Monday 28 October 2013

Volunteering in the HER by Richard Wilks


I started my placement in the HER in mid-end of July in order to gain some valuable work experience.  Charina and Leonora, staff members of the HER, were welcoming and supportive as I tried to learn the system.  The HER and Map info systems were daunting at first, but I eventually got the hang of them.  Feedback is given in a non-intimidating manner and this encourages you to try harder for the next report.

My initial placement was set to finish at the end of September, but this was voluntarily extended to the end of October and now to the end of November.
Have I been captured?

Richard Wilks, A2A Volunteer

Monday 7 October 2013

Volunteering in the HER by Mark Chambers


I started volunteering with the GGAT towards the end of August 2013, as part of their ongoing Access to Archaeology Programme. On my first day I was welcomed in by Leonora who kindly gave me a tour of the building and introduced me to many of her co-workers. The first main task I was given was entering information from standard grey literature reports onto the new, accessible, electronic HER database. At first it seemed like a lot to take in and I was slow and hesitant in working my way through the reports. But thanks to the clear instructions provided and help from the GGAT staff I was eventually able to get to grips with HER software and the data entry process. My role as a volunteer at GGAT was not limited to entering reports however. Other responsibilities included filling, scanning and the use of a mapping programme.

During my voluntary placement I was supervised by GGAT staff members Charina and Leonora who were always willing to help, answering my many questions with remarkable patience. In fact all the GGAT staff members I met were welcoming and polite in what seemed to be a friendly, informal working environment. Because a job opportunity presented itself, I had to cut my voluntary placement short to 5 days, spread over 5 weeks. Nevertheless, I feel like I benefited from the experience, honing my office based skills and increasing my IT confidence. I would certainly recommend a voluntary placement at GGAT to anybody who wants to gain some hands on work experience to boost their employability or those who just want to learn more about local history and how archaeological sites are recorded.      

Mark Chambers, A2A Volunteer     

Volunteering in the HER by Megan Leppard


I have just finished volunteering at GGAT in the Access to Archaeology project. My main reason for participating in this project was in order to gain valuable work experience in the area of archaeology. Whilst volunteering I was given training on how to use the Historic Environment Record (HER) database and was  taught how to add and update archaeological sites and events. At first there was a lot of information to take in at once but with the continued support of Charina and Leonora I became confident enough to do it by myself very quickly.

I am very glad that I was part of this project as I was able to learn more about archaeology in my area and was able to provide and preserve this information for future generations.  All the staff and volunteers at the GGAT were extremely friendly and helpful and I enjoyed my time there. 

Megan Leppard, A2A Volunteer