The National Archives, UK

🔎 Coming this spring… Step inside the hidden world of MI5 and explore the extraordinary stories behind the security of a nation. This April, for the first time, MI5’s history will go on display to the public in a major new exhibition, made possible through an unprecedented partnership between the Security Service and The National Archives. Explore the ever-changing world of espionage and security threats through original case files, photographs and papers, alongside the real equipment used by spies and spy-catchers over MI5’s 115-year history. From counter-espionage and daring double-agents during the world wars, to chilling Cold War confessions and the counter-terrorism of recent times, this historic exhibition will take you behind the scenes of one of Britain’s most iconic institutions. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/evE2eg-A

History and Archives in Practice 2025 – Registration now live! Working with Memory: History, Storytelling and Practices of Remembrance Where: Senate House, University of London When: Wednesday 5 March 2025 (9:00 – 17:30) You can now register to attend the 2025 History and Archives in Practice event: https://lnkd.in/epJD5a76 Those of us working with history and collections - archivists, historians, researchers, and practitioners - think with memory on a daily basis. However, memory itself is an elusive and plural concept; it is both material and immaterial, and working with memory is not without its challenges. With HAP25 we want to consider these challenges, share our learnings, celebrate our successes, and delve into the possibilities that occur at the intersections of history and archives. We seek to examine how we understand and work with memory, considering questions like: How are memory, storytelling and remembrance felt and practised? How do we decide what memories to collect, and whose stories to tell? And how can we imagine new, expansive and intersectional ways of working with memory within our practices? HAP25 will explore some of the following topics through parallel panel sessions, workshops, and poster presentations: ▶️ War, conflict and commemoration ▶️ Storytelling ▶️ Ways of capturing memory ▶️ Methodologies of remembrance ▶️ Sites of memory ▶️ Social memory and community narratives You can now view the programme here: https://lnkd.in/et_-hKh9 If you have any questions at all, please email: research@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Join us for the launch of 'Archives and Emotions: International Dialogues Across Past, Present, and Future', a groundbreaking Bloomsbury Publishing Plc text exploring intersections of archival practice, historical research, national & disciplinary borders. 🕰️ 23 Jan, 16:00 - 18:00 🗺️ The National Archives & online 🎟️ https://lnkd.in/edD5kDdJ The event will feature the volume's editors and contributors (including our very own Iqbal Singh), as well as major figures in the field of archives and the artist of the book cover. In-person and online attendees will have the opportunity to engage with contributors and ask them questions.

‘History and Archives in Practice’ (HAP) is where historians and archivists come together to consider shared interests in archive collections, their interpretation and use. HAP is a collaboration. We're now looking for a fourth partner to join us for #HAP26 Following HAP24, which took place at Cardiff University in March 2024, we're taking HAP across the country once more and are keen to partner with UK archive centres - large and small - to continue our engagement with collections and learning about good practice in the archives! Could this be your organisation? If yes, we're inviting organisations and institutions to submit their interest in becoming our HAP26 partner. Please complete the following form by Monday 13 January 2025: https://lnkd.in/e5UB2Fr7 Please note that you must be able to host #HAP26 in March 2026. ‘History and Archives in Practice’ encourages a wide range of formats that best showcase a collection and the experience / lessons of collaborative working between archivists and historians on shared projects. We are particularly keen to highlight and support smaller organisations, underrepresented collections and marginalised voices as well as new and emerging research. If successful, you'll work with HAP organisers in shaping the theme for the 2026 event. Some things to consider when applying: ☑️ Why partner with HAP? ☑️ Details about the proposed venue (including accessibility provisions and proximity of spaces) ☑️ Technical provisions ☑️ Catering provisions ☑️ Access to and engagement with collections There is no cost associated with HAP partnership and we ask that the venue is offered in-kind. Should you be interested in acting as a fourth partner for HAP26 and have any issues or questions regarding the logistics, please reach out to us via research@nationalarchives.gov.uk.

