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Archive Collections at HHC: Audio Visual Material

Guide to material held at Hull History Centre arranged by research theme, record creator and document type, with copies of published source guides.

On this page:

“Sounds transferred to a wax or plastic or film or wire can live and vibrate again fifteen minutes or fifty years from now”

Judith C. Waller, Radio: The Fifth Estate 

Audio Visual Material

Research Themes Supported

Hull History Centre holds significant collections of audio and visual material. Such records can aid research into:

  • Publicity
  • Documentary and Short Film Making
  • Everyday Life
  • Parliamentary Speeches
  • Political and Campaign Topics
  • Interviews

Typical Record Formats

Audio visual material comes in various formats, including: VHS and Betamax film footage; audio cassette recordings; reel to reel film, audio and video tracks; digital audio files; digital video files.

The following are common categories of information which feature in this record type:

  • Promotional footage
  • Propagandist footage
  • Documentary evidence
  • Recordings of events or concerts, etc.
  • Observation of activities associated with people’s lives
  • Interviews with individuals

List of collections

The following PDF contains a list of key audio visual material held at HHC.

Additional supporting material

The following secondary literature provides contextual background and useful further information when trying to understand and use this record type:

  • Helen P. Harrison, Audio Visual Archives: A Practical Reader (1997)