1 April 2011

Help for would-be family and local historians

The University of Dundee's Centre for Archive and Information Studies (CAIS) will this Saturday give people the chance to begin exploring the history of their family or local area.

The online Masters degree and postgraduate certificates in Family and Local History programmes are taught by CAIS, the largest international provider of distance-learning education for family and local historians.

CAIS will use the visit to Dundee of genealogist Dr Nick Barratt, a regular on the hit series Who Do You Think You Are?, to connect with people keen to trace their family tree or find out more about the history of their local area.

Dr Barratt will examine the challenges posed by the media-inspired upsurge in interest in this type of history when he delivers this year’s Graduates’ Council Discovery Lecture at the University’s Dalhousie Building on Saturday, 2nd April.

A stand where attendees can find out more about the programmes offered by CAIS, which also include short six week introductory courses in family and local history, will be set up in the foyer of the Dalhousie Building, and representatives will be on hand to discuss these with interested parties.

'These exciting online courses will equip you with the skills and methods to investigate your own family and neighbourhood's history and introduce you to a range of primary sources as well as teaching you to read old handwriting,' said Caroline Brown of CAIS. 'Hopefully people will come and find more and take in Nick Barratt’s fascinating lecture.'

'There has been a real growth in interest in family and social history in recent years, and a lot of people want to know how they can go about finding out more about the past but might not necessarily know how to go about it. The MLItt, and other courses offered by CAIS, allow them to do this whilst obtaining a new qualification.'

Dr Barratt's lecture, 'Family History and the Media: Challenges facing researchers and archives in the 21st Century' takes place at 6pm on Saturday, 2nd April in the Dalhousie Building. The lecture is free and open to members of the public. Overflow theatres may be in use.

The Graduates' Council Discovery Lecture is held in association with Dundee City Council and takes place as part of the Saturday Evening Lecture series. The event is followed by a civic reception, also being held in the Dalhousie Building. Free tickets are available from www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets or by phoning 01382 385564

Anyone interested in finding out more about the MLitt in Family and Local History programme will be able to seek out the course leaders before and after the lecture.

More information is available by visiting www.dundee.ac.uk/cais, calling 01382 385543, or emailing ARMTraining@dundee.ac.uk.

For media enquiries contact:
Grant Hill
Press Officer
University of Dundee
Nethergate, Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: g.hill@dundee.ac.uk
MOBILE: 07854 953277