This post by Cat Goodrick was first published on the ARA New Professionals blog site in October 2025. In the post Cat shares her experience cataloguing the archives of Girlguiding UK, bringing a collection out of long-term storage and making it available and accessible to internal and external stakeholders…
In March 2025 I was appointed as an Archivist Cataloguer at the national archives of Girlguiding (the operational name of the Girl Guide Association). The main focus for my role is, perhaps unsurprisingly, to work through our collection, describing, rehousing, and inputting into our collection management system.
It’s my first real role in an archive, having graduated from the University of Glasgow’s MSc Information Management and Preservation in December 2024. My previous cataloguing experience is from my volunteering projects: helping to build a finding aid for some Scottish Trades Union Congress minutes at Glasgow Caledonian University, and cataloguing entries in a Georgian scrapbook at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
While this was valuable experience, both in giving me the skills to be able to catalogue effectively, and to tackle some of the challenges of describing records and objects, it feels like a world away from what I’m doing now.
Archiving at Girlguiding
Girlguiding has had an archive for decades, including a search room that was open to researchers and, from 1996, museum with interactive exhibits. However, in 2013 work to refurbish our headquarters meant the collection was put into storage. Various opportunities were explored in the intervening time, but it was only in 2022 that a project was approved to rediscover the collection through a full cataloguing project.
In early 2023, a new archivist was appointed, and a space rented to be a temporary archive. In May 2023, 28 pallets and archives and artefacts arrived to completely fill the space. Their contents were a mix of records management and archival boxes as well as a few loose items of various sizes. Next to none of the original organisation of the collection had been retained, and trying to make sense of what does exist is challenging.
The aim of this project is to build a catalogue for internal use, that allows us to get a better picture of our organisation’s history and to begin communicating this to our members and beyond. The first stage of this has already seen fruit, as we recently launched an exhibition in the ground floor of our Headquarters, with a range of records and objects from the 1910s through to the 1990s. Look out for a feature on this in the August edition of our magazine here.
A significant collection
The rediscovery of the Girlguiding UK archive through the cataloguing project has allowed an opportunity to re-confirm the significance of the collection. At its heart, the archive captures the management, knowledge and administration of Girlguiding UK, and it tells the collective story and personal memories of girls and members. In representing the story of young girls and women over 100 years, the collection is of national importance too, as an evidence of the vast social changes that have happened since 1910.
The contents is widely varied, including such disparate items as house magazines, executive minutes, letters to and from the Association and its members, uniforms, tableware, and a brick.* We also have an extensive audio visual and photographic collection (about two pallets worth), and an almost complete set of the badges that are so synonymous with Girlguiding.
Although we’ve had this collection for a long time, for most of its history it hasn’t been professionally managed, resulting in a less-than-traditional approach to cataloguing. Instead, what has survived is more reminiscent of a library structure. The vast majority of records, rather than having catalogue numbers are instead in archival boxes that are labelled thematically and with shelf locations. It’s clear that in the later years, efforts have been made to remedy this. Many records, particularly from the museum and photographic collections, do have catalogue numbers and were inputted into the previous collection management system. However this wasn’t completed before the closure of the archives.
In theory, we have a copy of this data, which was exported from the previous system. Unfortunately, much of the original data has been lost or corrupted, either during the export or upon importing it into the spreadsheet, which means many of the records are detached from this cataloguing, and with little to no provenance recorded in the finding aid.
Cataloguing the Collection
So what does this mean for the cataloguing on a day-to-day basis? Well, we’re effectively starting from scratch on the collection. Given the chaotic ordering of the records, it’s difficult to really work through things methodically, especially when applying records to our new hierarchy.
Historically, records have been grouped together because they were thematically related. For example, we have boxes full of records relating to Camping, Uniforms, or Girlguiding’s 75th Anniversary. However, in reality a single box might contain records that should more appropriately sit under three or four different sub-fonds or series. Picking through these files, identifying what fits where and making decisions on the best approach to describing the specific record is a far cry from working sequentially through a scrapbook.
It can also be quite time consuming, as in many cases, little to no preservation work has been conducted on records, meaning that I’m consistently removing paperclips or staples that can be more rust than metal. All part of the job, but I hadn’t expected to be doing it to an entire archive worth of material!
The other big challenge I’m experiencing is the difference between lecture theatre-based theory and practical on the job performance. Without provenance, sometimes it’s a struggle to even provide accurate entries into the essential ISAD(G) fields, something I was taught was the absolute minimum expectation. It’s also taken me a while to get to grips with what metadata should be added to records, and knowing when to do so. Too much is as unhelpful as too little, which I knew in practice, but finding that line has taken me a while.
Similarly, a theoretical understanding of Content Management System (CMS) platforms does not translate to familiarity with the user interface, and it feels like not a week goes by that I don’t uncover a new idiosyncrasy that has affected large swathes of the work I’ve already done and needs addressing.
Making Progress
However, a new catalogue is emerging from the work with over 8,000 entries created to date. Alongside this, I’m discovering some of my favourite items that I never could have dreamed of. Printing blocks used for letters sent by the chair of our post-war relief organisation, the Guide International Service, are a highlight, as are beautifully illustrated Log Books that record weekly activities of Guides in the 1930s. Handmade Guide uniforms from the First World War are a constant source of fascination, while t-shirts from our Big Gigs in the 2000s, signed by the popstars who performed at them have tickled a nostalgic interest.
The work on the collection is also allowing us to develop and integrate a new service which supports our wider operations, and explore opportunities to bring heritage and learning opportunities to our members.
On a personal level, this has been a really valuable journey, even just in the first six months. From realising how much I’ve still to learn during my initial weeks to now feeling confident in closing many of these gaps, I’m much more confident in my abilities as an archivist. As we’re such a small team, the opportunities I’ve had to support with tasks beyond my strict cataloguing role and this has also been hugely beneficial. It’s given me the chance to build skills in handling enquiries and curating displays or exhibitions, and even given me an insight into the processes behind communications, procurement and long term vision planning.
The learning and development is far from over, but I feel so grateful for finding a role in such a supportive environment, one which is, I suppose, a hallmark of the guiding movement.
* The brick was a donation by a Guide who, unable to make a financial contribution to our Headquarters Fundraising appeal, made use of her father’s bricklaying business to make a more concrete gift.