Revealing Untold Stories – The Value of School Archives

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Archives are more than just a collection of official records, they also serve to safeguard and celebrate the memories and achievements of communities. In the case of schools, archives are increasingly seen as a vital component of Alumni engagement programmes. By sharing their archives, schools not only preserve their community’s special heritage, surfacing important historical milestones, but also foster a greater sense of belonging and identity.

To facilitate this, many schools are developing digitisation strategies, supported by online platforms like Recollect, to invite wider public access and engagement. With a few clicks, individuals can explore yearbooks, newsletters, magazines, photographs, regalia, uniforms, and other materials that might otherwise remain stored away in boxes.

NZMS recently spoke with Peter Stanes (Auckland Grammar School’s archivist and historian) and Victoria Morris (Kristin School’s Community Relations and Marketing Manager) to understand how their archives have benefited from online engagement, increased accessibility, and digitisation.

Auckland Grammar School is a public secondary school for boys with a small boarding facility. It was founded in 1869 and since 1916 has been located in Epsom, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. The launch of Auckland Grammar’s Recollect site in late 2018 was timed to coincide with the school’s 150^th celebrations. It now provides public access to over 18,000 photos, 840 videos, School Lists, Chronicles, Ad Augusta magazines, and more. It is an important resource for staff, students, researchers, and anyone interested in New Zealand history.

Kristin School is a private co-educational for students from early learning to year 13, situated in Albany on Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s North Shore. It was founded in 1973 by a small group of parents and is now owned by the Kristin School Charitable Trust, a non-profit organisation. Kristin Archives Online was launched earlier this year as part of the school’s 50th Jubilee celebrations, initially uploading photos of recent events, communications, publications, and memorabilia.

“The heritage of our school is so precious, especially in a digital age where photo albums can be relegated to basement boxes, and thousands of more recent pictures might be stored on phones. People aren’t likely to have access to photos from their school days. Bringing them to the forefront again for people is just delightful – I love it. It’s a really powerful way to engage a community and bring them together. And it’s a little bit like an online reunion when you share them on social media and people get chatting. It’s a wonderful way of bringing your heritage and those memories to life for our community.”

— Victoria Morris, Community Relations and Marketing Manager, Kristin School

Feedback from the community is vital in shaping the archive’s growth, leading to new knowledge and discussions about including specific histories based on community interests. Recollect fosters community engagement by allowing members to contribute and upload their own videos, documents, and other important historic material. The opportunity for users to participate in this way adds a meaningful dimension to the archive, reinforcing a sense of community, ownership, and collaboration.

“The site has been a great tool to draw people into the events that we are hosting and reconnect them with the school. In the build-up to our 50th Jubilee, most of the content that we shared on social media was reminiscent material and heritage photos that related to our history. Through that, we’ve managed to demonstrate the value of the archives and our Recollect platform.”

— Victoria Morris, Community Relations and Marketing Manager, Kristin School

 Prior to 2019, Auckland Grammar was using another platform to upload digitised content online. It soon became evident that the quantity of material and range of formats needing to be digitised required a more rigorous archival system and more powerful search functionality than the platform they were using, so the decision was made to look at other options.

“We eventually settled on Recollect and the site went live at the end of 2018. Originally, the purpose of the site was to assist in the advancement of the School – as a part of all the elements that go into the Development Office. These elements include looking after the alumni in conjunction with the Old Boys Association as well as handling the media aspects of the School and the events that take place, particularly related to fundraising. The online archive was seen as a necessary and helpful building block in the whole mix of things that come together to create the advancement process in the School.”

— Peter Stanes, Archivist and Historian, Auckland Grammar School

School archives often contain information that is relevant to individuals outside of their immediate community. Local school history is an increasingly valuable resource for those researching topics related to regional and national history as well.

“Our community has expanded to include all sorts of people who aren’t directly involved with Auckland Grammar. The reason for that is partly the information that can be found in the archive…it not only reveals information about the school, but it provides information about the social development of Auckland and New Zealand over that period. For example, there are substantial amounts of material from throughout the Boer War, WW1, and WW2 which gives an interesting commentary on what people thought about war in general. It’s very interesting to look at how attitudes have changed over time. That is one of the reasons why the community has spread to include people like family history researchers, sociologists, and historians.”

— Peter Stanes, Archivist and Historian, Auckland Grammar School

As noted at the outset, archives are more than a collection of official records or a repository to preserve fragile documents. They can also serve as invaluable tools for teaching research-related skills to students and provide support for the delivery of Aotearoa New Zealand’s histories curriculum. Access to primary source material offers students an opportunity to examine eyewitness accounts, explore a range of perspectives, and understand how values and attitudes change over time.

Adopting online content management platforms like Recollect can allow your school archives to become more accessible, engage a wider audience, and facilitate stronger community involvement. Sharing and preserving an archive ensures that your school’s legacy and traditions endure, inspiring present and future generations to connect with the school’s heritage.

Learn more about the value of archives by reading the complete case study available on our website, or contact our team to talk through your specific requirements!

School Bus (courtesy Kristin School)	Slide Photograph (courtesy Kristin School)	Gala Day 1981, (courtesy Kristin School)	School Bus, 1974 (courtesy Kristin School)
1908 School Photo (courtesy of Auckland Grammar School Archives)	1908 Drawing & Technical Class at the Symonds Street School (courtesy of Auckland Grammar School Archives)	1907 Lower Sixth Form (courtesy Auckland Grammar School Archives)	Students Playing Recorders, 1976 (courtesy of Kristin School)