|  Students
of all ages will be fascinated by evidence that has been generated by
a local person and may never have been read by anybody else; archive
sources give everyone the opportunity to be a real historian.
Archive material is varied; ranging from ancient deeds made from parchment,
hand written minute books or log books through to modern media such
as photographs and films. Most of it is unique written material
produced during the course of a person's life or employment or a contemporary
record of an event or transaction.
Archive sources, along with [generally printed] local studies
material such as newspapers, maps and commercial directories, exist
for all areas but it is not always obvious where to find those relevant
to you.
There is a network of archive repositories covering the whole
of Britain although they are known by a variety of names including County
Record Offices, Archives, Local Studies Centres, Heritage Centres or
Local History Centres. Archives can also be found in other places such
as museums, universities and local libraries.
Local Studies material may also be found in all of these places
although most collections will be in larger libraries in either the
reference library or local studies library.
The Internet has made it easier for teachers to find archive sources.
To find your nearest archive repository for local sources visit
the National Archives [HMC] ARCHON
web site and search by place.
To find source material on a specific topic visit the Access
to Archives[A2A] site which allows you to search nationally by subject.
Once you have identified the most likely office, then contact
them by telephone, e-mail or post and they will be able to confirm that
they have the sources you are interested in and may well be able to
suggest others.
They will also be able to tell you what services they can offer
to teachers. Some have education officers; all should be able to
offer advice and photocopies of sources, depending on condition and
copyright.
Because of the unique nature of archive sources all offices have rules
about access. It is essential to make contact before taking or sending
pupils in.
Visit the Archives
for Education and Learning Group web site for a selection of downloadable
documents with background notes and suggested activities.
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