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.
CP5021 - Critical and Contextual Studies 2
Description: A 45-minute workshop that introduces participants to the concept and rich diversity of Artists’ Books, exploring their potential as primary sources in academic research. Through critical and creative strategies, students will learn to engage with artist’s books in research contexts, fostering interdisciplinary dialogue around materiality, authorship, and narrative. By the end of the session, participants will be able to define key characteristics of artist’s books, apply appropriate methodologies for analysis, and reflect on how form and structure shape meaning in these unique works.
Books:
Full list of Artists' Books is available. For this workshop, the following material was selected:
Face The Facts (2002) by Batool Showghi
Brain Activity (2012) by David Shrigley
Alien Invasion (2012) by Otto
Black Lives - W.E.B.Du Bois at the Paris Exhibition 1900 (2019) by David Adjaye
DN5024​​​​​​3 - 3D Design Realisation
DN5024 / DN4021 - 3D Design and Development
DN4020 - 3D Workshop Practice
DN4022 - Research and Visual Communication
Description: Live brief project across Levels 4 and 5 of BA Product and Furniture Design. Students develop a deep understanding of design principles, material processes, and human-centered research. They learn to critically apply archival research to design thinking, experiment with materials and techniques in both 2D and 3D, and refine their ideas through iterative, self-aware processes. Emphasis is placed on ethical and sustainable design, effective communication through industry-standard methods, and the development of a personal design identity. Practical skills are honed through workshop practice and realisation techniques, while students are encouraged to consider the impact of their work on users, clients, and the wider public.
The brief was to design a Memory Box. Full details on the Special Collections catalogue.
Records:
Oral History recordings from the Irish in Britain 50th Anniversary project Look Back to Look Forward
SM5090 - Media and Communities
Description: A 120-minute workshop that introduces students to the history and cultural impact of the Federation of Worker Writers and Community Publishers (FWWCP), highlighting its role in amplifying marginalised voices through grassroots publishing. Students will explore themes of counterculture, identity, and self-publishing, examining the contrast between mainstream and community media. Through creative and critical engagement with archival materials from the FWWCP collection, they will uncover narratives that challenge dominant cultural perspectives and reflect lived experiences, social movements, and alternative viewpoints.
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.
