Conducting Research – Library and Archive Services
Each library and archive service houses varied materials of wide ranging topics and offer individual guidelines and practices to help you get the most out of each facility.
Below you will find guidelines and assistance in using our partner library and archive services to get the most out of your research. For further information please contact
Topics covered include:
Facility Resources and Topics
Locating and Using Facility Materials
Online Services
Copying Materials and Service Charges
Contact Information
Swansea Central Library
Facility resources and topics
The Central Library houses a large local history section with a wealth of local information, OS maps and Microfilm.
The library service provides information and services that can help you research local history and family history offering access to online newspaper searches including the Cambrian Index and the Dylan Thomas collection. Further information on the research facilities available at the central library and local libraries is accessible at the following link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=467
The Central Library also has a room hire service that includes the Discovery room available for hire for events that are open to the public with a Podavailable for bookings.
Using research materials
Self service machines are available as well as a state of the art book return system. You can also renew and reserve materials online, the service is accessible at the following link: http://www.libraries.swansea.gov.uk:8080/rooms/portal/page/21839_Reading_Room.psml?action=SetUserProfile&originSetting=default¤tSetting=default
Online services
The Library has63 public pc's and free access tothe virtual librarywith a range of usefulresources including Ancestry.co.uk, Family Index, Find My Past and The Cambrian Index Online.
There is an Online Library Service with a range of facilities freely available online including Online Community Information and the Reserve and Renew online service accessible at the following link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2161
The library service also offers an E-Book service to download books online, accessible at the following link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=46502 and the Library Line service that offers advice, information and renews over the phone(see below: ‘Contact Information.’) – or you can use an online enquiry form, accessible at the following link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=3466
Copying materials and Service Charges
There is no charge for joining the library and loaning materials.
There are small charges related to photocopying and printing materials, further information is accessible at the following link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=43165
Contact Information
Tel: 01792 636464
Email:
http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=10956
West Glamorgan Archive Service
Facility resources and topics
The basement strongrooms at Swansea Civic Centre hold three miles of historic records ranging from the 12th century to the present day. Everybody is welcome to visit the West Glamorgan Archives and consult the wide variety of material held there. The Archives Services holds a broad range of materials to help you discover a broad range of topics from discovering when a house or building was constructed or investigating how your local area has changed.
The Archives Service houses vast and varied collections including Antiquarian Collections, Business Records, Chapel Records, Civil Parish and Community Council Records, Court Records, Ecclesiastical Records, Estate, Family and Manorial Records, Hospital Records and Jewish Records.
The Archive Service also houses the Oral History Archive, The Searchroom Library, Library and Museum Collections, Miscellaneous Collections, Pictures and Maps. It also houses official local collections including Political Papers, Public Records, Local Authority Records, School; Primary and Elementary School Collections and Secondary Schools and Other Education Records, Swansea City Archives; Swansea County Borough / City Council, Town Clerks’ Department / Private Deposits.
The collections also include the Royal Institute of South Wales Collection, information on local Societies and Organisations, Solicitors and Other Firms including Strick and Bellingham. You can explore the collections online (see below: ‘Online Facilities.’)
The Archives Service offers a Research Service to help you conduct research when a visit to the Archive Service isn’t possible. There are also services available in family history and Maritime Heritage. A full range of the services available are accessible at the following link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=17929
Using research materials
You can drop into the Archive Service to enquire about materials during opening hours or information on bookable visits and tours is accessible at the following link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=17926 or you can contact the Archive Service directly (see below: ‘Contact Information.’)
Online facilities
All of the above listed collections are available as part of the online research tool which can assist you in planning a visit to the Archives Service, accessible at the following link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=33708 with additional leaflets available online to assist your research, accessible at: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=9310
Copyright and service charges
There are printing and copying services available at the Archives Service. Staff can provide photocopies for you, within copyright guidelines and providing this does not damage the document. You can also use your own camera to photograph documents, within the same guidelines. We can alsoprovide high-quality scanned images. For more details, please contact the Archive Service on .
Photocopies can be sent by post: theminimum charge is £5 whichpays forup to7 copies. All further copies cost an extra 60p.
