee and Rattray Civic Trust focusing on the jute related collections that the archives hold. Several members of the audience had either worked in jute factories or knew people who had been associated with the industry in Dundee or India so there was some lively discussion following the talk.

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7. Making History

How can history be 'made'? If history is made then who makes it? In a recent lecture to history students Caroline discussed these questions and the role of archives and archivists in creating history, memories and identities. The students discussed the 'truth' of the historical record and the impact that archivists might have when deciding what to keep and how to catalogue and promote their collections. These issues are also addressed in a module that is currently being developed by CAIS on Public History, and which will be available from May 2013.

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8. Twitter

The @UoD_Archives Twitter account now has over 340 followers which represents an increase of more than 125% during 2012. The @CAIS_Archives account continues to prove popular with over 680 users following it, while @UoD_Museums has an incredible 1732 followers. Our Twitter accounts allow our users to obtain instant news, facts and information about our activities and collections.

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9. New accession

We recently obtained a copy of the rare 1841 book The State of St David's Parish; with remarks on the Moral and Physical Statistics of Dundee by the Reverend George Lewis. The Reverend Lewis was a leading champion of social reform in Dundee and a prolific writer of pamphlets and tracts. This volume is particularly fascinating in that it provides detailed qualitative and quantitative information on Dundee in the Victorian period, especially the industrial district around the Hawkhill. The book has been added to the Kinnear Local Book Collection (Kloc), which already includes some of Lewis’ other works.

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10. Bumper October for information compliance

Alan has started compiling the statistics he needs to produce the annual report on information compliance in the University. October was a bumper month with 32 requests for information received on a variety of subjects. This indicates a remarkable increase in the use of the legislation and individuals' awareness of their rights, especially when we remember that the University received 78 requests in total in 2005 (the first year of FoI).

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11. Completion of JISC project on the costs of FoI

The data collection for phase 2 of the JISC project to establish the cost of FoI compliance in UK universities was recently completed. The University of Dundee, along with several other universities, tracked the amount of time spent answering particular requests and provided this data to JISC. The hope is that the project will result in an exchange of good practice and a more representative understanding of the costs of complying with information legislation.

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12. University Science and Medical Display

During the Dundee Science Fest, Archive Services had two 'open days' where visitors were given a tour of the archive storage areas and shown a variety of records relating to science and the University. Jennifer and Michael have now used these records to create a small display outside the Searchroom. One of the display boards highlights the work of Johannes Petrus Kuenen, Edward Waymouth Reid, Robert P. Cook and Margaret Fairlie. The second board looks at different Professors and the University buildings associated with them. The items in the display case focus on hospitals and in particular, aspects of 'occupational therapy' at Murray Royal Asylum and Sunnyside Royal Hospital.

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13. Dr John Blair

Kenneth recently finished listed and numbering the papers of Dr John Blair (UR-SF 65). Dr Blair studied medicine in Dundee in the 1940s and 1950s and has had a long association with both the University of Dundee and the University of St Andrews in a variety of capacities. As well as serving for many years as a widely respected consultant at Perth Royal Infirmary, Dr Blair is internationally well known as an expert in the history of medicine. He also had a long association with the Royal Army Medical Corps. His fascinating records include material relating to his career, personal life and his many interests, notably golf.

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