JISC

Launched on the 30 September 2009 this incredibly rich archive is capturing the feelings, aspirations and hopes of the communities of East london as they confront the reality of hosting the Olympics in 2012.  The archive also contains academic research and contextual information from research teams working at UEL.  This archive will constantly be updated and added to, and will become a site of interaction and engagement for academics and communities around the world.

The East London lives 2012 archive will record and reflect on the process of social change in East London arising from hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is unique as it is considered a 'living' archive project, with an emphasis on contemporary primary research, which is complemented by a historical strand to offer a comparative perspective on the Games and their history in London.

The archive will selectively focus on scrutinising and documenting the outcomes of two of the major Olympic bid promises - social regeneration and health and wellbeing. It will provide free open access to all of its research findings in the shape of primary sources (multimedia) and publications and reports.

The collections created will include:

• The multimedia oral history interviews on the experiences of Londoners and their memories of the London Olympic Games, as well as the local area surrounding the contemporary Olympic Park for 2012. We shall use these oral histories as points of comparison with contemporary voices and data.
• Proceedings of focus groups with people from the five Olympic host boroughs, recording their views and perspectives on the 2012 Olympics and any changes happening in their local borough.
• The multimedia proceedings of research carried out on areas of health and wellbeing on barriers to increasing social and physical participation.
• Performance indicators on key areas associated with health and wellbeing, to give insight into how the Olympics might affect current quality of life, or create a legacy in this area.
• Teaching material which will support Olympic Studies modules and facilitate further research on the Olympic Games over time.
• A repository for policy documents and publications on developments in London.

Lead institution University of East London

Partner institutions Museums Libraries and Archives Council

Download the Final Report (PDF)

Download project plan (PDF)