Archives

Archives resized‌‌

Meet Professor Annie Tindley, a historian using archival research usually related to aristocratic individuals and landed estates

Archival research methods utilise unique primary source documents from archives and special collections. Such sources can include a broad range of materials including manuscripts, unpublished letters, photographs, maps, rare books, illustrations and digital texts. Archival sources are often held in repositories and are increasingly being made available online through digitisation techniques, an issue which has seen increased prevalence in the light of COVID.

Traditionally, archival research methods are applied in a range of fields that involve the study of historical documents such as English Literature, History and Classics, however they are increasingly used by scholars engaged in non-historical investigations on contemporary issues. Archival methods are informed by a number of research philosophies including modernist, postmodernist and feminist approaches, and there is an increasing body of literature around the ethics of archival research.

The Humanities Research Institute and the Institute for Creative Arts Practice host a range of experts in archival research design and methodologies and you can find more information in ‘People’ below.

Newcastle University has an extensive collection of archival material available to access by staff and students. You can find a guide to the Philip Robinson Library’s special collections and archives here.

People 

Courses