A Guide to Using Archives in Higher Education Teaching, by Gillian Spraggs

The use of archive sources is central to the practice of history. Yet it is surprisingly common for first-degree history students to graduate without any experience of using archives. They do not learn the skills of archival research and they miss out on the satisfactions of making their own historical discoveries. In effect, they never arrive at the stage where they are doing real history.

The aim of this guide is to encourage a wider and more systematic use of archive-based study in higher education history courses, primarily in Britain. It contains several case studies of undergraduate-level courses and modules in which students are taught to make use of archival resources. It includes some general suggestions relating to archive-oriented teaching and notes on guiding students from the initial stage of locating suitable sources to the point of completing individually researched history projects.

The guide is based on information supplied by lecturers and archivists who are or have been closely involved in archive-oriented teaching. Their approaches are broadly similar, though not in every respect identical. One of the things they have in common is a passionate belief in the value to students of direct experience of archival research.

Last modified 20/01/2009