Practical archival skills training (PAST)
Being able to use archives and original documents is a key aspect of academic research but it can seem like a daunting task. Our practical archival skills training helps students and researchers get started in the archives and gain the skills and knowledge needed to take their research further.
All sessions are delivered by our records specialists and are based on working with original documents from our collections.
The PAST programme consists of both online and in-person sessions.
Full details of all PAST events and booking information are available on Eventbrite.
Online sessions
Online sessions all take place on Microsoft Teams.
Introduction to Visual Collections
- Date and time
12 November 2026, 14.00–17.00
- Description
This half-day online workshop will introduce the range of visual sources held at The National Archives which can be used for study of history and material culture in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
Introduction to Archival Research
- Date
16 November 2026, 14.00–17.00
- Description
This half-day online workshop is designed to show you how to get started in the archives, find original documents for your research and make the most of your time on site at The National Archives.
Life course tracing
- Dates
24 November 2026, 14.00–17.00
- Description
This half-day online workshop will introduce a broad range of sources to facilitate the tracing of individuals through the public records in England and Wales, and will focus on equipping researchers with the skills to identify potential sources for tracing people in the past.
In-person sessions
In-person sessions all take place at The National Archives in Kew.
Introduction to Archival Research
- Date
1 December 2026, 09.30–17.00
- Description
This in-person one-day workshop is designed to show you how to get started in the archives, find original documents for your research and make the most of your time on site at The National Archives.
Get in touch
If you have any questions about the PAST programme, please email us.
Feedback
The workshop was fantastic. My only regret is that we didn’t have more time! I loved interacting with the original documents, and seeing how you can follow one name through a myriad of official documents was not only fascinating, but proved just how important these documents are, and how important staff and workshops are to helping us use them. Thank you!
PAST attendee
Thank you for an extremely informative workshop and letting us interact with some wonderful documents! The supporting guides and the pack are also so helpful, thank you. I look forward to visiting the archives again.
PAST attendee
I thoroughly enjoyed looking at the original documents, and the instruction of how to use them.
PAST attendee
Brilliant – I found out things I didn’t know existed.
PAST attendee
Such a useful workshop – best part was getting to pick the brains of archivists about my research area. Plenty to go on and useful suggestions of how and where to find things.
PAST attendee
Thank you for a fantastic week!
PAST attendee