From Domesday Book to the Leveson Enquiry, our historical records offer students a myriad of untapped research opportunities across a wide range of time periods and disciplines.
With so many options, however, getting started in the archives can be a daunting prospect. Many students have questions which they are too afraid to ask. How will I know where to go? What do I need to bring with me? How do I find records for my research? How do I order documents? Do I need to use gloves? How can I be sure I'm not wasting my time?
It can often feel like you're the only one who doesn't know what you're doing, but it's not true!
To demystify the research process The National Archives has developed a programme of Practical Archival Skills Training for researchers, PAST, providing students with the key skills and knowledge needed to undertake academic research using the archives.
This online afternoon workshop (14:00-17:00) will explain how to get started with archival research, the importance of knowing the history and structure of a collection to navigate the records, and how to make the most of your time on site.
Sessions include an introduction to using Discovery, our online catalogue, an explanation of ordering documents for your research, an online display of some of the documents in our collection and our online resources, and time to ask our experts questions about your research.
This event is aimed at anyone who hasn't used The National Archives before, or wants a refresher. Registration is £15.
We are committed to keeping the costs of PAST as low as possible. There are costs associated with the substantial staff time involved in preparing the sessions and in document delivery so unfortunately we do have to charge for this training.
The training will be held on Teams, and the link for the training will be sent two weeks in advance.
If you have any questions or for more information, please see our website or email the team at past@nationalarchives.gov.uk
