Discovering Historical Sources

Discovering Historical Sources is a series of short films created for the British Library. Presented by curators and researchers, each film explores a unique item from the Library’s collection, revealing the stories held within original historical sources.

Filmed on location at the British Library, the series uses maps, letters, photographs, official records, oral testimonies, and other rare materials to bring the past into focus. Through expert insight and close engagement with these objects, the films show how historians use primary sources to understand and interpret history.

The films form part of a wider online resource built around a carefully selected collection of primary source material. Designed to be flexible and accessible, the resource supports learning across different age groups while remaining engaging for general audiences with an interest in history.

A central theme of the series is migration to and from Britain across the centuries. Drawing on key materials from the British Library’s collections, the films explore the experiences of Black Loyalists, Irish, Jewish, and German migrants, indentured people from India, and convicts transported to Australia, highlighting the long and complex histories that have shaped Britain.