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Research in the archives is the lifeblood of history. But with the pressures of modern academic life, researchers are finding it increasingly difficult to find the time and resources to visit these treasure chests of the past.
Dr Matthew Kidd founded the Archive Mole to provide a solution to these problems.
The idea grew out of Matthew's first-hand experience of conducting research in the archives. While studying for a PhD in History, Matthew found it frustrating that he didn't have the resources to visit every archive that held materials relevant to his research project. Similarly, as an early career researcher with family and work commitments, Matthew struggled to find the time to conduct research for his first book and journal articles.
If only the Archive Mole had existed earlier!
Offering customers a fast, reliable and knowledgeable service, Matthew visits archives, libraries and record offices on your behalf, taking photographs of requested materials and sending digital copies of them to you via your preferred online storage service. Matthew specialises in the history of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Britain, but he is happy to retrieve any materials that can be accessed and photographed in UK-based archives, libraries or record offices.
The Archive Mole service is available to anyone from any country, from businesses and heritage organisations to independent researchers and family historians. Its main customers, though, are those working in and around the higher education sector, including: