Giorgia Tolfo
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giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
Giorgia Tolfo
@giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
130 followers 170 following 43 posts
Collections Researcher, The National Archives (UK)
Interested in visual collections, walking, landscape and literature.

Writer and translator

Website: giorgiatolfo.com
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
lucyrazzall.bsky.social
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!
Talking Records
Talking Records is a collections-based symposium held at The National Archives every year.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
September 1, 2026 at 9:43 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
August 17, 2026 at 9:14 AM
Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
royalhistsoc.org
"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."
July 31, 2026 at 9:06 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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.
July 30, 2026 at 2:04 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
📢 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
Talking Records
Talking Records is a collections-based symposium held at The National Archives every year.
tinyurl.com
July 30, 2026 at 11:10 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
July 28, 2026 at 10:31 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
📢 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
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.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
July 22, 2026 at 11:22 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
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.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
April 27, 2026 at 10:19 AM
Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
sarahjlonsdale.bsky.social
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
April 13, 2026 at 7:22 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
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.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
April 7, 2026 at 1:38 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
15 miles of pleasant windy & wet coastal path.
(Lynmouth to Combe Martin)
April 3, 2026 at 3:58 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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.
March 27, 2026 at 2:01 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
March 26, 2026 at 9:47 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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.
March 6, 2026 at 11:20 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
March 3, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Reposted by Giorgia Tolfo
theboysmithy.ft.com
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 cemetery A 1914 competition map: Changing the map of Europe
February 15, 2026 at 5:01 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
📣 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
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.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
February 4, 2026 at 1:45 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
Working with records of traumatic histories
Learn about the responsibilities and considerations involved in providing access to records related to traumatic histories.
lnkd.in
January 29, 2026 at 3:21 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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...
January 29, 2026 at 3:15 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
January 12, 2026 at 10:40 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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.
January 6, 2026 at 2:10 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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-...
HIV and AIDS
We hold an extensive range of material related to the HIV and AIDS epidemic of the 1980 and 1990s.
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
December 11, 2025 at 12:19 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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
December 16, 2024 at 5:09 PM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
The "HIV and AIDS collections symposium. Collections, Research and Responses" is now openly available on youtube:

www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...
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...
www.youtube.com
December 13, 2024 at 9:44 AM
giorgiatolfo.bsky.social
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...
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...
blogs.bl.uk
December 13, 2024 at 9:41 AM