Finding Resources

UEL Library Archives

Refugee Archives

Refugee Council Archive at UEL
UNHCR Audio-Visual Collection
Northern Refugee Centre Sheffield
Charter 87
Save the Children collection of about 200 books (yet to arrive)
Refugee Archives Links and Resources to wikis and blogs

Refugee Council Archive at UEL

Introduction

The Refugee Council Archive at the University of East London represents one of the largest collections of materials relating to the study of forced migration and the refugee. It is a source of information and analysis on displacement, flight and exile; on legal, political and social issues; and on refugee community life.

The Archive contains materials on refugees in all parts of the world, with special emphasis on Britain. It was originally housed at the Refugee Council, the lead organization in Britain on refugee issues. For over 30 years the Refugee Council collected official and unofficial reports, books and journals, newsletters, conference proceedings, research documents, field reports, informal data, and working papers. It also developed an extensive library of press cuttings. A history of the development of the Refugee Council itself can be found on their website at: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/about/background.htm

In 2002 the Archive was moved to the University of East London (UEL), where it is maintained and developed by the Refugee Research Centre in conjunction with the UEL Library and Learning Service (LLS). The Archive is open to all users, both internal and external to UEL and it serves students, academics, researchers, policy makers, agencies, and in particular refugees, for whom access to dedicated materials on forced migration is often difficult.

Full details can be found at: Refugee Council Archive website.

Descriptions for all current UEL Archival Collections can be found on both the Archives Hub and AIM25 websites.

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UNHCR Audio-Visual Collection

During 2006, and in conjunction with the Refugee Council Archive at UEL, we were able to secure a very large donation of resources from the London Office of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, (UNHCR). This donation includes the UNHCR Slide and Photographic Library which incorporates over thirty boxes of slides and photographs produced by the UNHCR and covering both historical and more recent refugee issues. In addition to this vastly important collection of images, we have also received the donation of a large selection of Videos and DVD from the UNHCR Audio-Visual Archive.

Descriptions for all current UEL Archival Collections can be found on both the Archives Hub and AIM25 websites.

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Northern Refugee Centre Sheffield

In January 2007, we were very please to accept the donation of the Northern Refugee Centre Archive to our archival collections here at UEL. The Northern Refugee Centre (NRC) was established during 1983 and is now based in Sheffield. The Archive contains a range of published and unpublished materials including reports, conference papers publications, grey literature and press cuttings. In total, there are about fifty to sixty folders full of information, which will need to be sorted and assessed over time. In the meantime, the collection will be available to browse on the shelves of the Archive room but will need to be re-catalogued before it is available to search on the library catalogue.

Descriptions for all current UEL Archival Collections can be found on both the Archives Hub and AIM25 websites.

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Charter 87

(known also as Charter 87 for Refugees)

The Charter 87 Archive was very kindly donated to UEL in late July 2007 by a former director of the organisation. Charter 87 was in existence between the years 1987 to 1997 and was concerned with the human rights issues pertaining to refugees and asylum seekers. Charter 87 also sought the incorporation of the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees into British Law.

The archive collection itself consists of approximately 3 feet of shelf space. Incorporated within this are minutes of the Charter 87 Steering Group; records of correspondence predominantly with the Home Office; records of the organisation’s newsletter and occasional publications and files of press cuttings relating to asylum seekers and refugees.

Descriptions for all current UEL Archival Collections can be found on both the Archives Hub and AIM25 websites.

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