Revealing the Past

Speaker: Melissa McGreechan (Transport for London Corporate Archives)

TfL Corporate Archives have been exploring ways to make the content of the collection we have on deposit with the London Metropolitan Archives (LMA) more discoverable.

With the support of University of the Third Age (U3A) volunteers, in January 2022 we embarked on an ambitious project to index and transcribe the minute books of the Underground Electric Railways Company of London (UERL).

In this presentation we will take you through the origins and development of the project from concept, through its pilot phase, design of the project site, to current methodology and workflow. We will share lessons learnt and how these may impact future evolutions of the project, highlight some of the interesting content and unfolding narratives, before we give you a preview of how you can access and search the content.

Melissa McGreechan is the Assistant Archivist at TfL Corporate Archives, responsible for access and user services. Her remit includes managing the search room, enquiry service, volunteer programme, and publicity and outreach activities. She has over 15 years’ experience gained working for TfL, Cambridgeshire Archives and the London Ambulance Service. She has spent much of her career building volunteer communities to support core activities; making use of the diverse skill sets on offer to find new ways to add value, explore different perspectives, and break down barriers to access.  

IHR Seminar Series: Transport & Mobility History