Volunteering opportunities
Do you have some free time? Would you like to contribute to an archive project with lasting benefits for people interested in Staffordshire's history, while also developing your own knowledge and skills? If so the Archive Service has a range of volunteer projects in progress at both of its record offices. If you are interested in participating in one of the projects described below please get in touch with one of our offices.
Specific Projects
Staffordshire Name Indexes - www.staffsnameindexes.org.uk
This is a developing online site, which is bringing together indexes of series of name-rich, historical records held by the Archive Service. These include: the calendars of prisoners at Quarter Sessions; wills and inventories; the Staffordshire Police Force registers; and the workhouse admission and discharge registers. Other very useful indexes have also been donated by individuals who have worked on them over many years.
We are keen to expand the site and need help to do so. Opportunities to work on indexing different series of historical records are available at Staffordshire Record Office and Stoke on Trent City Archives.
Staffordshire Magistrates Court Records Indexing Project
Tithe maps and apportionments are a key historical source for local and family historians. The information contained in the maps and their accompanying schedules, or apportionments, form a unique record of land ownership, occupancy and use in Staffordshire between 1837 and 1850. One of our volunteer groups is in the process of indexing the many thousands of names which appear in the apportionments.
This work is carried out on Tuesday mornings at Staffordshire Record Office.
The Big Quarter Sessions Project
If you already have some skill in reading older forms of handwriting, then this project may be for you. The records of Staffordshire's Quarter Sessions are one of our most detailed archive collections, covering many different aspects of the county's history but unfortunately it is also one of the most difficult to access. This project aims to ensure that people can find their way into the collection more easily.
This work is carried out at Staffordshire Record Office on Tuesday afternoons.
Staffordshire VCH Research Group
Under the guidance of the editor of the Victoria County History (VCH), Dr Andrew Sargent, the group will be starting a new project in January 2018. Completed research will be published on the VCH 's "Explore" website. Keep an eye on this page for further details coming shortly.
The Group meets on Friday mornings at Staffordshire Record Office.
Preservation Volunteers
A small group who assist the Conservation Department in the preservation of our collections using conservation tools and techniques to clean and repackage documents. You will require good manual skills, patience and attention to detail and an interest in preserving our collections for future generations.
The group meet on Thursday afternoons at Staffordshire Record Office.