Andrew Flinn

I am a Senior Lecturer and the Director of the Archives and Records Management (ARM) (including the recently (2102) merged Records and Archive Management (International) (RAMI) MA) programme in the Department of Information Studies at University College London (UCL). In 2011 I was the Allen Smith Visiting Scholar in the Graduate School of Library and Information and Information Studies at Simmons College, Boston, MA.

I teach on the modules G059 Concepts and Contexts, G001 Access and Use of Archives and Records and G058 Oral History: from creation to curation

My main areas of interest include:

  • community archives & memory;
  • diversifying and democratising heritage, including using technology to enable more participative & collaborative archival practice;
  • oral history, archives & public history;
  • archives and social justice;  
  • widening access to cultural heritage & the impact of archives and heritage on identity;
  • the identification of users and non-users of archival services;
  • the impact of Freedom of Information and other information legislation on access to records;
  • documenting grassroots political activity and the use of history by political activists;
  • international co-operation and issues around migrated or displaced archives;
  • the records of migrants, refugees and exiles;
  • the promotion and development of international digitally focussed archival education.

I am happy to supervise students in any of the above or related areas. At present I supervise doctoral students researching archival issues surrounding Truth and Reconciliation Commissions, archival and cultural property questions relating to identity and heritage, the use of social technology to encourage more participatory archival practice, especially with regard to description and appraisal, and measuring the impact of Freedom of Information legislation.

At present I am leading a AHRC funded research team at UCL, Dig Where We Stand which is part of the AHRC's Connected Communities Research on Community Heritage strand. In addition I am working with colleagues from the Universities of Toronto and Michagan on exploring the impact of archives (and archivists) on struggles for social justice. I am also researching how political organisations and activists construct 'useful' challenging histories, particularly via independent archives and libraries and through oral history approaches, and employ historical research and narratives in their political struggles.

I am member of the Community Archives and Heritage Group executive committee and Vice-Chair (2012-2013) and also a new member of the steering committee of International Council on Archives Section for Archival Education and Training (ICA SAE) (2012-2016).

E-mail: a.flinn@ucl.ac.uk
UCL extension: 32479
Direct Line: 020 7679 2479 (non-UK: +44 20 7679 2479)
Fax: 020 7383 0557 (non-UK: +44 20 7383 0557)
Office: G28 Foster Court

Twitter: @andyucl

Office Hours: Monday 1.00pm - 2.00pm

Address correspondence to:
Dr Andrew Flinn
Department of Information Studies
University College London
Gower Street
London WC1E 6BT
U.K.