Understanding Archives: Their Role and Value in Research
Explore the importance of archives in research, including their definitions, types, and significance. Vanessa Carr, Head of Academic Liaison, discusses archival integrity and the role of primary sources and raw data in academic work. Learn about The National Archives' vision, holdings, and the sectors that utilize its resources, including social scientists and historians. The presentation also highlights key research methodologies in the 21st century, digital records, and specific projects to enhance policy debates and academic inquiries.
Understanding Archives: Their Role and Value in Research
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Presentation Transcript
ESRC Research Methods Festival30 June 2008 Vanessa Carr, Head of Academic Liaison May 2008
What is an archive? • Definition • Different types of archives • Archival integrity
Value of archives in research • Primary source, raw data, uninterpreted • Provision of factual information • To gather data for manipulation or statistical purposes
What is The National Archives? • Background • Holdings • Vision
Who uses The National Archives? • The various sectors and interests • The academic sector
The National Archives’ own research agenda • Independent Research Organisation status • Interpretive research • Conservation and preservation • Born-digital records • Research methodologies in the 21st century
Academic liaison • Existing users • New audiences – social scientists and historians of health and medicine • Academic strategy
Sources for social scientists • Policy, registers, correspondence, proformae • National Digital Archive of Datasets • Some of the main government departments and subjects • Government web archive • Public Sector Information
Scoping study into sources for social scientists • Financed by the ESRC • To build on the work done in the 1970s • Summary report available on the ESRC website at: • http://www.esrcsocietytoday.ac.uk/ESRCInfoCentre/about/CI/CP/tna/ • Recommendations
Some specific projects • Royal Navy surgeons’ journals • Using archival sources to inform contemporary policy debates • Poor Law correspondence • Census data for academic use • Electronic patients records
Possible projects • Household expenditure surveys • Criminal registers • Home Office correspondence • CASE studentships • Public policy seminars
Thank you! Vanessa Carr vanessa.carr@nationalarchives.gov.uk www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
