Originally archives primarily housed official documents but their content has become more diverse over time. Archives have tended to favour textual records but other forms of expression and media (including film and photographs) have also been archived. In more recent years, digital records have increasingly become an important element of collections.
The Role of Archives
Archives acquire, preserve and provide access to primary material. This makes them useful for scholarship and for documenting history. The material they hold is authentic and has a record of provenance. The International Council on Archives states that “by guaranteeing citizens’ rights of access to official information and to knowledge of their history, archives are fundamental to democracy, accountability and good governance.”
The significance of archives has been particularly demonstrated in the aftermath of conflicts and regime change. The Truth and Reconciliation Commissions in South Africa demonstrated the importance of including information from ordinary people and not just the ruling elite. However, sometimes information collecting and archiving can be taken to an extreme and damaging level – for example, the book Stasiland and the film The Lives of Others document the former GDR’s use of surveillance and information as a weapon of state control.
In the UK people use archives for a wide range of purposes from exploring their family history or doing postgraduate research to examining legal documents.
Historical Development of Archives
In the UK, the 1838 Public Record Office Act recommended the creation of a single repository for legal and national government records. The Public Record Office was established in London; now know as The National Archives. Before this act, official records were kept in miscellaneous locations with no government agenda for their preservation.
Regional archive collections developed on an ad hoc basis, often from local historical or archaeological societies. The Yorkshire Archaeological Society was established in 1863, acquiring documents and publishing articles on local history - it still exists today. The evolution of county records offices during the 20th century means that there is now a network of regional archives, such as North West Archives.
Museums have traditionally been involved in the collection of historical documents and artefacts. Consequently they often have specialist archives – for example, The National Maritime Museum houses the largest dedicated archive on British seafaring history. The British library has traditionally collected private archives. Academic and public libraries often have archive collections too. In addition, there are many private and business archives around the country.
Grassroots Archives
It is worth noting that some groups within society (based on ethnicity, gender, sexuality, geography or other common interests) have felt under-represented or marginalised by mainstream archives. So-called community archives have developed as an alternative to the mainstream.
This grassroots creation and organisation of archives is not a new development – for example, The Jewish Historical Society of England was formed in 1893 to document Anglo-Jewish history and culture. The Feminist Archive started in 1978 as one woman’s collection in her attic but now works in partnership with the University of Leeds. The Internet has provided more opportunities for sharing interests and enabling social networking and perhaps will encourage a further growth in grassroots archival activity.
It is obvious that the spread of archives is diverse in terms of location, management and content. There is a core of publically funded archival organisations but this doesn’t reflect the richness of provision.
Access to Archives
The first stage for users is locating the appropriate archive – something which the Internet has made easier to discover. There have been initiatives such as Access to Archives which enables cross-catalogue searching of around 400 archives.
Up until the 1990s, researchers usually had to visit an archive in person. Technical advances, however, have had a significant impact on widening access by promoting remote use– from having web-sites and catalogues to providing digitised surrogates. Although digital material provides possible future access problems due to format changes, in the short time many archives have embraced the use of technology. The National Theatre Archive, for example, has an online catalogue and performance database. The British Library has its British Newspaper Archive online.
There are many social inclusion initiatives, such as projects targeting minority or marginalised groups. West Yorkshire Archive Service, for example, carried out memory sharing workshops with older people as part of its lottery funded project, Tracks in Time, which has conserved and digitised historical tithe maps of Leeds.
On a much larger scale, the Moving Here project, led by the National Archives in partnership with 30 archives, libraries, museums, documents 200 years of migration to the UK. It invites people to tell their own story, provides resources for schools and offers help for family history researchers.
Inventive exploitation is evident at The National Fairground Archive, based at the University of Sheffield library. It has been utilised to promote tourism in Blackpool, most notably providing a guided walk (Blackpool Palaces of delight) which can be downloaded as a podcast.
Some archives have a programme of exhibitions to widen access to their holdings. The International Textiles Archive at the University of Leeds, for example, currently has an exhibition featuring its Kashmir shawl collection.
It is also worth considering that there are wide differences in experience between archive services. Whereas some institutions have flourished with lottery and other funding to improve access, there are others which are struggling – they do not have glossy web-sites and still only have card catalogues and limited opening hours.
Additional Online Resources:
- The BBC offers useful hints for doing family history research.
- The BFI National Archive is excellent for film and TV research.
- The British Library has an archive of sound recordings.
References:
Bastian, JA & Alexander, B (2009) Community Archives. The Shaping of memory. London, Facet Publishing.
Funder, A (2003) Stasiland. London, Granta Publications.
Shepherd, E (2009) Archives and Archivists in 20th Century England. Farnham, Ashgate Publishing.
The Lives of Others (2006) Directed by Florian Henckel Von Donnersmarck. Germany.
Jacqui Taylor - I am a part-time librarian, art student and writer. Previously I have done a wide range of jobs - from selling theatre tickets to teaching ...
