Working with Archives and Historical Sources

Much of what we know about the past rests on sources: letters, registers, maps, photographs, inscriptions and everyday objects that have survived, often by chance. This course explains how to work with archives and historical sources carefully and honestly, starting from the beginning.

The course has four modules. The first describes the main kinds of sources and the difference between primary and secondary material. The second shows where sources are kept and how to find them, in archives, libraries, family collections and digital collections. The third teaches critical reading: asking who made a source, when, for whom, and what it leaves out, and comparing one source with another. The fourth covers taking notes, citing sources, making copies, and looking after fragile and family material.

Each lesson is a short text with key points and one exercise you can do alone, with material you already have at home or can reach in a local library. No earlier training is needed. Throughout, the course pays attention to research ethics: privacy, consent, and respect for the people who appear in the records.