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Tutors
and the ARTS
Scheme
The aim of the
ARTS
scheme is to provide guidance to students who are ready to begin
work on primary material in archives. The move from secondary to
primary sources can be challenging, whatever the discipline, and
the recent advent of taught research and methodology Masters courses
is a great step forward in addressing the problems associated with
tackling primary sources for the first time.
The
need for archival training
However most
courses are written from an academic perspective, and tend to focus
on relevant sources that the student will encounter. This approach
necessitates the collation of documents from various archives for
ease of study, and can present an unrealistic impression of the
real archival world. The challenge of navigating the labyrinthine
system of finding aids, reference systems and catalogues that vary
from archive to archive is somewhat understated, and the preparatory
steps of locating, contacting and registering at an archive are
often overlooked completely. This makes a student's first visit
to an archive both daunting and intimidating, and the experience
may affect their whole approach to future research.
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An
online solution …
Based
on first-hand experience of inducting new academic users of
The National Archives, the ARTS
scheme attempts to tackle these problems from an archival
perspective. An online tutorial has
been prepared to tackle the essential requirements, as described
above, combined with a step-by-step guide to all aspects of
archival research, including rules and regulations, realistic
practical advice and tips for online searches (an area of
growing importance that is not without pitfalls). Furthermore,
students can access a brief synopsis of
four 'national' archives, with each one linked to the
institution's respective website. Both of these features can
be found on the student home page.
Onsite
tutorial at your university
The online
tutorial is designed for students who require quick and easy
guidance in advance of an imminent visit to an archive. However
a more detailed onsite tutorial has been prepared that elaborates
on the five main subject areas. Furthermore, a detailed introduction
to The National Archives is offered, as most students find
that a visit becomes necessary at some stage of their postgraduate
career.
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This session can be booked at your university and is strongly
recommended for students of any discipline or level of study
- indeed it is particularly useful for third year undergraduates
who are already considering a postgraduate degree. For further
information, click here.
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Tours
of The National Archives
In addition
to the onsite service at your university, a limited introduction
and tour of The National Archives is offered. For information about this
service, please click here.
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Future
development of the ARTS scheme
At present,
the ARTS
scheme provides a limited online service. Depending on demand,
the scheme will develop fully interactive online document
tutorials. This will place images, transcriptions and (where
applicable) translations of key documents online for particular
subject areas and chronological periods. For further information
about this project, please click here.
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Further Information
Please
contact us if you have any questions
about the ARTS
scheme. Click here to find out
more about the scheme designer.
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