Saturday 16 November will see the launch of the new Explore Your Archive campaign, which aims to raise public awareness of the essential role of archives in society, celebrate our network of collections, and underline the skill and professionalism of the sector.

Developed by the Archives and Records Association and The National Archives, the campaign is designed for all types of archives, whether they be local, university, business, specialist, private or national archives.

The campaign will showcase the unique collections held in archives and how people can use and enjoy those collections.

You can find out more about the campaign and what’s going on across the country on the Explore Your Archive website, which includes a wonderful interactive map of archives across the nation – it makes you realise just how many of them there are! You can also find the campaign on Facebook and join in on Twitter using the hashtag #explorearchives, and the good people at Explore Your Archives  have made a series of short films about the value of archives, which you can watch below.

To mark the beginning of the campaign we will be heading to Chelmsford Library on Saturday 16 November to raise local awareness about the treasure trove of material held at ERO, and how people can access it. We’ll be there from 10am until 3pm, so do come and say hello!