Wildlife Records added to Digital Archive
In October 2013 the Wild North Festival, supported by the National Lottery through the Heritage Lottery Fund advertised for an archivist. This post was to assist with the collating, digitising, describing and archiving of a collection of electronic and paper-based wildlife data assembled by Assynt Field Club, and Pat and Ian Evans, Nedd. The data to be archived was being held by Pat and Ian at their home. This archiving project was to be carried out using the facilities of the Assynt Community Digital Archive (ACDA) located in the Lochinver Mission building. [Please note the ACDA is now located in the offices of the Assynt Crofters Trust near Stoer Village Hall]
Fast forward to the end of May 2014 and Avril Haines from Culkein Drumbeg, who was appointed in January to take on this task, will complete her short-term contract with almost 400 items archived. While this is no doubt a massive achievement the remaining records collated by Pat and Ian Evans during their 25 years in Assynt could provide employment for several years to come.
Records
Pat and Ian, who co-authored the ‘Flora of Assynt’ with Gordon Rothero, hold records dating back more than 100 years. The vast majority of these are from within Assynt with a small portion from the wider north-west Highlands. These records cover all types of animal, plant, bird, insect and marine life and are the work of not only Pat and Ian but numerous other residents of and visitors to Assynt. A small selection from each of these categories, together with the entire ‘Flora of Assynt’ has now been archived thanks to generous support by the National Lottery and the Heritage Lottery Fund for the Wild North Project.
At the outset Avril received expert tuition and guidance from Stevan Lockhart, Clachtoll who was himself instrumental in setting up the ACDA.
The records archived for Assynt Field Club include photographs, drawings, presentations, electronic and scanned documents. Also archived, as far as possible, is information about each record’s origins, recorder and location. The data archived during this project is now available for research and presentation purposes or just simple browsing.
Archive
Unlike official archives, which are more concerned with administrative documents, the ACDA can hold electronic records of any item or object that has gone into the making of Assynt and its people. In addition to the Field Club’s data the Archive also includes other collections with relevance and importance to the ongoing history of Assynt. Records from the past have the potential to explain the present and inform the future, so it is ideal that these are collated in one location.
For more details on the Assynt Community Digital Archive please contact Stevan Lockhart at stevan@tinslave.co.uk or 01571 855361.
THE IMAGES HERE WERE TAKEN PRIOR TO, AND AT THE ARCHIVE OPEN DAY WHICH WAS HELD ON 9th MAY 2014.
Article originally published in Am Bratach May 2014