Archives play an important role in research by providing access to primary source materials that offer firsthand insight into historical events, social movements, and personal experiences. These materials - ranging from letters and photographs, to oral histories and ephemera - allow researchers to build narratives, challenge existing interpretations, and uncover voices that may have been marginalised or overlooked. For our students and academic staff, archives are a valuable resource for grounding their work in authentic, contextualised evidence.
Beyond academic research, archives also support creative, community, and policy-based projects. Community researchers, for example, use archives to reclaim local histories and document lived experiences, while policymakers and legal researchers may turn to archival records to understand the long-term impact of legislation or institutional practices.
At London Metropolitan University, our Special Collections hold a wide range of archives that can support and enrich your research. These include unique materials spanning social history, community activism, design, and Irish diaspora studies - many of which are not available elsewhere. Our team regularly collaborates with academic staff to integrate these resources into teaching, whether through in-person sessions, online access, or blended learning approaches.
Below are modules we are currently supporting, demonstrating the different ways archives can be embedded into learning and teaching across our School of Art, Architecture and Design, School of Social Sciences and Professions, and School of Computing and Digital Media.
SW6P03 - Becoming Research Minded for Practice / SW7P00 - Research Mindedness for Practice
Description: A 90-minute workshop that invites students to explore primary sources from The London Irish Women's Centre, working through a set of questions designed to prompt discussion around their use in social work research. They consider how oral histories can serve as qualitative data while acknowledging the limitations of personal narratives; examine methodological approaches for analysing photographs as historical evidence; and reflect on the insights and potential biases found in community-produced reports. Groups will also discuss how combining these sources can strengthen a research project on community-based social work, and identify key ethical considerations when working with archival materials that document lived experiences, particularly those of marginalised communities.
Records:
Selected photographs taken by Sass Tuffin of Irish Travellers. Printed with permission in Rights for Travellers (1995)
From the roads of Ireland: Voices of Irish Travellers in London presented by the Irish Traveller Movement in Britain, featuring clips of Irish Travellers in London discussing their way of life.
