Last November, as the new president of the student geological society at Hull, I inherited the society's archives, which we affectionately refer to as "the Harkives". This collection of dusty sepia-toned photos, letters, journals, and long-forgotten artefacts holds historical and cultural significance. I began to research the history of geology at Hull using the Harkives. We shared some photos on the society's Instagram account, and my lecturer expressed interest in their content. Although they were haphazardly piled in a corner, after some discussion, we decided they deserved better and that we would formally archive the materials to preserve them and, at the same time, work on a student-staff project to learn more about our predecessors.
I approached our technician Mark, seeking permission to move the Harkives to a storage room in the north wing of the building. He was kind enough to grant me access, and I set about ferrying the archives to their new home. Upon arrival, I was greeted with a room full of stacked drawers, cabinets, and dusty boxes containing notebooks, bronze lab equipment, geological instruments and large drill cores.
Although I had been warned that the room was a bit of a "dumping ground," I wondered if there were hidden treasures waiting to be discovered. So, with that in mind, I began my search, carefully sifting through the various items in the room. Among the many exciting finds were UV lights (last used in 1996), lab equipment, calendars, old work notes, and letters from international scientists.