Photocopies which are ordered and collected in person in the archive searchroom cost 60p each. Full guidelines and payment details are accessible at the following link:
http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=20343
Contact Information
Tel: 01792 636589
Email:
http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=406/
Richard Burton Archives
Facility resources and topics
The Richard Burton Archives aims to preserve Swansea University's archive collections and make them accessible for current and future generations. The Archives provide a fascinating insight into the industrial, cultural, social, political and educational history of South Wales and is open to all.
The Richard Burton Archives hold a wealth of information including Coalfield Web Materials, Local Archives, The Richard Burton Collection, Special Collections, Dilwyn Collection and Swansea University Collections.
The Collections include the Literary Collection a Welsh Writers in English Collection containing records of Welsh writers in English and includes the papers of Raymond Williams, Ron Berry and others. The Raymond Williams collection has been catalogued courtesy of funding from the Barry Amiel & Norman Melburn Trust. The papers of the renowned cultural critic and writer Raymond Williams (1921-1988) range from the creative works of his childhood through his time at Cambridge and World War Two, to his later academiclife. The collection reveals the development ofthis leading intellectualfigure.
The Richard Burton Archives also houses part of the South Wales Coalfield Collection (shared also with the South Wales Miners Library – see below.) The South Wales Coalfield Collection is an internationally important research resource. The collection provides a unique picture of life in the coalfield valleys during the late nineteenth and the twentieth centuries, concentrating on the workers and the organisations they created. It contains records of trade unions, notably the National Union of Mineworkers (South Wales Area) and the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation, miners' institutes, co-operative societies, and individuals connected with the mining community.
All of the above collections can be accessed and viewed online (see below: ‘Online Facilities.’)
Using Research Materials
The Richard Burton Archive is open to the public with visits and bookable viewings available (see below: ‘Contact Information.’)
The Richard Burton Archives are part of the Archives Walesreader's ticket scheme and visitors will need to register at their first visit, unless they already hold a card issued by another participating record office or archive service. As part of the registration process readers'will agree to adhere tothe rules in place at the Richard Burton Archives.
Online facilities
An online catalogue is available which cover parts of the collections and is being expanded on an ongoing basis. The catalogue can be accessed at the following link: http://archives.swan.ac.uk/calmview/
The South Wales Coalfield Collection can be accessed at the following link: http://www.swan.ac.uk/swcc/
The Literary Collection can be accessed at the following link: http://archives.swan.ac.uk/CalmView/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=WWE%2f2
The Coalfield Web Collection can be accessed at: http://www.agor.org.uk/cwm/Default.asp
The Special Collections can be accessed at: http://www.swan.ac.uk/lis/historicalcollections/special_collections/ and the Dillwyn Collection can be accessed at the following link: http://www.swan.ac.uk/lis/historicalcollections/dillwyncollection/
All other searches, including searching Swansea University library materials, can be viewed via the University’s iFind Discover facility, accessible at the following link: https://ifind.swan.ac.uk/discover/
Copying Materials and Service Charges
Please contact Richard Burton Archives directly to discuss service charges.
Contact Information:
Tel. 01792 295021; Email
http://www.swan.ac.uk/lis/historicalcollections/archives/
The National Waterfront Museum / Research Library
Facility Resources and topics
In addition to displays telling the story of industry and innovation throughout Wales over the last three centuries, the Museum houses an extensive research library. The library comprises more than 25,000 volumes and a photographic archive of over 40,000 images relating to the industrial, maritime and transport history of Wales. Researchers can also access the expertise of a team of specialist curators and the collections of the whole of Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales.
As well as a representative collection of industrial histories, the library also holds technical and instructional works for these industries. The library includes a complete set of Lloyds Registers from 1836 to present day (plus selected volumes from 1764 to 1832), and a series of volumes listing the shipwrecks that have occurred around the coast of the British Isles. The library also holds good runs of published lists of working mines and quarries from the 1850s to the present day, and runs of significant periodicals including H.M. Inspectors of Mines Annual Reports, which include lists of fatal accidents from 1850 to 1914. The library presently subscribes to over forty current periodicals.
