National Library of Wales tour brings forgotten stories back to life

A tour by the National Library of Wales has brought the nation’s history to life in communities across the country, inspiring creative projects, uncovering forgotten stories and opening up new opportunities for local research.

The National Library of Wales’ Your Library tour visited Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, Wrexham and Conwy, the four communities with Clip Corners, which provide local access to material from the National Library’s collections, including the Wales Broadcast Archive.

The tour aimed to put the National Library’s collections and archives into the hands of local communities as research material, creative inspiration and a way of bringing people together around their own history.

Visiting school groups were also able to see archive material pupils would not normally encounter in their everyday education to make local history more immediate and tangible.

‘Yes, I did it!’

In Swansea, young people used material from the Wales Broadcast Archive and the South Wales Miners’ Library to explore the lives of miners and the area’s industrial past, before transforming their research into a performance.

Nevaeh, one of the young people who took part in the project, said this was an opportunity to build confidence: “There was a lot of times where I definitely had my setbacks and stuff with learning cues and stuff, but in the end I pushed through and we did it together and I’m very happy with the way it turned out.”

After performing, she added: “I feel a lot better… when I did it I was just like, ‘Yes, I did it, yes!’”

Another participant summed up the learning simply: “Learning about the miners was amazing. I’ve learnt way more.”

 New audiences in Merthyr

In Merthyr Tydfil, the town’s boxing heritage proved a powerful way of drawing new people through the library doors.

Rhianwen Edwards-Long, from the library service, said the boxing strand attracted people who were not part of its usual audience, with the hope that they will return for future events and activities.

The day also led to new links, including a connection with the Gellideg Foundation Dementia Club, as the library prepares to launch Dementia Hubs and relaunch its Merthyr Memory Boxes.

Rhianwen said the greatest impact was seeing local people and organisations come together around Merthyr’s history and heritage, creating connections and raising awareness of what the local library and the National Library can offer.

She described it as “a great example of how partnerships can help bring local history to life for a wider community”.

‘We can’t wait to see what we can find’

In Wrexham, old footage of Wrexham AFC matches from the 1960s stood out for David Roberts of the Wrexham AFC Archive.

David said: “The event was very enjoyable and it was particularly nice to see the old footage of Wrexham games from the 1960s.

“We run a website dedicated to preserving the history of the club and this will undoubtedly help our research.”

Conversations with National Library staff also opened up the possibility of linking archive footage with the website’s detailed records of individual matches, helping add context to the action seen on screen.

David added: “The Wales Broadcast Archive is an important project and helps bring the names and events from Wrexham AFC’s proud sporting past to life. We can’t wait to see what we can find in there.”

Local history on the doorstep

In Conwy, the tour explored the town’s history through local knowledge, broadcast archives and digital collections, including more than 1,500 Conwy-related items on the People’s Collection Wales website.

The programme also featured Below the Waves, a stop-motion film project using archive material as inspiration for its characters, locations and sets.

Dafydd Tudur, Head of Engagement at the National Library, said: “As well as sharing some of the treasures to be found at the Welsh Broadcasting Archive, the Tour was a unique opportunity to introduce the National Library to communities across Wales.

“Throughout the week, we fostered new relationships, had meaningful conversations and invited people from all parts of Wales to work with us to preserve, grow and share the nation’s memory and culture.

“Each visit was specifically designed for the local community, with the Welsh Broadcasting Archive’s Community Engagement officers working with local individuals, groups and organisations to create activities that reflected the unique history, culture and interests of the area.”

The National Library has said that the end of the tour does not mean the end of access, and Clip Corners remain available locally, giving people the opportunity to explore the Wales Broadcast Archive.

To register and receive a library card, visit the National Library’s website here.