This post was written by Lucy Baker, Graduate Trainee Library Assistant at the Institute of Historical Research.
History Day is just one week away! Make sure you book your free place as an attendee to experience our in-person fair in Senate House, London on 18 November. If you can’t wait to find out more about our Grassroots History, Grassroots Collections theme or can’t attend in person this year, visit the Discover Collections Site. The site now features contributions from many of the amazing organisations participating this year.
From online archives to blogs and videos, read on to get a taste of what this year’s online contributions have to offer.
Conversation with the Blues: Material from the Paul Oliver Archive of African American Music
Oxford Brookes University Special Collections and Archive
Oxford Brookes Special Collections and Archive have encapsulated the theme of Grassroots History by showcasing the exploration of cultural and social history through African American blues music in 1960. Their contribution includes images and interviews taken by British blues scholar Paul Oliver. These photos and interviews preserve African American voices and culture at a moment of segregation in the United States. The image of Mance Lipscomb, a ‘sharecropper and songster’ highlights the contributions of ordinary people to the blues genre. Furthermore, the photograph of ‘Blind James brewer’ singing ‘for a preacher and his congregation’ in Chicago reveals the role of music in African American community and religious life. The contribution reminds us of the importance of using unconventional sources including explorations of music and culture to recover the grassroots histories of groups whose voices can be silenced in traditional historical sources.
Mance Lipscomb, sharecropper and songster, on the steps of his cabin in Navasota, Texas, 1960. Photograph taken by Paul Oliver. Doc Ref: POAAAM/4/1/100, Oxford Brookes University Special Collections and Archive.
Blind James Brewer, straw-hatted, plays for a preacher and his congregation on Sangamon Street, Chicago, 1960. Photograph taken by Paul Oliver. Doc Ref: POAAAM/4/1/17, Oxford Brookes University Special Collections and Archive.
Unsung Staff and Dedicated Volunteers: The Labor Force Behind the Library of the Hellenic Society (1901–1937)
Institute of Classical Studies
The Institute of Classical Studies has highlighted a different aspect of the theme of ‘Grassroots Histories’, demonstrating the contributions of ordinary people to the study of history. A blog written by Rosario Rovira Guardiola showcases the role of female staff and volunteers in keeping the Hellenic library afloat when faced with challenges in response to World War One and its aftermath. There was certainly inequality between male and female cataloguers and library assistants. This is revealed by the suggestion from librarian John Baker Penoyre, that male library assistant Frederick Wise should be replaced by a ‘lady’ who would be paid half his salary to reduce expenditure. However, the contributions of the female volunteers that made up most the Association of Friends of the Library were appreciated, the list of contributors published each year in The Journal of Roman Studies and The Journal of Hellenic Studies. The actions of these ordinary women played a key role in facilitating the running of the library, and the ongoing study of the Ancient World and the Classics despite the library’s financial hardships.
An accession book of the Hellenic and Roman Library (HARL archive).
Working Class History
Churchill Archives Centre
Finally, the Churchill Archives Centre have discussed the histories of the working class in twentieth century Britian. Their collection guide draws attention to resources in their archives relevant for researching working-class social history. They showcase documents relating to the abolition of the poor law, the memoirs of Phyllis (b. 1922) discussing family life in the early twentieth century, and socialist magazines such as ‘New Left Review’ and ‘Solidarity: For Worker’s Power’. Their contribution not only highlights the grassroots history of ordinary people working and standing up for their rights, but also allows grassroots contributions to the study of history, providing guidance on the use of the primary sources in their free archive, open to the public.
Ben Tillett addressing a crowd during the London Dock Strike, 1912, BEVN II 10/1, Churchill Archives Centre.
If you’ve been inspired to find out more about grassroots histories and grassroots collections, head to our Discover Collections website to explore all the ways different organisations have interpreted the 2026 theme. We can’t wait to welcome many of you to History Day next week, to hear from these organisations and many more and discover their fabulous collections first hand!