Research using primary sources is one of the most fascinating and exciting aspects of historical inquiry. It offers researchers a chance to make interesting ‘finds’ and to supplement or correct the existing scholarly literature on a particular topic. One should always bear in mind, of course, that even archives containing primary sources are themselves not necessarily unbiased. The people who set up and maintain archives can use them as a means to leave behind a favorable history.

If you decide to do archival research for your history paper or thesis, you need to realize that this requires some prior knowledge. You need to familiarize yourself with how archives work and you will soon find that different sources make their own specific demands on the researcher. The best way to learn about that is by simply getting to work in an archive.

Below you will find a simple roadmap to help you get started.

Archival Research Roadmap:

Step 1: Do not dive into archives unprepared; start your research by doing a literature review. Determine, first of all, whether one or more institutions stored knowledge on your topic. Was it a government institution or private? In the Netherlands, different laws apply to private and government institutions. It is crucial to know whether the archives relevant for your research are open to the public.

Step 2: Using references in the literature, the directory to Dutch archives written by Bos-Rops et al., and the website archiefnet.nl  determine which archives you need to consult.

Step 3: Once you know which collection you want to consult, you can check the overview of archives housed by the institution in question and see which catalogs and catalog numbers pertain to these archives. You can often find this information online. Write down the catalog number and the numbers of the items you need. Using these numbers and the visitor number you receive upon entering the archives, you can request the items to be delivered to the reading room. This usually takes a while, so be sure you set aside ample time to complete this step.