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Abstract

"Archives and their communities: serving the people" outlines some contemporary debates on the growth and impact of what are known in the United Kingdom as independent community archives and engagement. Drawing in part on research at University College London, funded by the UK Arts and Humanities Research Council, the article offers examples of the variety of community archive activity. In the context of seeking to support the sustainability of such independent and community-held collections, the article explores whether activities, such as outreach, diversity training, and postcustodial support, should now be viewed as core professional archival responsibilities (at least in public sector archives) and, if so, to what extent these should be reflected within the curricula of archival education programmes.