Nadia wants to know: "Why do you think everyone is so obsessed with looking to the past rather than the future?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Katie: I think that lots of people are more interested than ever in learning about their past because we live in a very dislocated environment where lots of us have forgotten where we have come from. Learning about our past helps us to understand who we are and where we're going...

...Lucy: I think that one of the reasons we're so interested in the past is that we find more parallels than more we know about our history. This is something I realise all the time as I work with historical records. Very little of what we are doing now is completely different from the past.

Michael S wants to know:” What is in the National Archives and what's the most unusual thing that someone's searched for in it?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Katie: The National Archives, is a safe haven for all records of the UK government going back as far as the Domesday Book. Believe it or not anyone can ask to see and touch a dead rat which was used in 1851 in parliament to show just what was destroying the official history of our country...

..Lucy: I think the most unusual thing we have in BT's archives is a pair of pants featuring Buzby the advertising icon from the seventies.

Geoff wants to know: "Just how accurate and comprehensive is the information in the archives?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: Any archive is dependent on the records that people create. If people keep good quality records then that's a good start. But, it also depends how much of that material is identified and transferred to the archives and it can be quite a skill to identify the significant material and get rid of the stuff you don't need.

... Katie: Lucy is absolutely right! But we are very lucky in the UK that our archives are most accurate and comprehensive in the world. We should be grateful that we have a chance to explore our past in a way that people from other countries cannot do. We all moan about bureaucracy and it's a peculiarly British export but it's the reason our archives are as great as they are.

Sophie wants to know: "How far back do your records go?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: BT's records go back to the 1840s when the first private companies were established to run telegraph systems. These later became part of the Post Office who also ran the telephone system from the 1890s. BT was separated out of the Post Office in 1981 which is why we have these records. There is more information about the records we hold at www.bt.com/archives

...Katie: If you live in the UK your local archive will probably hold records going back at least as far as the 13th Century. These are usually things like tithe maps which show how land was divided up in medieval times. Believe it or not you could recognise some of your local area still from those maps.

Vanessa wants to know: "Why do you think there been such a recent increase in people wanting to find out more about their family past?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: I think that this partly because it's becoming increasingly easy to get access to information about your family history. More and more archives are able to put information on the internet making it possible to research from the comfort of your own home...

Vanessa wants to know: "Why do you think there been such a recent increase in people wanting to find out more about their family past?"

Lucy and Katie said:

... Katie: The second most popular use of the internet is for searching about your family history. So that has got to be a large part of the increased interest because it is so much easier to do than it used to be.

Mickey wants to know: "If someone wanted to start tracing their family history where would suggest is the first place to start?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: I suggest the best place to start is by talking to any members of your family. Put down on paper what you think you know and this will give you places and dates that you want to research...

... Katie: If you are interested in researching your family history whatever you do don't leave it too late to ask your elderly family members about themselves and their parents...

... Lucy: If you are talking to elderly family members it's worth thinking about recording the conversation and also to have several conversations with them as they'll remember different things each time.

Natalie wants to know: "My daughter has a school project to do on her family tree - when sitting down to help her I realised how little I know about my family history. I have thought about using the archives to help find more information but ideally would like my daughter to help me do this, partly because I don't want to end up doing her school project for her, but also because I think it would be nice to find out more about our family history as a family. Is it too complicated for a nine year old to understand?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: No it's not too complicated for a nine year old to understand. But, what you may have problems with is maintaining her concentration in doing research in an archive environment. Your daughter will probably enjoy most helping you research on the internet but may need you to do some of the more focused work in the archives. At BT we have created a child friendly site that explains the history of telecommunications at www.connected-earth.com it won't help your daughter do family history research but it's an enjoyable way to introduce her to history on the internet.

Lucy and Katie said:

... Katie: Another site which would be a great way to introduce your daughter to archives is www.learningcurve.gov.uk there she can find all sorts of funky history sources which she can use for lots of school projects.

Sophie wants to know: "A lot of my family have moved to Canada and Australia. Do the UK archives link up with others from around the world to provide a global research function?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Katie: If only they were. It would make a lot more sense in the global world we live in. I'm sure this will happen eventually but at the moment there just isn't the money to do it. The more people that use the internet to do their family history the more it's likely to happen.