Using research materials
The reference library is open to the public, by appointment only. As a reference library the books may not be borrowed although books may be loaned to other libraries through an inter- library loan service.
If you would like to use the library you will need to make an appointment; this should be made with the curator responsible for the section of the library that you wish to see.
Online facilities
The national museum has an online collections facility including materials on Images of Industry, Art Collections and Geology. The online collections facility is available here: http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/collections/
Copyright and Service charges
It can be arranged that materials belonging to the Research Library can be borrowed from other libraries via inter loans. You can therefore submit an online enquiry form at http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/swansea/visit/ or by telephone.
Contact Information
Tel: (029) 2057 3600
http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/swansea/
Gwent Glamorgan Archaeological Trust (GGAT)
Facility resources and topics
GGAT currently hold about 25,000 records of archaeological and historical interest and make this information available to all those who have an involvement in the past whether as researchers, developers, school children or farmers. GGAT’s aim is to advance the education of the public in archaeology. Further information on GGAT and all services and activities can be accessed via the following link: http://www.ggat.org.uk/index.html
Historic Environment Record
The Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust’s Historic Environment Record (HER) is the official register of archaeological sites in Southeast Wales. Currently they hold about 25,000 records of archaeological and historical interest covering the twelve unitary authorities.
Using research materials
Information contained within the Historic Environment Record is accessible to all interested in the archaeology of Southeast Wales.
The Trust receives grants to allow it to provide information free of charge to private or academic researchers and local and national bodies.
GGAT welcome enquiries either by phone, letter, email or fax. All enquirers are asked to complete an enquiry form and to read and accept the Welsh Archaeological Trust's Guidelines for Access and Charging and Conditions of Access (see below: Online Facilities.)
Alternatively a visit can be made to the HER in person, however, we ask that an appointment be made in advance. A dedicated public workstation is provided with access to the digital record and mapping. Staff will be on hand to assist with any queries and retrieval of paper records. Access is also available to our report archive and small reference library.
Copying Materials and Service Charges
Copying is subject to copyright ownership and in some cases a copyright holder will need to be consulted before material can be released.
Further information on the HER, access guidelines, information on services charges and an enquiry form can be accessed via the following link: http://www.ggat.org.uk/her/english/accessing.html
Contact Information
Tel: 01792 655208
Email:
http://www.ggat.org.uk/
South Wales Miners Library
Facility resources and topics
The South Wales Miners' Library (SWML) was established by UWS in 1973 to house material collected by the Coalfield History Project. The project attempted to locate, collect and preserve records relating to the social, political, educational and cultural aspects of mining communities throughout the South Wales Coalfield. The material collected is now known as the South Wales Coalfield Collection. It is split between two sites: the South Wales Miners' Library and the LIS Archives located in the Library and Information Centre on the main Singleton campus (see above: ‘Richard Burton Archives.’)
Material held at the South Wales Miners' Library includes South Wales Miners' Federation and National Union of Mineworkers (South Wales Area) minute books and annual reports, an oral history and video collection, posters, banners, books and pamphlets from Miners' Institutes and Welfare Halls across South Wales, Private collections of books including those donated by the families of the late Gwyn Thomas, George Daggar, Gomer Evans and Brinley Griffiths, collections of pamphlets which belonged to politically active men in the Coalfield, such as Dai Francis and S. O. Davies. The library also holds a particularly strong collection of pamphlets relating to the involvement of Welsh miners in the Spanish Civil War.
Both the South Wales Miners Library has a small collection of audio-visual material, including videos, audio cassettes and slides. The videos and audio cassettes can be borrowed by part time students andSU staff.
SWML also houses the oral history and video collections of the South Wales Coalfield Collection which may be searched via the SWCC web catalogue (see below: Online Facilities.)
The above listed collections can be viewed and accessed online (see below: ‘Online Facilities.’)
Using Research Materials
You can search the materials held in the SWML by using the Swansea University iDiscover search facility accessible at the following link: https://ifind.swan.ac.uk/discover/