Highland Archive Service nominated for national award
Highland Archive Service (HAS), which operates the Lochaber Archive Centre in Fort William as well as centres in Skye, Caithness and Inverness, has had its dedication to heritage and records preservation recognised after being nominated for an Archives and Records Association (ARA) Excellence Award.
Announced on June 10, HAS - part of culture charity High Life Highland - will compete against the Essex Police Museum and Lancashire Archives and Local History for the Record Keeping Service of the Year title.
The winner, chosen by a public vote, will be announced at a gala awards show in Birmingham on August 29.
Speaking after being nominated, Judi Menabney, High Life Highland’s Head of Archives and Museums, paid tribute to the work done at the archive.
“Highland Archive Service goes beyond just preserving records; it brings history to people. Its work with communities and schools, the hit "Learn with Lorna" series and the Am Baile digital heritage website make the Highlands’ stories engaging and accessible to everyone,” she said.
“This nomination honours its dedication to making history vibrant and strengthening community ties, proving the stories of our past still resonate today.”
Opened in 1990, HAS outlines its role as ‘collecting, conserving and making accessible records that reflect the history and diversity of the Scottish Highlands and its inhabitants for the benefit of present and future generations’.
The Lochaber Archive Centre was established in 2007 at West Highland College in Fort William before relocating to purpose-built rooms at Alexander Ross House in 2018. Its archivist Rory Green was trained through HAS’s trainee archivist programme.
Should it triumph at the 2024 ARA Excellence Awards, HAS will follow last year’s champion Jersey Archives, as well as archives connected to Barnsley, Worcestershire, Somerset and Devon and the Central Bank of Ireland.
It will also stand beside the three individual awards given at this year’s ceremony: Record Keeper of the Year, New Professional of the Year and the Distinguished Service Award.
First held in 2016, the ARA Excellence Awards seek to celebrate and promote the roles of archivists, conservators and records managers across the UK and Ireland.
Anyone wishing to vote for the 2024 awards can do so via the ARA website www.archives.org.uk/ara-awards). Voting closes on July 10.
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