Documenting the HIV/AIDS epidemic: a survey of HIV/AIDS archives in England and Wales
In 2021 West Sussex Record Office took in the archive of AVERT, a Horsham based charity founded by Annabel and Peter Kannabus which developed and shared educational resources around HIV/AIDS. In 2022, WSRO was awarded a grant from Annabel’s Foundation to undertake a survey of HIV/AIDS related archives in England and Wales; both those already held by archival repositories and those which are still in private hands.
The project aims to facilitate the study and research into HIV/AIDS by identifying records of historical interest in archival repositories and private hands, and compile a report providing details and location information about collections across the country.
Through identifying vulnerable collections, the project will aim to help to safeguard them through the provision of advice (e.g. on appropriate storage conditions, digital preservation, and data protection) and by facilitating contact between record holders and appropriate repositories.
The 2-year project began in January 2023, and you can find more information about the survey and keep up to date with its progress by reading our updates posted on this page.
An introduction to the ‘Documenting the HIV/AIDS epidemic: a survey of HIV/AIDS archives in England and Wales’ project
By Chris Olver, Project Archivist Until 2020, many people living in the United Kingdom had not experienced living through a pandemic. In a bid to understand Covid-19, many media outlets drew comparisons to the Great Influenza epidemic of 1918-1920, yet it…
West Sussex Record Office 