Resources

TIG members include those institutions responsible for much of the UK’s performing arts heritage, and many of these have online catalogues of their holdings. In addition, a TIG project to collect information on institutions and their performing arts collections is now available on Culture Grid as 'UK Theatre Collections' under the 'collections' heading.

This website provides these guides:

• Performing arts catalogues and documentation

• Sources of support for performing arts research


The V&A Theatre and Performance website provides:

• A general guide to performing arts research

• Advice to family historians

• Theatre and performance reading lists


Westminster Reference Library provides:

• A list of entertainment and performance websites 

This website provides these guidance notes on looking after your records (produced by V&A Theatre and Performance):

• Guidance for theatres and theatre companies

• Guidance on looking after personal collections

For professionals, free authoritative general information on collections management issues is available from Collections Link, the national collections management advisory service. As many different standards are applicable in collections management, this can be a confusing area. In 2003 the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) produced a comprehensive study of all UK, European and international standards schemes relevant to museums, libraries and archives.  The study is available via the MLA website.

	Opening of the Royal Albert Hall of Arts & Sciences by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, 29 March 1871
	© Royal Albert Hall Archives

Reliable production history information (who performed what, where and when) is essential to the study and practice of the performing arts across the creative and education sectors. At present there is no agreed method for doing this, so online audiences are faced with a bewildering mix of approaches, systems and institutions.
 
Two generous grants from the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) have enabled a group of institutions to develop a database to contain authoritative data about historical theatre productions, built around the existing People's Network Discover Service (PNDS). A number of TIG members have been involved in this project and funding to enable final implementation and launch of the service is currently being sought.

	Me and My Girl, Victoria Palace Theatre, 1937, photograph by Houston Rogers
	© V&A Museum

TIG members include those institutions responsible for much of the UK’s performing arts heritage, and many of these have online catalogues of their holdings. In addition, a TIG project to collect information on institutions and their performing arts collections is now available on Culture Grid as 'UK Theatre Collections' under the 'collections' heading.

This website provides these guides:

• Performing arts catalogues and documentation

• Sources of support for performing arts research


The V&A Theatre and Performance website provides:

• A general guide to performing arts research

• Advice to family historians

• Theatre and performance reading lists


Westminster Reference Library provides:

• A list of entertainment and performance websites 

This website provides these guidance notes on looking after your records (produced by V&A Theatre and Performance):

• Guidance for theatres and theatre companies

• Guidance on looking after personal collections

For professionals, free authoritative general information on collections management issues is available from Collections Link, the national collections management advisory service. As many different standards are applicable in collections management, this can be a confusing area. In 2003 the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) produced a comprehensive study of all UK, European and international standards schemes relevant to museums, libraries and archives.  The study is available via the MLA website.

	Opening of the Royal Albert Hall of Arts & Sciences by Her Majesty Queen Victoria, 29 March 1871
	© Royal Albert Hall Archives

Reliable production history information (who performed what, where and when) is essential to the study and practice of the performing arts across the creative and education sectors. At present there is no agreed method for doing this, so online audiences are faced with a bewildering mix of approaches, systems and institutions.
 
Two generous grants from the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) have enabled a group of institutions to develop a database to contain authoritative data about historical theatre productions, built around the existing People's Network Discover Service (PNDS). A number of TIG members have been involved in this project and funding to enable final implementation and launch of the service is currently being sought.

	Me and My Girl, Victoria Palace Theatre, 1937, photograph by Houston Rogers
	© V&A Museum