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
Carbon Literacy training for archives (online)
The Carbon Literacy training is a free course designed to build attendees awareness of the carbon emissions relating to their roles in archives, records management and special collections. We will explore the science of climate change, how this can affect archives, and provide examples of actions that archives have taken to lower their carbon emissions.
The training is divided into four modules covered over two half days. There will be numerous opportunities for facilitated discussion and break-out groups and participants will be asked to consider their own context, creating two pledges to lower carbon emissions both individually and as a group. By completing the training and associated work you could earn ‘Carbon Literate’ status, awarded by the Carbon Literacy Project.
Due to the limited number of spaces, only one person per organisation can attend. By booking a place you will be agreeing to complete pre-training work, attend both half-day sessions in full and complete post-training work in order to earn ‘Carbon Literate’ status. If you are certified as ‘Carbon Literate’, you can become a Carbon Literacy trainer yourself and could run the training for your organisation.
The courses will be offered with a regional focus with priority going to attendees from the region in question. Spaces for the North West and East & South East regions will be made available from Spring 2025.
Dates for each region:
- 11 & 14 November 2024 – Yorkshire and North East
- 10 & 12 December 2024 – Midlands
- 21 & 23 January 2025 – London
- 4 & 6 February 2025 – South West
Find out more and register to attend the Carbon Literacy training course
Digital Advocacy – making the case for digital in your archive (online)
22, 29 January and 12 February 2025 (10:00 – 12:00)
This three-part course, led by The Audience Agency, will help archive staff develop the skills, understanding and confidence to successfully advocate for digital activity, systems and change to senior decision-makers. We will explore digital within your organisation, identify gaps and opportunities, and understand how to make the case. Two members from each archive should attend to ensure that you are able to enact and embed change effectively within your organisation. If you are the only staff member in your archive, you may wish to bring a volunteer, trustee, or your line manager. You will be asked to undertake a small piece of self-led coursework in between sessions and after the third workshop, each pair of delegates will have a follow-up, hour-long support session with one of the course leaders to help you apply and embed what you have learnt.
Find out more about the digital advocacy course and submit your application by 17:00, 6 January 2025
If you have any questions about these events please contact us at asl@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Manorial documents workshops (online)
18 and 25 March 2025 (11:00 – 13:00)
These two workshops will open up manorial records to a professional archive audience, unlock their potential for new audiences and create lasting value. The aim of the workshops is to provide archivists with the skills and confidence to locate, identify, describe and use manorial documents. The workshops will be delivered online with complementary resources provided. Participants will be introduced to the range of manorial documents that they will encounter in their working lives and will be guided through their format, language and structure. No previous knowledge of manorial documents or Latin is required.
Look out for registration for the manorial documents workshops which will open in late January 2025
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