Preserving the Past and Preparing for the Future

Michael Kelliher, a native of Kerry, is a professional archivist and commenced the role of Contract Archivist Officer for the OLA Sisters in early May. Below Michael shares some of his aims as archivist.

The overall objective of my role is to develop the OLA’s archive in Ardfoyle, Cork, so that it may be a greater asset to the Order. The OLA’s Irish archive is the product of decades of work by a succession of OLA Sisters who collected and stored material relating to the administration and history of the order. My role is to build on this foundation by cataloguing and arranging the material to professional best practice, by purchasing equipment to aid the preservation of the material and by writing policies regarding the administration of the archive. 

A properly catalogued collection also allows the OLA to categorize items as either ‘open’ to researchers to read or ‘closed’, and this ensures that the order abides by its legal and ethical duties with regard to Data Protection and other such requirements. The archive can also be a useful public relations tool. Pictures and stories from the archive can be used in OLA publications to raise awareness of the Order and its work.

By preserving the archive of the Order, I hope to ensure that the legacy of order is preserved for future generations. The records of the Order’s work in Africa and elsewhere are proof of the good work which the Order did and continues to do. Like other missionary orders, the OLA had/has a vital role in the development of the communities in which they live and as such the records are a valuable historical resource.

Michael may be contacted by emailing olaprovarch@yahoo.com.