History Day November 2015

The History Libraries and Research open day on 27 November 2015 was a fantastic event and it was great to see so many libraries, archives and researchers there. Thanks to everyone who attended.

This third History Day included an open history fair showcasing libraries, archives and organisations as well as one-on-one research clinics and training sessions. In addition to the coverage of a wide range of historical subjects, there was a special feature: an American Trail highlighting American collections in London*. To learn more read this blog post.

Find out more about the day on Storify.

Participating organisations

• Archives and Records Associations’ (ARA) Section for Business Records*
• Birkbeck Library
• Black Cultural Archives
• British Library*
• Business Archives Council*
• Cengage Learning*
• Dr Williams’s Library*
• German Historical Institute Library
• Goldsmiths University of London (Special Collections)
• Heinz Archive and Library, National Portrait Gallery
• History Lab
• History Lab Plus
• Institute of Advanced Legal Studies Global Law Library*
• Institute of Historical Research*
• Institute of Historical Research Digital*
• King’s College London Library Services*
• Lambeth Palace Library*
• Library of the Society of Friends*
• London Metropolitan Archives
• London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Library & Archive Service*
• LSE library services and The Women’s Library @ LSE*
• MOLA (Museum of London Archaeology)
• The National Archives*
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
• Queen Mary, University of London (Archives)
• The Royal Society, Collections
• School of Advanced Study, University of London*
• Senate House Library*
• School of Oriental and African Studies Library
• TUC Library Collections at London Metropolitan University*
• UCL Institute of Education Library*
• UCL Institute of the Americas, Library Services and Special Collections*
• Warburg Institute
• Wellcome Library*
• Wiener Library

*American Trail

Programme

• History Fair – open all day 10:00-16:00

Research clinics (drop-in one-on-one guidance)

• Finding the research training you need    10:00-12:00
• Canadian Studies resources  10:00-12:00
• Using the collections at the National Archives   10:00-16:00
• Building your bibliography and keeping it up to date  10:00-12:00
• Caribbean Area Studies Resources  11:30-15:00
• Improving your online search skills   13:00-16:00
• Help with American Resources at the British Library  14:00-15:00

Panel sessions

Libraries Panel   10:00-11:00

Chair: Dr Nick Barratt (Senate House Library)

• Library Classification and Research: Alison Gage (Senate House Library) and Michael Townsend (IHR library)
• Locating uncatalogued collections: Dr Richard Espley (Senate House Library)

Archives Panel 11:30-12:30

Chair: Dr Chris Lewis (King’s College London)

• Archive arrangement and Research: Dr Ruth Frendo (Institute of Advanced Legal Studies)
• Working the Archives: a User’s Guide: Dr Adam Chapman (Victoria County History, IHR)

Digital Research Panel  14.00-15.00

Chair: Professor Jane Winters (IHR)

• An introduction to IHR digital resources and big data projects: Sarah Milligan, Jonathan Blaney, Simon Baker (IHR)

North American Panel  15:00-16:00

Chair: Dr Janet Floyd (King’s College London)

• Quaker epistles in the Atlantic world, held at the Library of the Society of Friends: Dr Jordan Landes (Senate House Library)
• An 1840s emigrant letter from Arkansas to Rochdale, held at the LSE Library: Dr Janet Floyd (King’s College London)
• Laughing Horse, a modernist literary magazine published in the 1920s in the Taos American South West, held at the British Library: Jenny Essen (King’s College London)
• Researching scientist George R. Price (1922-1975), held at the British Library: Laura Farnworth (Artistic Director, Undercurrent Theatre)