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Giorgia Tolfo

@giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
127 followers 174 following 43 posts

Collections Researcher, The National Archives (UK) Interested in visual collections, walking, landscape and literature. Writer and translator Website: giorgiatolfo.com

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Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
Lucy Razzall @lucyrazzall.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/professional... CFP! Spaces and Places of Care at The National Archives, UK Symposium: 7 Dec Proposals: 18 Sept We would love to hear from you if you work on archival collections and histories of care or welfare in any time period or global context. Please share!
nationalarchives.gov.uk
Talking Records
Talking Records is a collections-based symposium held at The National Archives every year.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Ever wondered where the acorn symbol on the UK long‑distance National Trails actually comes from — or what the original designs looked like? Me and @lucyrazzall.bsky.social uncovered the acorn’s origin story in The National Archives' Countryside Commission records: shorturl.at/R5QE9
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Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 31/07/2026
"Details, in their singularity and idiosyncrasy, point to the capaciousness of human experience." New today in the Society's journal 'Transactions': Joe Moran 'On Detail in Historical Writing': bit.ly/44UMi8C Now available OA @joemoransblog.bsky.social @massobsarchive.bsky.social #Skystorians 1/2
Opening page of the Transactions article 'On Detail in Historical Writing' by Joe Moran. 

Full abstract: "This Comment considers the role of detail in historical writing, inflected through my own experience of writing ‘trade’ books for a general rather than specialist readership. I argue for the value of the detail that is slightly recalcitrant, that is more than just flesh on the bones of an argument or evidence marshalled to make a point. Detail is itself a kind of argument and thus, since beauty and elegance in writing derive from economy, a way of making a point without belabouring it. The gratuitous fact can be seductive, suggesting that the world has a randomness and overabundance that can't easily be rounded up into a dataset. Details, in their singularity and idiosyncrasy, point to the capaciousness of human experience. They correct our tendency to fixate on one story, to focus on the eventful at the expense of the marginal, and to invent a false unity of experience that erases social differences. With their obdurate specificity, they can shatter our presumptions about the past. I explore these ideas with reference to modern literature (Flaubert, Chekhov), the Mass-Observation archive and examples from my own work in contemporary cultural history and family history."
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Witnessing the Dunwich Heath fire while working with record MT 92/2 at TNA gives me shivers. Booklet “The Country Code”, 1951. Illustrations by James Lucas.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
📢 Call for Papers: Talking Records: Spaces and Places of Care Join us at The National Archives, London, on 7 December 2026 for a symposium exploring histories of care, welfare, space and place through archival collections. Submission deadline: 18 September 2026 Find out more: tinyurl.com/bdf5bsee
tinyurl.com
Talking Records
Talking Records is a collections-based symposium held at The National Archives every year.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
To what extent can walking provide a spatial way to access and explore archival collections? To what extent can archival collections shed light on the places we cross while walking? New "Archive Rambler" blog on TNA. Lynmouth and Lynton: shorturl.at/vLXP5 Lynmouth to Woolacombe: shorturl.at/b8nx5
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
📢 The recordings of the "Working with Difficult Records" series are now available online. These sessions offer practical guidance and important perspectives for anyone working with difficult records, difficult conversations, and challenging histories. 🎥 Watch the recordings: tinyurl.com/bddhmn6a
nationalarchives.gov.uk
Working with Difficult Records: Sharing Practices Across the Archive Sector
Working with Difficult Records explores how archives engage with difficult records through people-centred and trauma-informed practices.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
Wednesday 7 May, 12,00 | online Working with records for social justice ▶️Jessica & Matthew Turtle, @ourmoh.bsky.social ▶️Sandra Shakespeare, Museum X ▶️Sean Cunningham, Head of Medieval and Early Modern Records, North America Indigenous Community work Register: shorturl.at/ZMY7A
eventbrite.co.uk
Working with records for social justice
This session will reflect on how archival records and archives-led initiatives have supported communities affected by social inequalities.
