Opening archives means opening people. It means helping people become open to receive knowledge as it was meant to be received, and it means creating platforms and spaces where holders of knowledge feel safe, “correct”, and open to share. With special respect to archives that house cultural heritage materials and culturally significant items, opening archives calls for a positioning of archivists and archives as facilitators of knowledge transference between cultural knowledge sharers and readied recipients.

For the 2024 joint conference Opening the Archives: Access, Engagement, Innovation, we propose a 30-minute presentation that couples ideas of archival outreach, community engagement, and the positioning of cultural experts and traditional practices as record, with Native Hawaiian protocols related to the transference of traditional knowledge. In this presentation, we share a replicable experience of “opening the archives” piloted by the Brigham Young University-Hawaiʻi Archives that intentionally embedded cultural experts and practitioners of ka hana kapa, the making of traditional Hawaiian bark cloth, in processes of archivist training, reparative and enhanced description, access, supplemental education programs, and collections outreach.

Utilizing Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) perspectives of both archivist and cultural practitioner, this presentation spotlights the potential of archives as powerful links in the process of preserving both tangible cultural heritage items and intangible cultural heritage practices through collaborations with cultural experts actively engaged in traditional practices manifested in our archival collections. In so doing, we explore the idea of archivist as stewards of people, stewards of the experience of acquiring knowledge via collections, in addition to being stewards of collection materials themselves. We provide suggestions for more open interaction with cultural heritage items in collections, using both innovative technologies and through appropriate engagement in cultural practices facilitated by the archives. We call for further articulated need for and demonstrated development of increased sensitivity, understanding, and respect for the cultures represented in our collections on the part of archivists positioned to steward cultural heritage collections, and propose ideas that can facilitate these goals. Further, we demand ongoing development of increased sensitivity, understanding, and respect for the cultures on the part of archivists positioned to steward cultural heritage collections, and offer suggestions for facilitating such development.

One of the joys of working as an archivist in a university is ‘opening the archives’ to students and sharing the wonders of archives and archival research.

Most current university students were born between 1999 and 2006 and are members of Generation Z. They may be savvy social media natives but common, paper based, archival materials including letters, fieldnotes, scrapbooks and diaries are often unfamiliar to them; and if handwritten possibly undecipherable. They enrol for university online; their course work and readings are presented to them digitally and they are expected to submit their assignments the same way. For some the information available on the internet is the extent of their research on a topic and using ChatGPT a possible option for completing assignments.

At the University of Auckland, we have recently moved from teaching students about primary sources, including archives, using a ‘show and tell’ format to a more immersive, object-based learning experience. We are now using archival items not just for their evidential content but as historical artifacts. Rather than starting a class by explaining what archives are and how to find them, we now begin by presenting each student, or pair of students, with a selected archival item to explore. Students are given time to handle and investigate the items and reflect upon them using Harvard University’s See -Think- Wonder thinking routine. They then present their reflections and the questions raised by the archives with their peers.

In conjunction with this change in teaching methods there has been increased interest from academics regarding incorporating primary resource analysis into course work.

This paper looks at the impact and benefits of introducing archives in this hands-on, non-digital manner to students who are inhabitants of the digital age.

Working in the archives at the era where paradigms have shifted alongside the increased importance of the new media, an archives professional’s work has also become a juxtaposition of history and trend. Gone is the myth that archives professionals work quietly behind the secretive walls of the repositories and conservation labs. We go all the way out to share our profession and passion of history with the mass public, many of whom do not even visit the archives. But how do we effectively achieve our digital public engagement? And what are the challenges and considerations unique in the context of the Singapore society that makes social media engagement a delicate task that could potentially go awry if a very high degree of discernment isn’t exercised?

This paper aims to share our journey in becoming a new generation of Singapore Storytellers, as we curate and create content amidst the challenges in the realm of new media.
#CulturalConsiderations, #CommunityOutreachAndArchivalEducation

#Cultural Considerations
Living in the tropical island of Singapore – a country known for being a melting pot for a diversity of cultures, ethnicities, religions and languages, curating online content requires extensive considerations across a checklist of factors. Our digital content curators are often challenged with the decisions on how to present interesting content, at the same time being mindful of how certain topics may be at a greater risk of sparking unintended responses. The question on what snippets of history should be featured on our digital platforms is something we constantly ask ourselves and dynamically discuss, as we continually engage our online audience through various social media platforms.

So what does it take to become a digital content curator for the National Archives of Singapore (NAS)? Beyond the knowledge of history and research skill, one is also required to be culturally and politically astute, and keeping up with the latest developments globally! But why? (stay tuned!)

#Community Outreach and Archival Education
We were eager to also challenge preconceptions of the archives being deadly serious business, with no room for humour, and the conservation team set off to become head-turners in the cyber world. From a dearth of conservation-related posts on our institution’s social media 2 years ago, conservation is now front and centre, gracing social media platforms such as Zoom, Instagram, YouTube and most recently TikTok, making archival conservation sexy again!

Notably, Conservation in NAS, a 10-episode TikTok series, threw the spotlight on our conservation team and made their work accessible to the layperson. The series highlights behind-the-scenes conservation processes at NAS. It has garnered 1,465,200 views and climbing (the average view per clip is 146,520). Most hearteningly, the comments section has been ripe with queries on how one can join the profession. It also won the National Library Board’s Outstanding Innovation Award in 2023 – a recognition for being the first conservation series from an institution in our local TikTok scene. Ultimately, it has endeavoured to make conservation education accessible, eliciting wonder and reaching new audiences.

Conclusion
We are the new generation of Singapore Storytellers across all of our social media accounts, from Facebook, Instagram and YouTube and the warm response from netizens emphasizes that if done right, tastefully, with a lot of cultural considerations and a little dash of wit and humour, we, as an Archives, are able to build a sense of community and cultivate an interest in Singapore’s heritage in our country (and beyond).