Research institutes and seminars
- Institute of Historical Research (this page)
- Other research institutes
- Research Seminars
Institute of Historical Research (IHR)
- Address: Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
- Director: Professor Miles Taylor, BA, PhD (Cantab.), FRHS
- Director's Personal Assistant: Jacqueline Aspin
- Institute Administrator: Elaine Walters, BA (Sheffield), Dip.Admin.Mgt., GradCIPD
- Head of Publications & Executive Editor of Historical Research: Jane Winters, MA, Ph.D. (Lond.).
- Development Officer: Michelle Waterman, BA, BS (Connecticut), MA (Lond.)
- Librarian: Jennifer Higham, BA (Oxon.), MA (UCL)
- Research Training Officer: Simon Trafford, BA, MA, D.Phil. (York)
Centre for Metropolitan History
- Director: Matthew Davies, MA, D.Phil. (Oxon.)
- Deputy Director: James Moore, BA (Oxon.), Ph.D. (Manchester) (on secondment during 2009-10)
- Visiting Leverhulme Professor of Comparative Metropolitan History: Vivan Bickford-Smith, MA, D.Phil (Cantab.)
- Administrative & Research Assistant: Olwen Myhill, BA (Birmingham), Dip.RSA.
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Research projects of the Centre include:
- London and the Tidal Thames 1250-1550
- London women and the economy before and after the Black Death
- Life in the Suburbs: health, domesticity and status in early modern London
Centre for Contemporary British History (formerly ICBH)
- Director: Richard Roberts, BA (Lond.), Ph.D. (Cantab.)
- Leverhulme Professor of Contemporary British History: Pat Thane, MA (Oxon.), Ph.D. (Lond.)
- Deputy Director: Virginia Preston, BA (Oxon.)
- Director of the Oral History Programme: Michael Kandiah, BA (Victoria), MA, Ph.D. (Exeter)
- Consultant, History of Education: David Cannadine, MA (Cantab.), D.Phil. (Oxon.)
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The Centre's current projects include:
- History in Education
- Witness Seminar Programme
Victoria History of the Counties of England
- Director: John Beckett, BA, Ph.D. (Lancaster), FSA, FRHistS
- VCH Consultant: Alan T. Thacker, BA, D.Phil. (Oxon.), FSA
- Architectural Editor: Elizabeth Williamson, BA (Lond.), FSA
- Office Manager: William Peck, BSBA (Arizona), MBA (Thunderbird)
- Publications Manager: Jessica Davies,
England’s Past for Everyone Project
- Historic Environment Research Manager: Matthew Bristow, BA, MA (Leicester)
- Education and Skills Manager: Skye Dillon
- Finance Officer: Nafisa Gaffar
- Web and Publications Assistant: Melanie Hackett, BA (OU – in progress)
- Web Manager: Dima Nemchenko
The Institute is the University of London’s centre for postgraduate study in history. Its library collects printed primary sources, bibliographies, guides to archives, periodicals and reference works covering the history of Western Europe and its expansion overseas from the fall of the Roman Empire. Its common room, training courses, seminars and conferences make it a regular meeting place for historians of most periods and parts of the world. Its programme of research and publications includes the long-established Victoria County History (approximately four-fifths of which is supported by local authorities, other universities and colleges, and other bodies), the Centre for Contemporary British History, and the Centre for Metropolitan History, which is also mainly dependent on external sources of funding.
Hours of Opening:
The Institute is open from 9 a.m. to 8.45 p.m. each day from Monday to Friday and from 9.30 a.m. to 5.15 p.m. on Saturdays.
Admission to the Institute:
Admission is normally confined to graduates (in any subject) who are engaged in historical research, and is granted free of charge to members of academic and related staff and postgraduate students at institu¬tions of higher education in the United Kingdom and European Union. Admission may be granted on payment of a fee to persons engaged in historical research, but who do not qualify for free admission as described above. This may be on an institutional basis through the Annual Payments Scheme, which allows access for academic and related staff and postgraduate students of non-EU higher education institutions, or on an individual basis through the Friends of the IHR. Further enquiries about admission should be directed to the IHR reception, telephone 020 7862 8740 or via email to IHR.Reception@sas.ac.uk.
Members of the public may be admitted as library visitors to consult works not otherwise available in London. Final-year undergraduates may be admitted at the discretion of the Librarian if their supervisor provides a letter showing that they have a special need to use the IHR’s collections. For further enquiries about admittance to the IHR Library, please contact the Duty Librarian on 020 7862 8760 or via email to IHR.Library@sas.ac.uk.
Training Courses at the IHR
The following courses for postgraduate students and researchers will be run by the Institute of Historical Research in 2007-2008. All prices and details of courses may be subject to change. Details should be checked on the Research Training section of the IHR website.
