Community archives come in all shapes and sizes, including crowd-sourced physical archives, family archives, historical information gathered on purpose-built digital platforms (like Layers of London), and social media collections. In this talk, Dr Ruth Slatter (Institute of Historical Research) will reflect on her experience of engaging with community archives, their huge value to historians and the challenges they present. This talk will be followed by a discussion between all attendees about their experiences of community archives, through the UK and beyond!

In this talk, Dr Slatter will discuss her experience of working with the crowd-sourced Methodist Women’s Collection, how members of the Victoria County History network have engaged with community archives since it was established in 1899, and how the Centre for the History of People, Place and Community is continuing to build and expand the community archive element of Layers of London.

Dr Ruth Slatter is Lecturer in Historic Environment and Knowledge Exchange Manager at the University of London’s Institute of Historical Research. As a member of the IHR’s Centre for the History of People, Place and Community, she is a Co-General Editor of the Victoria County History. Ruth’s research primarily uses participatory approaches to explore histories of grassroots communities. Most recently, she has been exploring the crowd-sourced Methodist Women’s Collection at Epworth Old Rectory.

Information about accessing the event is available here: https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/research-enterprise/cultural/centre-for-history...

This is an online-only event, delivered via Teams.