Archives & Libraries

For many people the first access they have with history outside of school is in the local library. Libraries are often the repository of huge swathes of local knowledge and expertise, while national libraries hold the key to pulling local knowledge together. In many places across the UK the library is a positioned in close proximity to the local archives, and even when they are not the two bodies have much in common and much to complement each other.  In this section information and articles will support the use and understanding of these two important history supporting bodies and inform those working in the sector.

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  • Archives

    Article

    1. Local Archives  Local Archives Offices contain an enormous amount of information including Census records, newspapers and property records. They are a useful point of call when either verifying information found on the internet or conducting deeper research beyond what is available on the main sources of family history such...

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  • Archives and Record Management

    Article

    The University of Manchester gives the following advice on courses, careers and funding: Courses The choice for post-graduate courses is much more limited for archives and records management compared to those available for libraries and information studies. The Society of Archivists recommends just six: University College London, University College Dublin,...

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  • Library and Information Studies

    Article

    Please note: the HA is not responsible for the content of external websites, and we cannot guarantee that all information on this page is current. University College LondonMA/Postgraduate Diploma in Library and Information StudiesIf you want to progress in library or information work, you need a professional qualification, normally chartered...

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  • Librarian CPD

    Article

    For advice and information about working as a Librarian or Information Professional, take a look at the following information from the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP) website. CILIP is the leading professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers. They provide practical support for members throughout their careers...

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  • Research Methods in Heritage, Museums & Galleries

    Article

    Reading List for those interested in research methods in heritage, museums and galleries from Newcastle University... Essential Reading Dicks, Bella, From Mine to Museum: The Evolution of Heritage in the Rhondda in Heritage, place, and community by Dicks, Bella University of Wales Press, 2000  Dicks, Bella, Heritage and Local Memory in...

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  • Short guides to Records

    Multipage Article

    A series of short guides to different types of public and other records, including rate books, wills, probate inventories and poll books.

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  • Archive Dissertation

    Article

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  • Archivist CPD

    Article

    For advice and information about working in Archives, take a look at the following information from the Archives and Records Association website. The Archives and Records Association is the leading professional body for archivists, archive conservators and records managers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The principal aims of the Society are: to...

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  • Cataloguing guidelines for community archives

    Article

    Cataloguing guidelines for community archives The Community Archives and Heritage Group (CAHG) has developed a set of cataloguing guidelines for community archives.Download the Cataloguing Guidelines for Community Archives (PDF).See a sample catalogue based on the guidelinesAbout the new guidelinesThere are an increasing number of community heritage groups round the country, building...

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  • Census of Ireland, Dublin 1911 - National Archives of Ireland

    Article

    The household returns and ancillary records for the censuses of Ireland of 1901 and 1911, which are in the custody of the National Archives of Ireland, represent an extremely valuable part of the Irish national heritage. Click here to go to the site: National Archives of Ireland

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  • Challenges facing The National Archives and the archives sector

    Article

    Podcast of a second interview between Dr Andrew Foster from the Historical Association and member of The National Archives' Strategic Academic Stakeholder Forum and Oliver Morley, Chief Executive and Keeper, The National Archives, which took place on 6 December 2011. The interview covers the strategic challenges faced by The National...

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  • Challenges to archives in the digital age

    Multipage Article

    In this podcast Dr Nick Barratt discusses the challenges to archives in the digital age.

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  • Exploring local sources

    Article

    Tim Lomas was correct when he said, in his article in the Summer 2019 edition of The Historian, that historians can see much more in medieval documents than the scribes intended.  Lay manors in Bedfordshire are a good example. Eggington manor, in the south-west, was part of a larger estate and held...

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  • Historians in The National Archives

    Article

    The author of this article approached the Editor to give him a flavour of what might be found in The National Archives relating to political, secret service and civil service ‘interest’ in the views and activities of historians over the last century. It is certainly very significant that some of...

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  • History Abridged: Libraries

    Article

    History Abridged: This feature seeks to take a person, event or period and abridge, or focus on, an important event or detail that can get lost in the big picture. See all History Abridged articles The collecting of stories through written record is one of the most important methods societies...

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  • History Abridged: The census

    Article

    History Abridged: This feature seeks to take a person, event or period and abridge, or focus on, an important event or detail that can get lost in the big picture. Think Horrible Histories for grownups (without the songs and music). See all History Abridged articles Most of us are aware...

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  • How hidden are ordinary people in later medieval England?

    Article

    Tim Lomas explores some documents from the Bishop and Priory of Durham that shed interesting light on the lives of ‘ordinary people’ in medieval England. It is largely a truism to state that the majority of documents from medieval Britain were not designed to shed much light on the lives...

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  • Local Authority Record Offices: Our Heritage at Risk

    Article

    Rosemary Dunhill fears the review of local government structures might lead to damaging cuts in the archive service. The lives of archivists in record offices run by local authorities have been dominated in the last few years by the review of local government. The Government wished to simplify local government...

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  • Making History

    Article

    Making History Making History, developed by the Institute of Historical Research, is dedicated to the history of the study and practice of history in Britain over the last hundred years and more, following the emergence of the professional discipline in the late 19th century. Contents This website contains cross-referenced entries...

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  • My Favourite History Place: Gladstone’s Library at Hawarden

    Article

    When I first visited Gladstone’s residential library in 1977 for a pre-university History degree reading week, I barely knew who Gladstone was. I had just come back from a holiday in Italy and the contrast between Florence and Hawarden, a Welsh border town, was startling. I came from the sunny remains...

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