Don't assume that the material you want to look at is in the local county archive or local university. County boundaries have changed over time and people moved around the country, or may have had many reasons to donate archives to places you would not expect them to be.
When visiting any archive or special collection make sure you familiarise yourself with rules and regulations which may be different to what you may be used to. The rules are needed in order to protect the rare and often unique items. For example you may be required to store your bags in a locker, and only use pencils for making notes.
For example, to access the University of Birmingham's Cadbury Research Library you must register for a reader's ticket on your first visit. It is free to register but official identification showing your name, address and signature is needed. A valid University of Birmingham staff or student ID card can also be used as proof of identification.
University of Birmingham students may like to look at the self-enrol Using Archives and Special Collections Canvas Course for more information.
Libraries collect published material, referred to as secondary sources. Books etc., are usually arranged by subject. Books held in Special Collections tend to be rare, and often old or fragile so they will not be on open shelves. You will have to request for the books you need to be brought to the reading room.
Archives collect original unpublished material or primary sources. This material is unique and irreplaceable. The items are arranged according to provenance, i.e. material created and/or collected by an individual or organization are kept together.
Primary Sources are first-hand accounts of a topic, from people who had a direct connection with it. They are snap shot and reflection of a moment in time. Primary Sources include business and personal correspondence, diaries, legal and financial documents, photographs, maps, illustrations, etc.
For more about primary sources and secondary sources see our guide to Primary Sources for Historical Research.
For an overview on how to prepare to get the most out of your visit to an Archive see the National Archives Planning a Visit Blog
As a general rule, the citation is arranged in the following order:
As with all referencing it is essential that you follow a consistent pattern.
You can find examples of how to cite manuscripts in CiteThemRightOnline under Books> More books> Manuscripts
It is essential therefore that you keep detailed notes of the items you use.Your working notes should include the full citation along with the date you consulted the items along with your findings and comments. Is this what you expected to find? Was it useful or not? What questions does it raise?