Would you like to become a member of the LAGNA Committee?
The Lesbian and Gay Newsmedia Archive (LAGNA) is the national archive of press cuttings, campaigning material, publications and other resources relating to the LGBT community. LAGNA is part of the Hall-Carpenter Archives and is a voluntary organisation. The LAGNA Committee is a friendly, hard-working and committed group of people that wishes to reflect the LGBT community it serves. We are seeking to recruit two committee members from the Transgender and BAME communities.
Duties and responsibilities:
- To act as a member of the LAGNA Committee, contributing to the fulfilment of the constitution of the organisation and sharing responsibility for its decisions.
- Attending and contributing to meetings of the committee (Approximately 6 times annually, normally at the Bishopsgate Institute, London on a weekday evening), and occasional promotional and fundraising events organised by LAGNA.
- Determining strategic direction and policy as well as helping to plan events and projects alongside fellow committee members.
Person specification:
- Experience of ONE OR MORE of the following business skills: financial management, accountancy, programming public events for arts and heritage, fundraising, marketing and social media.
- AND/OR detailed knowledge of British LGBT history and culture.
- AND/OR relevant contacts and access to relevant subsections of the LGBT media and community.
- The ability to work effectively as part of a team with consideration, creativity, good humour and respect for other LAGNA members and Bishopsgate staff.
- The ability to act as an ambassador for LAGNA at formal and informal gatherings.
- Have empathy with the aims, objectives and values of LAGNA.
- A demonstrable commitment to equalities, diversity and equal opportunities.
To apply, email us stating why you would like to join our organisation at enquiries@lagna.org.uk, or use this address if you want to find out more about the position.
Committee Members
Jessica Scantlebury
Jessica joined LAGNA as a volunteer in 2004 when she was a postgraduate research student. In 2006 she became a member of the committee. Jessica is currently based in Brighton and works for the Mass Observation Archive.
Judy Vaknin (Secretary)
Judy was formerly the archivist at Middlesex University, LAGNA's home until January 2011 when it made the move to Bishopsgate. She has been a LAGNA committee member since 2006 and is also LAGNA's treasurer.
Peter Kelley
Peter has been a volunteer and committee member of LAGNA since 2007. Between October 2006 and March 2007 he worked as a researcher on the '1967 and All That' Heritage Lottery funded project. Peter is a caseworker for Galop - London's LGBT community safety charity.
Rebecca Forsey (Vice Chair)
Rebecca has been a committee member since 2007. Between October 2006 and November 2007 she was Project Manager on '1967 and All That' Heritage Lottery funded project. Rebecca is a qualified librarian and currently works as an archive/film researcher at the BBC.
Robert Thompson (Chair)
Robert began as a volunteer in 1998, and previously held the post of Outreach Officer & Volunteer Co-ordinator on the 'Queer Britain: the Gay Community and the Straight Press 1953-1988' project. He was also appointed Project Officer on LAGNA's '1967 And All That' project. Robert gave talks and presentations across the country, as part of his work for these projects, which were both funded by Heritage Lottery grants. Robert continues to volunteer for LAGNA as Chair, and to supervise the volunteer sessions.
Stefan Dickers
Stefan is the Library and Archives Manager at Bishopsgate Institute, where LAGNA is housed, along with the Institute's numerous other collections on the history of London, the labour movement, co-operation, freethought and humanism, and protest and campaigning. He qualified as an archivist in 2001 and began at Bishopsgate Institute in 2005. Previous to this, Stefan worked in the archives of the London School of Economics and Senate House Library. He will talk at extraordinary length about the collections, whenever asked and regularly entertains groups of students, researchers and history organisations on the wonders they can find at Bishopsgate Library. He is also the secretary of the Archives and Resources Committee of the Society for the Study of Labour History and the oral history consortium Britain at Work 1945-1965, Co-Director of the Raphael Samuel History Centre and Joint Chair of the Socialist History Society. Stefan is also co-founder of the Network of Radical Libraries and Archives (NORLA).
Tamsin Bookey
Tamsin is a qualified archivist and LAGNA committee member since 2007. During 2007 Tamsin was based at The London School of Economics Library as part of the Heritage Lottery Funded '1967 And All That' project. She helped produce the touring exhibit and catalogued the papers of The Campaign for Homosexual Equality, Bob Mellors and Peter Tatchell. Tamsin is now working as Heritage Manager for an inner London local authority. She also co-runs the Unskinny Bop club night in Bethnal Green.
Volunteers
Anne Oatley
Anne joined the team as a volunteer in 2007. She has worked as a student adviser for the British Council; as a writer for health and social care websites; and as a researcher on the Black and Asian Londoners 1536-1840 project for London Metropolitan Archives.
David Thomas
David has been volunteering since April 2005, in fact he's the oldest volunteer, but only in terms of volunteering the longest! This retired teacher travels from Northampton to help at LAGNA. He is an active member of GALHA and hosts a gay group in Northampton weekly on a Tuesday.
Sean McGouran
Seán McGouran has been a volunteer since 2005. In the early 1970s he was a member of The Gay Liberation Front & CHE Belfast and from 1979 - 2000 he volunteered for Cara-Friend in Belfast. He was the editor of 'Gay Star' from 1982-1992 and of 'upstart' from 1987-2001 and is currently editing for 'upstart' online. Sean has also been a committee member for Belfast LGBT Pride.
We are also very grateful for the volunteers who have made an enormous contribution to the archive. They include Cami Garcia, Peter Hoffer, Joe St. Johanser, John Loizou, Fernando Luiz, Sean McGouran, Jessica Scantlebury, Norena Shopland, David Thomas, Richard Woulfe and others. Volunteers in previous years have included Mark Collins, John Escolme, Oliver Merrington, Tim Parry, Robert Thompson and Howard Watson.