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Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
Doc Sarah Lonsdale @sarahjlonsdale.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
Happy birthday to the Peak District National Park, designated #otd 13 April 1951. Originally 555 square miles of moor and valley, the 'great north roof of England.' It would never have happened but for one woman... 1/4
Map of the Peak District National Park,  designated 13 April 1951
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
Wednesday 15 April, 13:00 | online Working with medical and mental health records ▶️ Laura Robson-Mainwaring, The National Archives ▶️ Jenny Marsden, Manchester Together Archive ▶️ Kate Jarman @ermerlindaj.bsky.social, Barts Health NHS Trust shorturl.at/z5biD
eventbrite.co.uk
Working with medical and mental health records
This session will explore the complexities of working with records related to medical scandals, terrorism, and personal trauma.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
15 miles of pleasant windy & wet coastal path. (Lynmouth to Combe Martin)
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
Received this beauty today 🌊 Looking for info about: - The Homeland Handbooks (history? audience? is there an archive? any bibliography?) - Photographer John Dixon-Scott (or J D Scott?) TNA holds a vast collection of photos but no information about him. Eager to do more research on this.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
A beautiful series of posters commissioned by the Countryside Commission in 1986-1987. Design: Ian Carstairs. - Any reason why Snowdonia and Pembrokshire were already referred to by their Welsh name, but not Breacon Beacons? - Has anyone seen them around back at the time? TNA ref: COU 3
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Getting ready for two Archive Rambles this April: 🗺️ North Devon: Lynton to Woolacombe 🥾 Yorkshire Dales: Skipton to Sedbergh I’m looking for local archive collections related to these areas, or material documenting the long-distance paths that connect them.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
Working with criminal justice records Wed, 25 March | 13:00 GMT | Online 🎤 Charlotte Smith, The National Archives 🎤 Dr Jessamy Carlson, The National Archives 🎤 Miles Wright, The Law Commission of England and Wales Reserve your spot here: shorturl.at/KlsVm
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Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
Alan Smith @theboysmithy.ft.com · 15/02/2026
8 years ago, at the British Library, I first saw this map: an FT reader competition to predict the boundaries of Europe after WW1. I made a note to find out more one day - which ultimately led me last month to this tomb in West Norwood cemetery. You can read more here: www.ft.com/content/79a4...
A photo of an elegant grade-II listed tomb in West Norwood cemeteryA 1914 competition map: Changing the map of Europe
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
📣 Online Event: Stories of Compassion, Love and Loss – Re-presenting the AIDS Epidemic How official records intersect with community-generated archives to reveal the emotional and human dimensions of the crisis? 🗓 10 March 2026, 1:00pm (online) 📍 Zoom (free) 🎟 Reserve here: shorturl.at/GAqVj
eventbrite.co.uk
Stories of compassion, love and loss: Re-presenting the AIDS epidemic
Discover some of the ways in which archives and communities are working to re-present the AIDS epidemic.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Working with records of traumatic histories Wed, 25 Feb | 13:00 GMT | Online 🎤 Eliza McKee, @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy 🎤 Hari Jonkers, @holocaustnorth.bsky.social 🎤 Gillian Boll and Malcolm Mathieson, @amnestyuk.bsky.social Info and registration here: shorturl.at/jAfJO
lnkd.in
Working with records of traumatic histories
Learn about the responsibilities and considerations involved in providing access to records related to traumatic histories.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Following the December "Pollution in the Archive" symposium, my colleague @hcraddock.bsky.social and me have wrote a recap of the day with some post-event reflections that you can now read it on @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy blog. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/professional...
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 12/01/2026
How can archival research deepen the experience of hiking, and vice versa? My first "Archive Rambler" blog on walking along the South West Coast Path & researching The National Archives records is out now. From Harland to Clovelly: shorturl.at/3ZFxS From Clovelly to Westward Ho!: shorturl.at/MLED6
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Looking for info on the British photographer John Dixon-Scott. Anything that could help pin down and his life and (many) projects) is all very welcome! The National Archives hold a huge collection of photographs and I am keen on studying it more deeply.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
For World Aids Day, 1 December, I’ve co-curated a new highlights gallery exploring @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy state records collection related to the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and 1990s. To access it: www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-...
nationalarchives.gov.uk
HIV and AIDS
We hold an extensive range of material related to the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the 1980 and 1990s.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 16/12/2024
Join us for the launch of 'Archives and Emotions', a ground breaking text exploring intersections of archival practice, historical research, national & disciplinary borders. 🕰️ 23 Jan 25, 16:00 - 18:00 🗺️ The National Archives & online 🎟️ bit.ly/4gw7Xb4
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
The "HIV and AIDS collections symposium. Collections, Research and Responses" is now openly available on youtube: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
youtube.com
HIV and AIDs Archives Symposium: collections, research and responses - YouTube
This free online symposium brought together researchers, historians, archivists, scholars, and creative practitioners who have worked with HIV and AIDS relat...
