Kew's imperial archive: Cataloguing Economic Botany in the Miscellaneous Reports, 1841-1928

为了开始了解这个集合的历史，我首先想要尽可能详细地梳理材料，创建一个初步的数据库，其中可以存储每卷的注释/标签/元数据和其他信息。在此之后，我将调查这些藏品的起源和来源，以发现档案馆是何时、为何以及由谁正式建立的，以及如果有的话，丢失了什么。例如，可能会有对来自邱园的信件的回复，但不一定是对原始查询的回复。在这个阶段，考虑材料如何被认为是“值得”存档也会很有趣：来自殖民地的所有通信都有必要的意义，还是只有一些？如果是这样，是谁做出了这些区别，为什么？选择（或不选择）将某些材料存档有助于“官方”叙事的创造，尤其是在充满冲突的殖民主义背景下。这些复杂的问题可以通过广泛的批判理论来解释。这一初步的熟悉过程将从与助理档案保管员的密切合作中受益匪浅，助理档案保管员可以对项目的范围提供宝贵的见解。

To begin to understand the history of this collection I would first like to comb through the material in as much detail as possible, creating a preliminary database in which notes/tags/metadata and other information can be stored upon each volume. Following this, I would investigate the origins and provenance of the collection, to discover when, why and by whom the archive was formally established, and what, if anything, is missing. For example, there may be replies to letters sent from Kew but not necessarily the original queries. At this stage, it would also be interesting to consider how material was deemed 'worthy' of archiving: were all communications from the colonies of necessary significance or just some? And if so, who was making those distinctions, and why? The choice (or not) to archive certain material assists in the creation of 'official' narratives, especially in the conflict-ridden context of colonialism. Such complex questions can be informed by a wide range of critical theories. This initial process of familiarisation would benefit greatly from close partnership with the Assistant Archivist, who could offer valuable insight into the scope of the project.