Some exciting news this month is that funding has been received in the form of an eLearning Development Grant to support the creation of new learning resources for delivery next year as part of the Department’s archives and records management programmes. These resources will guide students through two scenarios based on problems faced by archivists working in today’s digital environment.

This environment offers both opportunities and challenges. Opportunities in that new technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way in which archives and records are created, accessed and interpreted. Challenges in that the techniques and tools needed to ensure the long term preservation of born-digital material are still very much in development. The primary objective of this project is to ensure that students are better prepared to work within this environment, not just by ensuring that they are equipped with specific professional skills, but also by enhancing more broadly their digital literacy, that is their ability to work in today’s online, connected and global workplace.

I am really delighted to have received Pioneer Award funding to work with Dr Caroline Bressey (Human Geography and Equiano Centre) on a project entitled The World of UCL 1828-1948: London’s Global University.

We aim to answer two related questions:

1. To what extent can we establish the Asian and Black presence at UCL in the early years, 1828-1948?
2. How can historical material about Asian and Black students be used in research, teaching and community engagement?

Between November 2011 and November 2012, we will be conducting research in the College Archives and establishing

• an exhibition
• an interdisciplinary symposium for UCL staff discussing how these materials might be used in research and teaching
• an interdisciplinary student conference
• creative workshops, creating art and writing from the sources

We are particularly looking forward to working with Dr Andrew Flinn (Information Studies) and College Archivist Gillian Furlong and to forming links with other researchers in the UCL community.

Watch this space for more news about the project.

Image: UCL Library Services Special Collections. Used with permission.