Archives

Everyone is welcome to consult material from the archives including researchers, students, and members of the public. Access to archives is provided in the Reading Rooms, but we also offer other services including answering remote enquiries and supplying copies of original material for research, teaching, exhibition, and publication. For more information about this see our Reprographics and Research Services page.

Our archives are also regularly used as part of Gladstone’s Library’s public engagement programme and series of events.

Archives are available to be viewed Monday to Friday, 9.30am-1pm and 2pm-4.30pm.

To make an appointment for a viewing, please complete a Request to View Archives and Special Collections form. A member of the Reading Rooms team will be in touch to book your desk and confirm your visit.

Please contact us to make your appointment as far in advance of your proposed visit as possible so that you can definitely book a space. The Reading Rooms can be very busy and occasionally are closed entirely for special events and collections care.

You must allow at least 14 days’ notice so that we can check whether there are any data protection issues that may prevent your access to any items from the archives that you would like to view. If any of the material that you have requested does contain personal data, you will be sent an application form that enables us to check that your request is lawful. More information about this can be found under ‘Access conditions’ below.

If you aren’t a Resident or Reader at Gladstone’s Library you will be asked to complete a short form to be given a Researcher pass for the day.

All visitors must show photographic identification and proof of address when they arrive for their viewing.

When planning your visit please be aware that no more than 10 files can be viewed in one day and some items cannot be photographed due to their condition.

Many of the items in our archives are available for anybody to look at upon request, however, some items have restrictions or are closed to viewings.

Some items in our archives contain personal data or special category data, which means that access to them is restricted or potentially closed completely under data protection legislation. This may apply to any records created in the last 100 years.

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018, personal data relating to living persons may only be accessed by individuals completing historical, scientific, or statistical research and with a view to publish some journalistic, academic, artistic, or literary material that is in the public interest.

In addition, the following conditions must be met:

• The data must not be processed to support measures or decisions with respect to particular individuals;
• The information obtained must not be used in any way which might identify or lead to the identification of particular individuals;
• The data must not be processed in such a way that substantial distress or damage is, or is likely to be, caused to any data subject;
• The information obtained must not be divulged to a third party;
• The confidentiality of any information unconnected with the subject of the research, which may be seen in the course of using the records, must not be breached.

Special precautions must be taken for special category data (or particularly sensitive data), meaning that items from our archives that contain this kind of data may be closed completely until we can be sure that all of the relevant individuals are no longer living. Special category data includes:

• personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin
• personal data revealing political opinions
• personal data revealing religious or philosophical beliefs
• personal data revealing trade union membership
• genetic data
• biometric data (where used for identification purposes)
• data concerning health
• data concerning a person’s sex life
• data concerning a person’s sexual orientation.

In some cases a depositor may also have requested that a closure period be put on records.

If an archive has not been catalogued yet or is in the process of being catalogued then it will also most likely be unavailable to be viewed at present.