History Day 2015

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|16th January 2015|Collections & Research, Teaching & Learning|1 comments

Are you interested in undertaking historical research? Would you like some help with navigating and using library and archive collections? This year SOAS Archives will be taking part in the History Libraries & Research Open Day being organised by the School of Advanced Study, University of London.

Aimed at postgraduate students and early career researchers, the Open Day takes place in the Beveridge Hall on the ground floor of Senate House on 20 January 2015, between 10am and 4.30pm.

The Open Day will include a history fair with the chance to meet professional staff from a number of libraries and archives based in London, who will be offering information and advice about using their collections. SOAS will be represented in the fair, and staff from our library and archives will be available in the Macmillan Hall at Senate House throughout the day.

The Open Day will also include talks, practical clinics and training sessions on research skills for using libraries, archives and digital resources. A list of participants, a full programme for the day and details of how to sign up can be seen on the History Day Blog.

SOAS Archives & Special Collections, held at SOAS Library, represent unique research potential for advancing knowledge and understanding of Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Our archival sources document the British interaction with these regions, tracing the transition from the colonial world to the globalised present. They also contain some of the earliest surviving written and visual accounts of languages, cultures and narratives from across the world. From maps to photographs, and manuscripts to archives, SOAS collections have already been used to enhance group teaching and learning through hands-on and source-led sessions. A diverse range of private researchers also consult our collections, which act as a wider educational and cultural resource, supporting lifelong learning and helping individuals explore topics including family histories and community memory. Every year up to 3,000 people visit SOAS Archives & Special Collections to undertake primary research using our unique collections in a wide-range of academic disciplines.

For more information on our collections, please contact us at special.collections@soas.ac.uk, take a look at our web pages or browse the SOAS Archive Catalogue online.