Mapping Inclusive Practice - The National Archives

Sinclair, Jeanie ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-9823-7235 (2022) Mapping Inclusive Practice - The National Archives. [Project]

Abstract / Summary

As part of the National Archives’ ‘Mapping Inclusive Practice’ I produced a report for The National Archives on inclusive practice in the archive sector in the South West of England. The aim of the project was to identify best practice in inclusion across the archives sector. This research reflects my interest in archives and critical methodologies, and links to my critical archival practice around queering the archive, which informed my PhD and my collaborative work with Tom Marshman. I identified a range of archives across the South West region, in order to discover what inclusivity means in organisations of different sizes, levels of funding and purposes. I interviewed archive practitioners about their archives and their work, focusing on how they think about and implement inclusive practice, both in their engagement with audiences, how they look after their material, and how they provide access to archives. I analysed the interviews and summarised my findings in a written report, as well as presenting my research at The National Archives, and the research will be has been used, along with the research from other English regions, to produce key guidance to support archives on implementing more inclusive and representative practices to ensure that diverse voices and histories are accessible.

Key Research Impacts:

- The research identified inclusive practices, highlighting existing inclusive ways of working across a range of archives, creating best practice guidelines for other archives and instituions.
- The research contributed to the creation of resources and guidance to support archives in developing inclusive practices.
- In sharing findings from individual archives, the project encouraged a collaborative approach, sharing strategies to become more inclusive.
- The project initiated conversations about archival practices and discussions on representation and accessibility in archives, and provides the basis for future work on inclusive practice in archives.

View Record (staff only)