Workshop What happens in an archive - Scottish Archives for Schools






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What happens in an archive?

Find out what archivists and visitors do inside an archive.
Try out some of their tasks for yourself.

Archivists identify and catalogue records that come into an archive so that visitors and researchers can study them to find out what happened in the past. Conservators clean, repair and look after the records so that people can continue to consult them for years to come.

Activities
Pupils undertake these activities in small groups. They plan, evaluate and report their findings to the class.

Task 1
This workshop begins with our 'Detective Deed
Box'. The deed box contains different types of historical record including documents, plans and photographs.
Pupils are asked to look for clues to identify the items and to
find out how old they are.

Task 2
Are these items worth keeping or not?
Should they be kept in an archive or destroyed?
Pupils have to give reasons for their decisions.

Task 3
Pupils become researchers. They are given a selection of historical documents to find out what they can about people and events from Scotland's past.

Go to Step 3: Book your workshop

Or return to workshops for

Levels 1-2 [P4-P7]

Level 3 [S1-S2]

Level 4 [S3-S4]

Senior [S5-S6]

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