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
Nice to see some old work I coordinated at the British Library finally being published online. Thanks @miaout.bsky.social and @bldigischol.bsky.social blogs.bl.uk/digital-scho...
blogs.bl.uk
Automating metadata creation: an experiment with Parliamentary 'Road Acts'
This post was originally written by Giorgia Tolfo in early 2023 then lightly edited and posted by Mia Ridge in late 2024. It describes work undertaken in 2019, and provides context for resources we ho...
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Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
Daniel Wilson @danielwilson.bsky.social · 11/12/2024
Another interesting workshop at The National Archives (who don't seem to be on here) next month about photographic collections, organised by @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social #dh blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/exploring-ea...
blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk
Exploring early photography through collaborative digital experimentation - The National Archives blog
Find out all about the topic of our upcoming digital hackathon.
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Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
Documenting HIV epidemic: national survey of HIV archives @documenting-hiv-uk.bsky.social · 12/12/2024
My own talk on the key findings of the national survey of HIV records can be found in the recording from the first panel at the 38:00 minutes. youtu.be/cR36HNPq6Hs?... Thank you @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social for organising such a great event!
youtu.be
HIV and AIDS Archives Symposium: Panel One - Institutional Archives
YouTube video by The National Archives UK
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 06/12/2024
Are you a digital humanist? Software developer? Digital researcher? Are you interested in Intellectual Property or early photography? If so, join our Collaborative Digital Experimentation hackathon on 27/28 Jan 2025! To know more, visit: blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/exploring-ea...
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Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · 03/12/2024
During UK Disability History Month, you can explore this topic by checking out the Bibliography and British and Irish History's (BBIH) online reading list. This resource allows you to uncover the most recent studies in this field. Visit the link provided to learn more: buff.ly/3QWrffO.
buff.ly
Online reading lists from BBIH
A listing of recent publications (2010-2020) in the field of Black British History, taken from the 'Bibliography of British and Irish History' in October 2020.
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Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
Society for the Study of Labour History @sslh.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
Great progress by @mrcwarwick.bsky.social in its three-year project to index the archives of the National Union of Mineworkers and predecessor unions. A dozen catalogues online and more to come. Project archivist @worsted.bsky.social deserves a medal! sslh.org.uk/2024/11/25/n...
sslh.org.uk
NUM archives project hits milestone with Women Against Pit Closures and predecessor union indexes online
Work to index the records of the National Union of Mineworkers and its predecessor unions has hit an important milestone, with more than a dozen catalogues now searchable online. In addition to the…
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 25/11/2024
A week to go to the "HIV and AIDS Archives: collections, research and responses" symposium. Have you registered? Info: blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hiv-and-aids... Full programme: cdn.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/hi... Booking: eventbrite.co.uk/e/hiv-and-ai... [Image UK AIDS memorial quilt]
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 19/11/2024
🚨 Deadline closing! 🚨 Apply by tomorrow, 20 Nov at 6pm, for our HIV and AIDS Archives onsite digital humanities workshop. Learn how raw data can support digital storytelling by utilising a dataset produced for the 1987 Public Health Campaign. Apply: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/hiv-and-ai...
eventbrite.co.uk
HIV and AIDS Archives: recovering, re-presenting and exploring open digital
This is an IN-PERSON WORKSHOP at The National Archives
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
Interested in DH and medical humanities? If so send your application to the ‘HIV and AIDS Archives: Recovering, re-presenting and exploring open digital data’ workshop on December 2. More info and link to apply: blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hiv-and-aids...
blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk
HIV and AIDS Archives: a workshop and a symposium - The National Archives blog
We're hosting events to explore the wider landscape of HIV and AIDS-related records.
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Giorgia Tolfo @giorgiatolfo.bsky.social · 12/11/2024
For the last few months I have worked on a workshop and online symposium on HIV and AIDS archives. This will take place on the 2-3 December. The symposium is online and free. Full details in the thread below! live-www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/about/our-re...
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