SERIAC 2007

(That is, SERIAC).

A very enjoyable one-day conference held conveniently close at the University of Reading. Highlights: Paul Sowan of Subterranea Britannica on chalk mines in general and the safety or otherwise of the chalk mines just below the streets of West Reading; David Buckley on ERIH, an initiative designed to spice up the appeal of industrial heritage sites in Europe; and Dick Greenaway on the industrial archaeology of woodland. It was also fun to watch Martin Andrews, a former teacher of mine in the Department of Typography, give a bracing (and comprehensive) run through the developments in printing technology during the nineteenth century.

One thing I appreciated was the calibre of the delegates; a good bunch of people they were! It is notable that, save for me and perhaps half a dozen others, there wasn’t anyone under the age of fifty. This, I think, clearly reflects the shift in ‘leisure interests’ across generations, but I am not prepared to believe that interest in IA, and in other similar fields, will wane and die off. What I do want to know is how interest will be held and the appeal of such pursuits as IA broadened. ERIH seems to offer some pointers.