10 Things you might encounter, when you consult rare documents in an archive

If you are crossing disciplines then you may find yourself researching in an archive for the first time. Last month we looked at reasons why researchers might want to consult original documents. This time I’ve co-authored a blogpost with Jenny Delasalle to outline things that you might need to be prepared for, when visiting archives. (If you’re also co-authoring, then we recommend a look at the Piirus Bonuses where you can find co-authorship guides!) We hope this list helps your archive visit to go smoothly:

1. Bring pencils: many archives won’t let you take pens into their reading rooms
2. and a coin for a locker: sometimes forbidden items (such as pens!) may be placed in a locker outside the reading room
3. Book in advance: either your place in the reading room, or indeed the documents that you wish to consult may need to be booked in advance. Always contact archives well ahead of planning your visit: Combine this with a letter of introduction, explaining your research project. When there, you could be requested to fill out a form, and sometimes the head archivist will briefly interview you. Archivists are usually extremely helpful and may even alert you to other relevant material of which you were previously unaware!
4. Time is limited: you may be supervised and your time with original documents could be very limited. If there is a digital copy available, try to get the most you can from that, first.
5. Nowhere to charge up batteries: pens or pencils may be equally old fashioned to you, but archives were often established before the laptop and tablet revolution, so you may need to charge up in advance, and perhaps bring spare batteries or a battery charger if you want to use your gadget throughout your whole visit.
6. Your hands are dangerous! You might be asked to wear special gloves when consulting old documents, to protect the originals from fingerprints, perspiration and grease.
7. Silence is intense: most archive reading rooms are largely silent. Schedule breaks for yourself, or you might get a headache!
8. Time flies: you need those breaks so that you can mark the passage of time
9. There will be much more than you imagine: plan to spend more time in the archive than you absolutely need, because you may be alerted to (see 3 above), or unexpectedly find, very relevant documents when you’re there.
10. Take good notes: note not only the documents that you consulted, but also things from the archive you chose not to consult or only briefly looked at, and why: include all relevant reference numbers, shelf marks, page ranges, page and paragraph numbers, etc. Brief transcriptions of key passages can also be helpful. This way you won’t panic later on when you think you’ve found a crucial new source at the end of your project.

Do you have any stories from archive visits? What else would you recommend to someone visiting an archive for the first time? You can leave a reply below: we’d be glad to hear from you!