Why volunteer

Whether you have a passion for history, want to improve your knowledge and skills, or simply want to get involved in something worthwhile, volunteering at The National Archives can help you to achieve your aim.

A sector-wide Volunteering in Archives report (PDF, 0.46 MB) revealed that volunteering can benefit you by:

  • improving your IT and other work-related skills
  • providing a better sense of being part of a community
  • improving confidence when job hunting
  • increasing social life and gaining new friends

Volunteering also supports individuals returning to work after periods of unemployment by providing training in new skills and exposure to new sectors.

See also: the impact of volunteering in archives (PDF, 1.3MB).

In volunteering at The National Archives, you will be contributing to the future of historical research.

Our volunteers are vital to our work at The National Archives, engaging in a wide range of activities from helping to conserve and preserve our collections, to improving access and enhancing our records online.

Volunteer experiences

Our volunteers work on a variety of projects. You can read about some of their experiences here.

Staff experiences

Hear from some of our employees about their experiences working with different groups and individuals.

Annual volunteer survey

Each year we survey our volunteers to understand more about them, their skills and needs.