Skip to Main Content

History Subject Guide

Learn about key library resources for studying history

Searching archives

There is a huge amount of valuable primary source materials held in physical collections at the archives of organisations such as universities, national and local government bodies, charities, special interest groups, and libraries.  While many archives are making huge progress in improving the visibility of their collections, it can still be difficult to undertake systematic searches of archive collections.  If you have located an archive of interest to your research it is always worth getting in touch with the staff managing the collection for insights into how it is organised, how it can be accessed, and any particular materials which they can direct you to relevant to your research.

The below websites provide advice and support for locating and searching within archive collections.

Local archive collections