How to find archival sources
Archives are records of historically significant activities of a person, association or institution. They might document a specific event or focus on a particular area of interest. They are often created around the time of the event, usually by witnesses to it.
Discover our archival material
Archives are sources of primary information sources which can add unique evidence and context to your research.
As primary information sources, they can include both physical and digital documents and artefacts such as research papers, correspondence, diaries, log books, newspaper articles, photographs, sketches, business records, minutes, annotated books, emails, videos and ephemera.
These items are collected and preserved by archivists who write descriptions about the items so they can be discovered and researched.
Consulting archival sources held at the University of Sheffield is a process in two parts:
- Search our online catalogue:
Discover Our Archives allows you to search our archival collections including the Special Collections and Archives; the National Fairground and Circus Archive; and the University’s institutional archive.
Watch Discover Our Archives on Kaltura
- Visit the Special Collections, Heritage, and Archives Reading Room to access archives:
The Reading Room is open to students, staff and members of the public for free. It is recommended that you book an appointment online and request the material you would like to look at before your visit.
Book a visit to the reading room: Use our collections | Library | The University of Sheffield
Discover digital archives
Archives are sometimes digitised allowing you to see digital reproductions online.
For the items held at the University of Sheffield, see:
- National Fairground and Circus Archive Digital - this is a unique collection of photographic, printed, manuscript and audiovisual material covering all aspects of the culture of travelling showpeople, their organisation as a community, their social history and everyday life; and the artefacts and machinery of fairgrounds.
- Digital Special Collections - these are collections of rare and special books and archives covering a wide range of subjects and time periods.
The Library provides access to other digital archive collections from a variety of publishers including Gale Primary Sources, AM Explorer, ProQuest and several collections from British Online Archives.
You can see the full list of digitised archives available from publishers by going to the Database A-Z and selecting ‘Archives’ as the item type.
Most of these archive platforms allow you to browse by theme or collection, or to search for keywords to retrieve matching documents. We have some videos demonstrating how to use some of the main platforms below, and you can contact your liaison librarian for further help.
Newspaper archives
The Library has a comprehensive collection of historical newspapers available:
Newspaper archives | Library | The University of Sheffield
Next steps
- How to search for wider reading
- How to question information and think critically
- How to find images and figures
Further Resources
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