Archival research
Learn how to go to the source and research from historical documents with expert advice from Tarja Moles
Unearthing archival material gives exciting glimpses into historical periods, events and/or individuals. Exploring old manuscripts such as letters and diaries, official records, images, maps, books and recorded sound or video can help to bring the past back to life in a vivid way. There are a few thousand archival collections in the UK. These have been created by a wide variety of organisations and individuals, such as national and local governments, businesses, churches, charities and families. Together they cover a multitude of topic areas of which you can take advantage.
Finding archives
The first step in using archives is to find ones that are relevant to your research. There are different ways to go about this, depending on what your research needs are.
If you want to find repositories within a specific geographical area – for example, if you’re researching local history or family history – use the National Archives’ archive finding search tool at http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/find-an-archive. It lists and links to archival institutions based on their location. It also allows you to browse archives in different countries.
If the geographical area is not relevant to your research and, instead, you’re interested in a particular subject matter, it’s more beneficial to search the Archives Hub website at http:// archiveshub.ac.uk/search.html or use the National Archives’ Discovery search engine at http://archiveshub.ac.uk/search.html. Both allow you to type your keyword(s) into their search boxes, bringing up results from collections around the UK.
If you’re researching British political and social history, exploring the National Archives (www.nationalarchives.gov.uk) is a must. It stores millions of historical government and public records, most of which are at least twenty years old and some date back over 1,000 years. Some of its records can be viewed and downloaded online.
Accessing archival material
Once you know which archival institution is the most useful for your research, check out its website in detail. Can you access the material online? If so, you can do your research from home. If you need to visit the archives in person, what are the access requirements? National archival institutions and collections deposited in libraries, universities and museums are generally open to the public, but you may have to prove your identity and/or pay a fee. Personal, charity and business collections may be closed to the public. However, don’t be discouraged by this. Contact them and explain what your research is about. They may make an exception if they consider your project interesting, especially if it will benefit them in some way.
Before making a trip to the archives, check if its website has an online catalogue that gives details of the material it holds. Although most archives nowadays list their holdings on their websites, there may be records that haven’t been digitally catalogued yet. Therefore, it’s useful to contact the archivist beforehand and discuss your requirements. It may well be that you will find more relevant documents if you have an archivist helping you as opposed to trying to do all the searching on your own. Furthermore, if the archivist knows that you’re coming, s/he may be able to have the material ready for you when you arrive. Bear in mind that most archives store their records away from the reading area and it can take anything from thirty minutes to several days to access them.