Searching for diverse voices within archive collections can be difficult. Historical power structures, as well as how archives have selected and preserved records, mean it can be hard to find the voices and histories of women, ethnic minority people, and people from the LGBTQ+ community.

Many archive records, particularly from before the 20^th century, were created by official bodies such as local government, courts, and the Church, or by powerful people such as landed families. This means that the voices recorded within them tend to reflect the people with power in these structures – and they were overwhelmingly male, white, and upper or middle class.

But it is possible to find representations of diversity within archive collections, with considered searching, some lateral thinking, and a bit of background research.

This guide shows you some search strategies and suggests starting points for research within Hull History Centre's collections. It’s not an exhaustive list but a jumping-off point.

Hull History Centre's online catalogue

You can use the catalogue to search our holdings.

If you want to use the search strategies in this guide to look for archives at Hull History Centre, start with our online catalogue. Use the Advanced Search page to build complex queries, or do a basic keyword search from the homepage.

If you need any further advice on History Centre holdings, the Hull University Archives team are happy to help. You can email us at archives@hull.ac.uk.