Inclusive Collections, Inclusive Libraries is an RLUK programme of events that aims to foster conversation around decolonisation and inclusive practice in collecting, describing, presenting, and engaging with content in research library collections. It seeks to raise awareness about the opportunities and challenges of dealing with, contextualising, and engaging with offensive collections while also identifying and sharing examples of good practice.
‘Re-entangling the visual archive’: lessons from working with visual artists at Cambridge University Libraries
Tuesday 23 September, 11:00 – 12:00 (BST), 12:00 – 13:00 (CEST/SAST), 13:00 – 14:00 (EEST), 06:00 – 07:00 (EDT), 18:00 – 19:00 (AWST/CST), 22:00 – 23:00 (AEST)
This talk will provide practical reflections on a recent project which brought together a group of visual artists from Zambia to explore methods of creative intervention and new ways to engage with archival material, particularly problematic colonial-era collections. The speakers will reflect on the project’s artistic outputs as well as sharing their learnings from collaborating outside the library’s ‘traditional’ or ‘typical’ user bases. The speakers will also discuss the administrative effort required to support creative practice research collaborations.
Sally Kent is the curator of Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) collection, part of the World Collections Department at Cambridge University Library. She is a qualified archivist and previously worked in in the Department of Archives and Modern Manuscripts at Cambridge University Library.
Eleanor Parmenter is the Research Institute Coordinator at Cambridge University Library. Eleanor supports the administration and communications of the University Library Research Institute (ULRI) and its portfolio of collections-led research projects and activities. She also oversees the planning and delivery of the ULRI’s events programme. She has a Master’s degree in Art Gallery and Museum Studies (University of Leeds), and a Bachelor’s degree in History (University of Lincoln). She completed her Master’s dissertation on outreach and curatorial strategies in women’s history archives.
Jenni Skinner is the African Specialist and Library Manager of the African Studies Library, supporting the research and teaching needs of the University’s Undergraduate and Postgraduate study of Africa, as part of the World Collections Department at Cambridge University Library.