Katie Thompson wants to know: "Hi I am trying to research my mother's family history - starting with her Mother (my grandmother). I can get as far back as my Maternal Grandmother's Birth Certificate (as I have a copy given to me). I have searched on the national achieves for her parents, as listed on the BC and nothing is coming up for them. I only have the mothers address (at time of birth) as a location for where they may have lived during their lifetime. My mother & Aunt know almost nothing about their grandparents, and their mother/father has now deceased so we cannot ask them for information. Please can you advise on the best way to try and track these people down. Many Thanks"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: It sounds as if you have looked on the census and drawn a blank on that. There are a lot more places that you can look but not all of them will be on the internet. As a starting point I suggest you try the family record centre www.familyrecords.gov.uk and try and trace birth, death or marriage certificates for your family.

Jennifer wants to know: "How far back have people got when researching their ancestors? I only seem to be able to get few generations back..."

Lucy and Katie said:

Katie: Some people, though very few can definitely trace their family roots back to the Domesday book which is over a thousand years. For most of us it's pretty good going if you can get back as far as the 17th Century especially if your ancestors lived abroad and you've got to try a little bit harder.

Norma wants to know: "Why do BT have archives?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: It's partly because of BT's history as being part of the Post Office and therefore part of government. However, we have not been part of the government for over twenty years now but we still maintain an up to date archive. This is because it's useful for the company to know its history but it's also because we recognise that as a monopoly provider for the UK from 1912 - 1981 we have a responsibility to preserve our history.

katieT wants to know: "Do the BT archives just hold information about the history of telecommunication?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: BT archives hold information about the history of BT. This covers the history of telecommunications in the UK and internationally for most of the 19th and 20th Centuries but it's not just a technical archive. BT has been a huge employer and telecommunications has had a huge social impact and the archive covers these subjects as well as the technical side.

Margaret Byfield wants to know: "Hi, I've been looking on the BT archive site and I'm interested in the historical telecommunications library but the site doesn't show me what's in the library, it just lists what is held. Are you planning a virtual tour at some stage in the future?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: We are planning virtual tours as part of our work with Connected Earth, which is our virtual museum. If you have a specific query about what’s available in the archive you can call us on 020 7440 4220 or email archives@bt.com and we'll search our catalogues for you.

David Byrne wants to know: "What progress has there been with creating an archive of BTs electronic resources - including websites and are there copies of specific key BT websites 1,2,5 and 10 years ago?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: Yes, we do have an electronic archive where we capture snap shots of key BT internet and intranet sites at regular intervals usually 6 monthly. However, the electronic archive only goes back two years rather than ten.

Mick Smith wants to know: "Is there anyone to contact who would look-up a Directory entry if the year and address were known, rather than having to visit the archive"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: Unfortunately we don't have resources to undertake research for people. What we are looking at is the possibility of digitising the UK telephone directories - which date from 1880 - and making them searchable on the web. Watch this space...

Brian wants to know: "As a teacher, I have spent some time looking at the website with a view to using it as an online resource for teaching materials. Are there any plans to provide teaching packs or other school orientated materials for use?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: We have quite extensive teaching materials on the history of telecommunications and communication skills in general on www.connected-earth.com under the "learn it" part of the site.

Hilary wants to know: "I remember when my uncle came to visit years ago he had one of the first mobile phones... it was the size of a large breeze block... is it possible to look back at the development of mobile phones over the past 20-30 years and is there any locations where we could go to view models of the old phones?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Lucy: Yes, we have many photos featuring mobile phones and they were like breeze blocks as recently as the early 1990s. There's lots of photos and information on the Connected Earth site and this will also tell you where you can go to see mobile phones in museums.

David Adams wants to know: "Do you need certain qualifications to become an Archivist?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Katie: Yes, in theory, but not everybody who works with archives has a qualification and that is not necessarily a bad thing. There is a professional qualification and if you were interested in finding out more you can look at www.archives.org.uk We are all archivists in one way or another as we have all got a box under our bed or a set of photos on our shelves. Make sure you take care of your own little archive.

Neo wants to know: "With the increased paranoia about "Big Brother" do archives hold information which people will find invasive to their privacy?"

Lucy and Katie said:

Katie: A good question, which depends on your point of view. Archives have always held personal information this has always in fact been protected in one way or another. An example of this is that census records, which show who lives where and what they do, are not available to look at until they are a hundred years old. This stops anybody from turning up at your front door...

... Lucy: All archives are very conscious of their responsibilities under the data protection act and take care to protect sensitive data.