Voluntary Sector Archives: a democratic deficit?

Last week I attended a conference at the University of Northumbria which posed the question ‘Is there a democratic deficit in archives?’ It brought together a range of interested parties such as archivists, records managers, academics and civil servants. I went to see how the idea of democracy in archives could inform the work I…

PhD Completed

A strange and yet not so strange thing has happened. My PhD is over. Submitted. Viva-d. Corrected. Resubmitted. Deposited. Bound. All that remains is graduation and hopefully a rather large party to celebrate it in July 2016.  I made it out the other side. I have emerged blinking and I appear to be in one…

New blog on the NCVO site: PRESERVING YOUR CHARITY’S ARCHIVES: FIRST STEPS

I just wanted to post a quick message to direct you to a blog I have just written for the National Council of Voluntary Organisations (NCVO). It is about the British Academy Project for which I am the Research Assistant and provides information for voluntary organisations on how they can get involved in the first…

The History of Youth Cultures: Understanding International Influences, National Frameworks and Local Lived Experiences

This post originally appeared on the Four Nations History Blog in February 2015. Different regional, national and international perspectives are essential to understanding the history of youth cultures. Without understanding international influences, national frameworks and local lived experiences we cannot fully understand how young people have formed and shaped their cultures. In Four Nations terms…

Digitising the Mixed Economy of Welfare in Britain

In an earlier blog post I talked about my visits to wild archives and some of the problems inherent in using these kinds of sources. At the time I was aware of the Campaign for Voluntary Sector Archives and the work Georgina Brewis had been doing, for example her blog for NCVO Eight reasons charities…

Child Poverty Action Group Witness Seminar

On 6th January 2015 I attended a Witness Seminar at the Institute for Contemporary British History on the history of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in the 70s and 80s, as part of their forthcoming 50th Birthday celebrations. Not only was I interested to hear about how such a high-profile organisation had handled the…

Archives in the wild: researching local youth clubs in London and Liverpool

Early in my PhD I had a conversation with my supervisors about locating the relevant sources for my research. We knew it would be a challenge and it was a significant factor in how I chose my case studies. While the main youth associations in London and Liverpool had both deposited significant amounts of material in…

Walking Liverpool: dynamic understandings of youth and youth work in Liverpool

I have just got back from an exhausting but excellent research trip to Liverpool where I have been immersing myself in the history of youth clubs and youth work as well as getting to know the city a little better. On the second day, while visiting a club whose papers I have read, I was…

How long does a PhD take?

This title could well read 'How long does a PhD take!' That would perhaps reflect the sense that though I have travelled a great distance towards completing my PhD in the last three years, it is not finished yet. I am entering my continuation year, or 'writing-up' period as it is also known. The terms of…

Reflections on blogging

I am sure no one has noticed that my blog went quiet for a while. Without airing my personal life via social media, the last few months have been a time where I felt I needed to hunker down and blogging just could not be a priority. Now that I'm adapting to a new normal…