'Self Help Is Obviously the Order of the Day': Forging the UK Registrar Profession, 1977-1991

Registrars are relative newcomers to the UK museum sector, only emerging as a distinct vocation with its own identity within the last fifty years. This article charts the initial years of the profession, characterized by the tentative efforts of the first British registrars to assemble networks of practical support. Their work in developing systematic collections management strategies attracted the notice of cultural bodies, who reported their growing exploits to the wider museum world. The registrars themselves also raised their profile by participating in occupational conferences and publications. Much of this early development was inspired by the advanced state of the profession in North America, whose representative groups the UK registrar network emulated and engaged with as it gained in strength. The paper concludes by drawing comparisons with the current state of the registrar profession and thereby reflecting on the significance of these early beginnings for its ongoing development.