Library news
School Histories Project
The Library has recently succeeded in winning a grant from HLF for its school histories project. This is how we described the project in our grant application:
The project aims to create a single comprehensive collection devoted to the history of individual schools and to make it available to everyone interested, from individual family historians, through teachers and school students to the more traditionally academic researcher.
It will involve cataloguing the collection, conserving items which need work, and making it accessible for the public to use. For example, some books need re-binding and some pamphlets need re-packaging if the collection is to be stabilised for future public use and access.
The project will also involve the development of new audiences for the collection. For example, working to the national curriculum we want to produce education packs and other resources to encourage children to learn about school history, as well as outreach events, a travelling exhibition and publicity to involve new users in the collection. We will recruit volunteers to help with the project, especially in re-housing the collection, basic conservation, education packs and web pages, events and outreach sessions, and developing an exhibition.
We want people not only to use the existing collection but also to be inspired to produce histories of their own schools so that it can continue to grow in the future.
Background
The Library has always included the histories of individual schools in its holdings, but they have been scattered through the main collections and stores. Recently, the DCSF library has deposited a further large number of similar items with us, which are not yet included in the library catalogue. We have often thought that these resources were underused, especially as they could appeal to a much wider audience than our core users of educational research.
The HLF grant will enable us to catalogue and conserve these volumes, and also to develop materials and activities to introduce them to new audiences.
Next steps
We shall be appointing two part time staff for a period of nine months to carry out this work – a Project Librarian for the cataloguing side, and an Outreach Co-ordinator for the education side. We shall also have an advisory board, and shall be looking to involve interested colleagues and volunteers in the project.
For further information, please contact Claire Drinkwater, Special Collections Librarian, ext 6060, email c.drinkwater@ioe.ac.uk