Working with traumatic records: how should we train, prepare and support record-keepers?

There has been growing recognition within the recordkeeping field that exposure to records with traumatising content can impact on the wellbeing of those working directly with records of this kind (Laurent and Hart, 2018). In the UK, this recognition has led to initial attempts by professional bodies to offer specialised training to record-keepers to help deal with the affective impact, emotional labour, and vicarious trauma that can be associated with particular types of record-related work. This paper seeks to examine how recordkeeping educators can effectively train, prepare and support students entering the field who may go onto specialise in this area. The paper draws on initial ground work conducted by the author who is thinking through the potential for developing a specialised module on trauma informed recordkeeping to be offered through the Department of Information Studies at UCL to postgraduate students. The paper examines the pedagogy that might underpin such a module. It will examine various conceptual frameworks for trauma informed recordkeeping practice, including an ethics of care (of self and others), and examines how best to theoretically and conceptually ground the teaching to enable students to develop an appropriate mindset. The paper will also explore the practical skillset that record-keepers need to develop in order to become adept practitioners around records with traumatising content, including the effective management of their own personal wellbeing. The paper also explores the suitability of various teaching methods to support student development of an appropriate skillset, and examines who should be involved in equipping and teaching our students. The paper also poses questions around the responsibilities we have as a field to develop broader training and peer networks to ensure that record-keepers working in this area remain equipped, supported and sustained in the long term