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Archives and local studies
Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre
(MALSC) is the place to visit for anyone interested in researching
the history, geography and people of Medway. The centre houses
special collections on Charles Dickens, Chatham Dockyard and
Medway’s naval history.
Local and family historians, researchers, students and business
users are encouraged to use the public searchroom in the Clock
Tower Building in Strood, where an extensive range of
resources is available.
"Our aim is to collect, collate, conserve and promote our
extraordinary collections, and to ensure our rich heritage is
preserved, appreciated and accessible." Source: MALSC's service
plan 2010/11.
New for 2012
To celebrate the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens,
Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre has made the
catalogue of the Fitzgerald
Collection available online.
Archive of the Year award 2011
Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre has been voted ‘Archive
of the Year 2011’ by readers of Your Family History
magazine. MALSC was commended for its:
- friendly and helpful staff;
- work with volunteers;
- online presence, such as Cityark, Medway images, Facebook;
and
- outreach work such as exhibitions and talks.
Staff received the award at London Olympia on 26 February
2011.
Email and facebook updates
Sign up to receive quarterly updates about the events and
exhibitions held at MALSC.
You can also follow us on Facebook to share
information on local and family history, archives and all things
historical.
Planning your visit
Plan your visit to the Studies Centre and find
out about opening hours and directions to MALSC. Please note
that booking is required to access original archive material listed
in the online catalogue and also to
use specialised equipment such as microfilm readers.
Search CityArk
CityArk is the online
catalogue of MALSC's archive collections. It also includes an
imagebase of selected digitised documents and a document gallery of
some of the most significant documents.
Access parish registers online
Medway Ancestors for the Archdeaconry of Rochester
covers the Medway parishes and extend into areas of north-west
Kent, such as Dartford and Gravesend.
Check holding of local studies books
The main reference collection of
local studies material is held at MALSC, while smaller lending
and reference collections are kept at branches of Medway Libraries.
The online catalogue gives information on all these holdings.
View historical images
1,500 images of Medway from the 19th century to the
present day are searchable by place names, names of streets,
specific buildings, landmarks and additional keywords on Medway Images. The
Couchman collection of digitised scrapbooks also includes
many historical images of Medway. Select the link and scroll down
to link five. These images are only a selection from
MALSC's collections, however. Visit the centre to find
more photographs.
MALSC events
MALSC has
an extensive programme of exhibitions, talks and events throughout
the year. Exhibitions are free to visit during normal opening
hours. Talks and events should be booked in advance. You can
download our
events leaflet (pdf 800KB). Search for MALSC events
at What's On in
Medway.
Resources
MALSC's extensive collections include historical maps of the local
area, electoral registers and poll books, a school loan collection
and much more.
Family history
Researching your
family history? Find out about the wide range of resources and
services that MALSC offers to family historians, including free
access to www.AncestryLibrary.com and a
regular family history help-desk, staffed twice weekly by
volunteers from the local branch of the Kent Family History
Society.
Medway Index to Local Newspapers
Medway Index to Local Newspapers (MILN) is
an index of selected references to articles in local newspapers
from 1830 to date. All local newspapers can be viewed at the
Studies Centre. They are largely available on microfilm and it is
advisable to book a microfilm reader to view them.
Medway Libraries
Medway Libraries' online resources pages
give access to reference works, encyclopedias, local
information and much more.
Visit MALSC at:
Medway Archives and Local Studies Centre
Clock Tower Building, Former Civic Centre site, Strood, Kent, ME2
4AU
If you wish to write to us please use the contact details
below.
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