Short Courses
Internet Sources for Historical Research
7 Dec. 2009, 8 March 2010 and 8 June 2010
This course provides an intensive introduction to use of the internet as a tool for serious historical research. It includes sessions on academic mailing lists, usage of gateways, search engines and other finding aids, and on effective seaerching using Boolean operators and compound search terms, together with advice on winnowing the useful matter from the vast mass of unsorted data available, and on the proper caution to be applied in making use of online information. We try as much as possible to tailor the course to the particular research needs of the participants, and thus ask for details of specialist interests in advance. This course is open to all who are interested in using the internet as a tool for historical research. The fee for the course is £70. Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Databases for Historians I
8-12 Nov. 2009 and 15-18 June 2010
Mark Merry (CMH, IHR)
Researchers just beginning their work who wish to explore the possible advantages of using a database will gain practical experience and theoretical knowledge on this course. Participants are taught how to plan, set up and use their own databases, as well as how to change and edit existing ones. This course is open to postgraduate students, lecturers and all who are interested in using databases in their historical research. The course fee is £185. Places are limited and are allocated on a first come, first served basis.
Databases for Historians II
14-16 July 2010
The aim of this course is to develop the practical skills necessary for constructing and fully exploiting a database for use in historical research. Assuming a basic understanding of the conceptual issues in digitally managing information from historical sources, the course aims to introduce the specific tools and techniques required for improving the utility of the database from the data entry stage, through to the generation and presentation of analysis. The course consists of ‘hands-on’ practical sessions in which students are provided with practical guidance on employing these techniques thorugh the use of Microsoft Access. Familiarity with the basic concepts of database use is required: participants should be confident working with Microsoft Access, and should have some knowledge of working with data tables and simple queries. The course is open to postgraduates, academics and all who are interested in using databases to organise or analyse historical data. The standard fee for the course is £160. Places are strictly limited and early application is strongly recommended.
Interviewing for Researchers
10 May 2010
Michael Kandiah (CCBH)
This 1-day course is designed to address the particular practical and theoretical problems of those who wish to conduct interviews with members of the governing elites (i.e. civil servants, government ministers, politicians, clinicians and businessmen). It will address the emergence of scholarly elite interviewing, detailing in particular the ‘witness seminar’ methodology pioneered by the CCBH since its founding in 1986. It will address the methodological issue relating to memory and the interviewing relationship. Additionally, it will focus on the ethical and legal issues of interviewing, in particular the restraints in consequence of the Official Secrets Act, and the 30 Year Rule, the potential impact of Freedom of Information legislation, and the broader issue of confidentiality and good practice. The course will seek to explore the issue of elite text analysis. The course will also help students develop practical skills in interviewing and the preservation of recordings. The course is open to all. The fee for the course is £70.
Methods and Sources for Historical Research
23-27 Nov. 2009, 12-16 April 2010, 5-9 July 2010
This long-standing popular course is an introduction to finding and using primary sources for research in modern history. Through a series of visit to archives and libraries around London, students are guided through the basics of undertaking archival research, and introduced to the holdings and catalogues of the major national respositories. The course will include visits to the British Library, the National Archives, the Wellcome Institute, and the House of Lords Records Office, amongst others. Fee £185.
Term or Longer Courses
An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Latin I
Tuesdays, 13 October 2009 - 8 December 2009
This course will gently introduce the complete beginner or relative novice to the grammar and vocabulary necessary to translate typical post-classical Latin documents. The course is open to all who are interested in using Latin for their research. The fee for the course is £185.
An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Latin II
Tuesdays, 12 January 2010 - 9 March 2010
Following on from Latin I, this course will further develop knowledge of the language and reading skills, but at a reasonable pace for relative newcomers to Latin. The fee for the course is £185.
Basic Statistics for Historians
TBA
This intensive course will be an introduction to using statistical methods and quantitative techniques for specifically historical research. The fee for the course is £185.
Visual Sources for Historians
Tuesdays, 9 February - 9 March 2010
Lynne Walker (IHR)
In response to an increasing interest in visual culture by historians and the growing importance of the visualisation of history, this course was introduced in Spring 2003. It introduces issues and approaches to the use of visual sources in historical research in the modern period. Structured around lectures, discussions and visits, the course will offer the opportunity for students to consider films, paintings, photographs, architecture and design in situ – in galleries, museums and the built environment – as well as provide an introduction to visual sources held in archives and libraries. Students will also have the opportunity to talk in detail to librarians and archivists about their own research needs, and to find out more about how particular libraries, museums and other archives may be useful to them. This course is open to all who are interested in using visual sources in their historical work. Fee £200.
