In February the Essex Record Office welcomed the whole of
the University of
Essex’s first year
History undergraduates to the archive.
We first approached the History Department of the University
in spring 2012 to suggest an undergraduate visit, and they were very keen that
their students should become more familiar with the Record Office, and build
their confidence in using primary sources and visiting archives in general. The
visits were made a compulsory part of the students’ History Workshop module,
which all first years sit.
The year group totals about 90 students, and their visits
were split over 3 days. Not quite all of the students made it, with 77 visiting
in total. The visits were a real team effort, involving staff from Outreach,
the Public Service Team, the Archivists, and Conservation.
The aims of the visits were:
- To introduce University of Essex
first year History undergraduates to the Essex Record Office, and to break down
any barriers that might stop them using the ERO
- To give students confidence in using ERO
resources
- To give students a flavour of the variety of
documents held and the ERO, and they types of projects that they might be used
for
- To introduce students to the research process
- To introduce students to some basic critical
analysis of sources
- To get the students to begin thinking about
dissertation topics
- To encourage students to visit the ERO again
later in their degrees
The timetable for each day comprised a tour of the Record
Office (including the Searchroom and its resources, the repositories, ERO
‘treasures’ and the Conservation Studio), the presentation of two short case
studies of research using ERO sources, an introduction to the Essex Sound and
Video Archive, and a chance to see a range of specially chosen original
documents demonstrating the breadth of the collections. The students were then
set a research task to be completed in the Searchroom, which required them to
use microfilmed newspapers, online resources including the census, maps, wills
and secondary material. The task was followed by a discussion about the
advantages and disadvantages of different types of sources, and the nature of
historical interpretation.
Evaluation
Evaluation exercises were conducted at the beginning and end
of each visit, to test whether and how students’ perceptions of the ERO had
changed. None of the students had previously visited the ERO, although a very
small number had been to an archive before.
Would you visit the
ERO for your research?
There was a dramatic turnaround in opinion from the vast
majority (51) of students saying they would not visit, to the vast majority (55)
saying that they would. This suggests that the visits achieved their principle aim
of encouraging students to feel that the ERO could be useful to them and is a
welcoming place to visit.
Perceptions
Also at the beginning and end of each visit we asked the
students ‘What are your perceptions of the ERO?’
Overall the students’ perceptions were radically altered by
the visit. By the end, most felt that the ERO was of more relevance to them and
their studies, and had decided that the resources held are more useful and
interesting than they had expected.
What have you learnt?
At the end of the visit the students were asked what they
had learnt. The vast majority of the students learnt something positive during
the visit; that the ERO is easy to use, how to use some of the equipment in our
Searchroom, and that we had a bigger range of documents than they expected.
Perhaps most significant were the comments that research should go ‘beyond the
library’, and that archives are valuable for their studies. The comments also
indicate a growth in the students’ confidence in dealing with primary sources,
e.g. that reading old handwriting is achievable, and that research needs to be
based on a range of sources.
What have you
enjoyed/not enjoyed?
The overwhelming impression from the feedback is that the
students had enjoyed themselves. The research task and the treasures were
particularly highlighted as things that the students most enjoyed. Also
mentioned were the tour, conservation, finding out about different types of
sources, and some of the individual records we had shown them.
Conclusion and
suggestions for future improvement
Overall the visits can be declared a big success. They
achieved their aims of making the students feel more at ease with the archive
and to see it as more relevant to them and their studies, and encouraged them
to think about visiting again in the future.
All of the different elements of the visit (tour, case
studies, research task, discussion) were enjoyed by the overwhelming majority
of the students and most of them seem to have gained confidence in working with
primary sources.
Only one student made an explicit suggestion for an
improvement; they had enjoyed the task but said that they wish they had had
longer for it, and a choice of task. This is rather contrary to what the staff
felt on the day, in that most of the students seemed to race through the
research task.
Overall, however, there was a really positive buzz around
the visits, and it is hoped that they will become an annual fixture. We are
also planning to send some staff members to the University next year when this
cohort of students are planning their dissertations, to refresh their memories
about their visits this year and to again promote the ERO as a convenient,
friendly and useful place for them to undertake their research.
