We offer training to develop skills, knowledge and understanding within the archives sector. Our training sessions are relevant from both an organisational and individual perspective. Please email us if you would like more information about any of our sessions. At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, our events and training moved online and some of our events remain digital, alongside our e-learning courses.
Most of our training sessions are free, and bookings are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. If you’re unable to cover the cost of travelling to one of our events, please get in touch and we’d be happy to discuss this. We have a limited number of spaces available at each session. Because of this, please only book if you are able to attend, and contact us if you can no longer attend.
Upcoming events
Impact seminar: capitalising on anniversaries, celebrations, and milestones (online)
23 April (10:00 – 11:30)
Join us to hear how three different archives capitalised on their organisational anniversaries, celebrations and milestones. Miles Clemson, Archivist, will explore how Southbank Archive marked the 50th anniversary of the Open Foyer Policy at the Southbank Centre. Hayley Whiting, Heritage Archive and Research Manager, will discuss how the archive was a key resource in celebrating the Royal National Lifeboat Institution’s bicentenary. Lucy Barrell, Archivist, will talk about the impact and challenges of recognising organisational anniversaries and celebrations for the Oxfordshire Health Archives. The three presentations will be followed by a 30-minute Q&A.
Find out more and register to attend the impact seminar
MAPLE – managing a split-site service (online)
Thursday, 22 May (13:00 – 14:30)
The Major Archive Projects Learning Exchange (MAPLE) aims to support organisations planning or managing large archive projects, primarily capital developments. This event will showcase the support The National Archives can give to those managing or considering operating a split-site service.
We will hear from Julie-Ann Vickers at York Explore and the use of a commercial storage provider. Nicky Sugar and Julian Warren at University of Bristol’s Special Collections & Theatre Collections will present on the logistics of storing collections off-site. There will also be a joint presentation from Georgia Bould Sandwell Libraries & Archives and Paul Ford, Dudley Archives on Sandwell’s use of Dudley archives to store selected collections.
Register to attend the MAPLE event on managing a split-site service
Leadership for recordkeepers summit (Friends House, London)
Wednesday 25 June (10:30 – 17:00)
The National Archives and the Archives and Records Association are hosting an in-person Leadership for Recordkeepers Summit in central London. Both organisations are committed to developing recordkeepers’ leadership skills and finding solutions to workforce development challenges for archive, conservation and records management professionals. The event will celebrate leadership across the recordkeeping sector and provide delegates with the chance to better understand their current skills, improve their confidence and explore opportunities to develop their leadership. The summit is free to attend, and refreshments and lunch will be provided. There are also a limited number of travel bursaries available.
Save the date
Events and training which will be advertised for registration soon:
- Higher Education Archive programme (HEAP): DIY Digital Preservation (10am – 11.30am, 7 May – online)
- Major Archives Project Learning Exchange (MAPLE): how to manage a split-site service (1pm – 2pm, 22 May – online)
E-learning courses
Data Protection Toolkit for Archives
This toolkit is for archive service staff involved in providing access to personal data found within an archive service’s collections.
The toolkit is hosted on Moodle, an e-learning service that The National Archives uses to host learning and development content for the archive sector. Following the link provided below, please fill out the New Account form with your details. Please enter your email address as your username and use the enrolment key: ‘Data Protection Toolkit’. Once you have registered, you will receive an automatic confirmation email from Moodle.
Sign up to the Data Protection Toolkit for Archives
If you already have an account, log in to the Data Protection Toolkit
Archive Service Accreditation e-learning course
This e-learning course is for anyone working with archive collections who wishes to find out about Archive Service Accreditation. It provides a general introduction to the scheme and will help participants take the first steps towards making an application.
Sign up for the Archive Service Accreditation e-learning
Fundraising for Archives e-learning course
This e-learning course covers fundraising strategy, financial planning, cases for support, building networks and supporters, crowdfunding, and measuring outcomes and evaluation.
Video tutorials and step-by-step guidance will introduce you to each topic and guide you through online activities, enabling you to put what you are learning into practice and tailor it to your archive service.
Sign up for the Fundraising for Archives e-learning course
Transfer to Places of Deposit (PoD) e-learning course
This online learning course explains the key points of the Public Records Act for public record bodies. It describes what a place of deposit is and the process public record bodies should follow to select, prepare and transfer records for permanent preservation to a place of deposit.
The learning objectives of this course are to:
- understand the content and scope of the Public Records Act and the ’20 Year Rule’ changes
- gain knowledge about the process of selecting and transferring records from a public record body to a place of deposit
- recognise the roles and responsibilities for managing records under the Act and what the public record body needs to do
- find out about the guidance and support available from The National Archives
Sign up for the Transfer to Places of Deposit e-learning course
Recorded events
Take a look at our recorded events on YouTube, which cover a variety of topics, services and networks including:
Training
- organisational impact
- advanced bid-writing
- crowdfunding and digital fundraising
- Manage Your Collections in Discovery
Events
- Digital Archives Learning Exchange (DALE)
- Manorial Documents Register Conference 2022
- Archives for Everyone 2023 – 2027
- Launching the Level 7 Archivist and Records Manager apprenticeships
Grants programmes
- Risk and Resilience grants programme
- Cataloguing grants programme
- Research and Innovation grants programme
- Archives Revealed cataloguing grants