Don't forget to apply: Collaborative Doctoral Award opportunity for Geoffrey Chaucer-enthusiasts 📢 Applications are invited for a fully funded studentship: 'Chaucer's Thameside Life and Poetry' If thou would'st this PhD, answere these questions three: 📜 How does Chaucer’s own understanding of landscape, both rural / semi-rural, and urban, relate to his poetry? 📜 How did Chaucer and his contemporaries think about human impact on the environment? 📜 How does the material landscape of Chaucer’s world relate to the imagined worlds of his fictions? Partner university: The University of Oxford Apply before 11:59 am on Tuesday 7 January 2025 https://lnkd.in/eGNKf4kq Image: Chaucer as a pilgrim from folio 153v of the Ellesmere Chaucer in the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. The manuscript is an early publishing of the Canterbury Tales.

Our 2024 Annual Digital Lecture, 'Turning over a new leaf: AI ethics in/through the archives', is being delivered by Dr Eleanor Drage and Kerry McInerney, PhD Join us to explore how feminist and anti-racist ideas are shaking up AI regulation and governance, how archives play a key role in AI ethics, and why this all matters for research. Both Dr Drage and Dr McInerney (née Mackereth) are Senior Research Fellows at the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence at the University of Cambridge, and together they co-host The Good Robot podcast on feminism, gender, and technology 🤖 The Annual Digital Lecture offers the opportunity to hear from leading speakers about a topic related to digital research. To accompany the Lecture and showcase some of the exciting digital research happening at The National Archives, we currently have a poster display in the Auditorium area at our site in Kew. 🗓️ Wednesday 27 November, 11:00-12:15 GMT. Find out more and register: https://lnkd.in/eh4FcJhp?

We hold an extensive collection of material related to the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. These records can often only tell a limited or particular story of the spread of HIV in the UK, and rarely convey the lived experiences and emotions of people who lived with or in proximity to the virus. To explore the vast landscape of collections and archives holding HIV-related records, we are hosting two events bringing together archivists, scholars, researchers, and creative practitioners, including those from the Wellcome Collection, Bishopsgate Institute & George House Trust. 1. In-Person Workshop: ‘HIV and AIDS Archives: Recovering, re-presenting and exploring open digital data’, 2 December. This digital humanities workshop is open to a limited number of people (selected through an expression of interest process) and will be focused on the ‘1987 AIDS Advertising Evaluation Dataset’, exploring how raw data can be transformed to unlock opportunities for digital storytelling. To apply: https://lnkd.in/eZTrSA9a 2. Online Symposium: ‘HIV and AIDS Archives: collections, research and responses’, 3 December. A free online symposium bringing together researchers, historians, archivists, scholars, and creative practitioners who have worked with HIV and AIDS related documents. Book your place: https://lnkd.in/ej5GkG8x

Research happens in a myriad of spaces and in varied ways.     As part of our Methodologies series - exploring creative responses and methods - we'll be in conversation with Sarah Ellis (Director of Digital Development Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)) to discuss the influence of digital research on creativity, and how the RSC enhance future audience engagement with Shakespeare using emerging technologies.    When: November 11, 13:00-14:00 GMT    Register for ‘Research Stages: Shakespeare and Intersections of Research and Creativity’: https://lnkd.in/dPcKUZ5P?

Tomorrow, we're in conversation with artist and integrative arts counsellor, Michelle Rodrigues, exploring connections to ancestral heritage as part of our Methodologies series. How can artistic practice help us make sense of what we discover, or fail to discover, in the archive?   Register for 'Following the thread: creative responses to the archive': https://lnkd.in/eQFpzkZS?

⚠️ The call for papers for our upcoming Discovering Communities, Discovering Collections (DCDC2025) conference is closing soon! ⚠️ If you'd like to take part, be sure to submit your proposal by Monday, 14 October at 17.00. In partnership with The National Archives, UK and Jisc, DCDC25 will be held from 29 – 31 July 2025 at Durham University and online. This is a fantastic opportunity to present your work alongside peers from the gallery, library, archive, and museum sectors, as well as the academic community. We welcome proposals for presentations, panel discussions, workshops, and more. Find out more, check the guidance and submit your proposal: https://lnkd.in/eH6vxnpM     #BritishLibrary #Library #Museum #Archive #Collection #Conference #CallForPapers