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Sociology: Archives

Subjects: Sociology

Introduction

Archives, collections of historical records, form a part of Bodleian's extensive special collections. You can find links to online catalogues and guides to finding aids for the different types of special collections material held by the Bodleian Libraries.

On this page you will find guidance on how to search for and access both physical and digital archival materials.

Terms you may encounter in your research

Archive:

A collection of historical records relating to a place, organisation, or family; or a place where the records are kept.

Digital archive:

Similar in purpose to a physical archive, but the historical documents and objects have been digitised (often by scanning or photography, unless a document was created digitally in the first place) and made available online.
Digital archives are usually created with a goal of preserving historical objects and making them available to researchers.

Special Collections:

A special collection is a group of items, such as rare books or documents, that are either irreplaceable or unusually rare and valuable. For this reason special collections are usually stored separately from regular library collections in a secure location with environmental controls to preserve the items for posterity. The largest concentration of special collections in Oxford can be found in the Weston Library.

Digital archives

To get more detailed information on how to access resources available to the Bodleian Library readers go to the Special Collections & Western Manuscripts guide "Finding Aids - Early Modern & Modern Manuscripts at the Bodleian Library".

See e-resources for Women's Studies guide to find more.

Go to Databases A-Z: Newspapers to browse newspaper archives.

Below you can find a selection of archives relating various aspects of life in Victorian era:

Physical archives

Below are some finding aids for Bodleian and Oxford colleges holdings: