Welcome to Explore Your Archive week on the University of Surrey Archives & Special Collections Blog!
Explore Your Archive goodies!
This week the team will be posting everyday on all things archival, from how we obtain, catalogue and package our collections, to how we continue to care for our collections regarding preservation, house keeping and pest management.
Aside from blogging, we kick off the week (on Monday 20th November) with a drop-in session in the Archive Research Room from 12.00 – 15.00, showcasing the work that goes on behind the scenes to look after our diverse collections. This is open to all and you don’t need to have booked, just come along if you are free – find us on the Ground Floor of the Library. The team will be on hand to demonstrate the many aspects of care we undertake on a daily basis, to talk about what our work entails and of course to answer any questions you may have.
This will also be the first opportunity to see some items from one of our newest deposits – a collection of material on long term long from the publisher Egmont UK Ltd which includes artwork that was hand-coloured by E. H. Shepard for the first colour editions of Winnie-the-Pooh and The Wind in the Willows.
Do pop in if you are free, we’d love to see you!
Just a small part of our Explore Your Archive display in the Research Room
We have also curated a small display in our Research Room display cabinets to showcase just some of the work we have engaged with over the past year. Find out where our collections have been published and exhibited, both within the University and more broadly in exhibitions and publications at home and abroad; discover just who we engage with and how, from talks and displays held for local members of the public, to Heritage Open Day tours and University Open Day activities; and learn about how we care and preserve our collections for generations to come, so we can continue supporting our University staff and students, and researchers from around the world.
Highlights for the team this year were appearing in Surrey Life magazine in May 2017, working with the Alumni Department for the amazing Festival of Wonder as part of the University 50th anniversary celebrations, and working on a number of diverse collections and material with the help of volunteers and students.
If you can’t make it this week, do not despair, the display will be up until Christmas and you are always welcome to come and have a look.
Lastly, don’t forget to check out our Instagram account – @uniofsurreyarchives – for more Explore Your Archive fun; each day has a different hashtag and will offer a different insight into our collections!
