This workshop delivered by The National Archives, Kew, is designed to develop the knowledge and experience of students undertaking research in material culture, and in particular through the use of visual sources.
Students will learn about the different kinds of records held at The National Archives which can be particularly useful sources for material culture research. These comprise designs, images registered for copyright protection, and other artwork, graphic design and photographs produced or collected by government departments.
Our specialists will guide students through the history and structure of the different collections and explain how best to search and browse the online catalogue to find useful results. Students will also learn how to move between indexes and registers to find specific relevant material.
Attendance options
The National Archives is offering hybrid attendance options for its programme of PAST Skills and Methodology workshops in 2022. This workshop, focusing on visual sources, can be attended at two levels:
- Online-only workshop: Day 1 - 22 March (online) only
- Full hybrid workshop: Day 1 (online) and Day 2 24 March (on site at The National Archives)
Course outline
Day 1 (online) will focus on providing an overview of the kinds of records relevant to material culture research and how they can be used and analysed. It will introduce three key areas of The National Archives visual collections: registered designs, art & graphic design and photographs & film. The day will include demonstrations of the use of Discovery, our online catalogue, and other online resources to access these collections and students will be given practical exercises to tests the knowledge they have acquired.
Day 2 (on site) will give students the opportunity to handle and work with original records from each of the collections introduced in day 1. The sessions will include practical exercises to familiarise students with the use of indexes and registers to find material within the collections. There will also be an opportunity to hear about the research journeys of other researchers who have worked with The National Archives' visual collections to investigate aspects of material culture history.
At the end of the course, you will understand the range of visual records available at The National Archives and how they can be analysed and applied to the study of material culture. You will also feel confident using online search techniques, and original indexes and registers to find records in the different collections.
This event is aimed at current taught postgraduate and PhD students, but other researchers are welcome. Please get in touch if you fall outside these categories and would like to attend.
Each day is a full-day workshop, running roughly from 9am to 5pm. Exact timings for the programme will be confirmed and published on this page a week before the workshop.
Details and booking here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/past-skills-methodology-visual-sources-for-material-culture-research-registration-229349258807