Research
Heritage Quay is the archive service of the University of Huddersfield. The institution was founded in 1841 as the Young Men's Mental Improvement Society. The archive service have been conducting research into the origins of the organisation, including the earliest members of the YMMIS and the Mechanics Institute that it became.
A key source, which is part of the University's archive is a members book from 1844-1849. The archive team have undertaken some basic research into the first ten members, but are looking for help to both transcribe the document, and undertake research into the people listed within it.
This research will provide data on the people who were learners in the Mechanics Institute and the impact of their education on their lives. The data will be made available via the University's archive catalogue so that the names will be searchable - making this a useful resource for family historians - and will also be used for research by the archives team and shared online and in future exhibitions.
The project team will review the data once it has been submitted and try and verify wherever possible. The final dataset will be incorporated into the catalogue in such a way that it can be corrected or enhanced as new information is provided. Following the project part of the transcription of the document will be made available in due course.