AHDS History

Zoe Bliss

Acquisitions and Information Officer

Who we are Founded in 1993

Formerly known as the History Data Service

One of the five centres of the Arts and Humanities Data Services

Which is funded by the JISC and AHRB

Team of historians and IT specialists

Based in the UK Data Archive, University of Essex

What we do

AHDS History collects, preserves, and promotes the

use of digital resources, which result from or support historical

research, learning and teaching.

What we actually do Provide advice and training about creating,

describing, using and preserving historical digital resources

Collect and preserve historical digital resources

Provide access to a wide-ranging collection of historical digital resources

Establish thematic special collections, and enrich and enhance selected data collections

Promote standards and best practice in the creation, description, use and preservation of historical digital resources

Advice

Full advice service to creators of historical digital historical material

Managing a digitisation project Data development Documenting a digital resource Digitisation methodologies Standards Sustainability and Preservation

Email: info@history.ahds.ac.ukTelephone: 01206 872326

Publications

Guides to Good Practice Digitising history: a guide to creating

electronic resources from historical documents

A Place in History: A Guide to Using GIS in Historical Research

Information Papers

Case Studies

AHDS Collection

Over 600 separate data collections

transcribed, scanned or compiled from

historical sources.

Temporal coverage

The studies cover a wide range of historical topics, from the fifth century to the mid-twentieth century.

Religion, Dynasty and Patronage in Rome, 440-840

Credit, Class and Community: Working Class Belfast, 1930-2000

Trans-National Database and Atlas of Saints' Cults, c.700-2000

Geographic coverage

European State Finance Database Social History of Alcohol in East

Africa, 1850-1998 Prohibition Movement in the United

States, 1801-1920 Demography of Sri Lanka, 1900-

1954

Primary focus of the collection is on the United Kingdom, it also includes a significant body of cross-national and international data collections.

Strengths

19th and 20th century economic and social history

Census data (1881 100% sample; 1851 2% sample; local census returns)

Great Britain Historical Database online Taxation materials Welsh and Irish historical statistics Electoral data Criminal court records (e.g. a collection of

datasets on violent crimes 1600-1900) Agricultural statistics State finance data Economic indicators/industrial production data

Further information

http://ahds.ac.uk/history/index.htm