An Introduction to Oral History
Mondays, 18 January - 29 March 2010
Anna Davin (Middlesex)
This course will address theoretical and practical issues in oral history through workshop sessions and the students’ own interviewing work, including the interviewing relationship, ethics and the uses to which recordings may be put. Course fee £200.
An Introduction to Historical Theory
Thursdays, 22 April - 1 July 2010
John Tosh (University of Surrey, Roehampton)
This course will explore the most important theoretical orientations to the study and interpretation of the past. Students will gain a full understanding of the role and use of the theory in current historical writing. Course fee £200.
To apply for any of these courses contact Simon Trafford, Training Officer, Institute of Historical Research, University of London, Senate House, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU, telephone: 020 7862 8763, email: ihrtrain@sas.ac.uk. For more information on these courses, see http://www.history.ac.uk/study/training.
Digital Resources
History on the Internet
The IHR website provides information about the huge range of services offered by the IHR, including conferences, seminars, the library, fellowships and student opportunities. It also acts as a bulletin board for the history profession in the UK, with information about conferences and events held throughout the country and beyond. In addition, the main IHR site, and those of the IHR research centres, offer access to a wide range of digital resources, from journals to directories of historical research in UK universities, from catalogues of websites for history to high quality learning and teaching materials.
For more information contact the Website Manager, IHR.Webmaster@sas.ac.uk
History On-Line
http://www.history.ac.uk/search/
This innovative project provides high-quality information resources for the teaching and learning of history, with support from UK academic publishers. The online database currently holds over 40,000 records providing details of books and articles, UK university lecturers, UK current and past research, and evaluated links to websites and online resources.
For more information contact the Website Manager, IHR.Webmaster@sas.ac.uk
Reviews in History
http://www.history.ac.uk/reviews/
Reviews in History is an electronic publication which reviews and reappraises significant work in all fields of historical interest, covering the principal areas of the subject as taught in institutions of higher education. Reviews covers publications ranging in time from the middle ages to date, and gives authors a right of response.
For more information contact the Deputy Editor, IHR.Reviews@sas.ac.uk
Royal Historical Society Bibliography of British and Irish History
The Royal Historical Society Bibliography, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Board and hosted by the Institute of Historical Research, is an authoritative guide to writing on British and Irish history from the Roman period to the present day. The database contains over 420,000 entries, including articles in journals and collective volumes, which can be searched by author, by publication details, by subject or by period covered. The RHS Bibliography is an essential resource for the study of British and Irish history at any level.
For more information contact Simon.Baker@sas.ac.uk
London's Past Online
London’s Past Online is a free, searchable online database of books, articles and other published material relating to the Greater London area from the Anglo-Saxon period to the present day. Developed with funding from the Arts and Humanities Research Council by staff at the Centre for Metropolitan History, the database contains over 40,000 records collected from all over London and beyond.
For more information contact ihrcmh@sas.ac.uk
History in Focus
History in Focus guides teachers and students through significant and topical historical themes, presenting a collection of resources for the study of subjects ranging from the nature of history to the Victorian era from gender to the Cold War.
For more information contact IHR.Webmaster@sas.ac.uk
British History Online
British History Online is a digital library containing some of the core printed primary and secondary sources for the medieval and early modern history of the British Isles. Created by the Institute of Historical Research and the History of Parliament Trust, it supports academic and personal users around the world in their learning, teaching and research.
The Victoria County History online
Consists of a national website – www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk – and several other interrelated websites. It provides information about the VCH, its research and its publications. In addition many counties where VCH work is continuing have their own dedicated local history sites. The VCH has a policy to make draft text available wherever possible on these county sites.
England’s Past for Everyone
www.englandspastforeveryone.org.uk
Part of the Victoria County History, England’s Past for Everyone (EPE) is an exciting new community based project which will see historians and local volunteers creating a whole range of groundbreaking resources. From a series of books to interactive materials for schools; bringing local history to life. The website provides information about EPE and its work, and provides links to its ten county projects around the country. It also contains links to other inter-related websites.
Witness Seminars: Oral History Online Archive
The Centre for Contemporary British History (CCBH) specialises in holding and publishing witness seminars. These exercises in oral history involve asking key participants to meet and discuss the issues surrounding the chosen topic as they remember them. Witness seminars thus operate as group interviews, chaired by a senior academic, which are taped and transcribed primarily for the use of researchers. Annotated transcripts of over 30 such seminars, together with supporting documents and interview transcripts, are available on the CCBH website to download or read online. Subjects include: Rhodesian UDI; the campaign against the poll tax; the Falklands War; the development of Concorde; Britain and Europe; the Bretton Woods Agreement and the Abortion Act 1967. Additional seminars, both recently held and from the archive of over 80 transcripts, are regularly added to the site. For more information on the CCBH Oral History Programme, please email michael.kandiah@sas.ac.uk.
