“The book is exactly what I was looking for. It's really the only book that I've found that works for undergrads, since everything else is directed towards grad students or professional historians.”

Lauren Araiza, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of History, Denison University

“The documentary archive is two-edged. It honors and brings history alive, offering a window into the voices, pains and social injustices of the past. The same window turns history back on itself, using the cracks, and contradiction of the past to imagine new futures, new utopias. Bringing the newcomer into the field through the multiple forms and uses of the archive is brilliant…The field owes the authors a big thanks.”

Norman K. Denzin, Emeritus Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

“In Exploring the Archives: A Beginner’s Guide for Qualitative Researchers, Roulston and deMarrais bring together foundational as well as newer, cutting edge ideas related to archival research. From a discussion of what it means to be an archivist to an examination of the different kinds of archival research, this book offers a thoughtful, thorough, and accessible overview of archival research practices. The book includes both core chapters that introduce key concepts of archival research, as well as reflection chapters that offer rich and illustrative examples of archival research. Indeed, this book serves as the leading resource for scholars interested in completing archival research.”

Jessica Nina Lester, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Inquiry Methodology, Indiana University

“Roulston and deMarrais’ Exploring the Archives: A Beginner’s Guide for Qualitative Researchers is a most welcome and needed addition to the qualitative data collection literature. Like a rare find in the archive, this text overflows with rich details and thoughtful considerations of the nuances of archival work. The authors expertly guide readers through all aspects of qualitative archival work. Insightful examples punctuate the procedural work done in the main chapters of the text. This is a rich resource for anyone interested in qualitative archival research.”

Susan Nordstrom, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Educational Research, The University of Memphis

“This text is most timely, useful, and appropriate for teaching and learning qualitative inquiry in the Social Sciences field. It provides instructors and students with a range of approaches to archival practice. It is wide ranging from the who, what, how, where, and why of the practices. It SHOWS how it is done and provides examples of the authors and the graduate students’ practices. It provides social sciences and qualitative inquiry with a much-needed basic understanding of archival practices.”

Janice B. Fournillier, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Research Measurement and Statistics, Educational Policy Studies, Georgia State University

"(I) Encourage students to read the advice proffered by Roulston and deMarrais – and to use it as a guide towards exploring the archives. The material they find there will enrich our collective body of knowledge."

Review by Nigel Stark for the Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 9-1-21