Doctoral Open Day: Contemporary and Digital Collections

Our Doctoral Open Days are for current and prospective PhD students and Early Career Researchers interested in working with our collections. Each Open Day showcases a different area of our collection, with the aim of making our materials as accessible as possible.

Our Open Days give you the opportunity to:

• understand how to access our collection
• get expert advice from our Reference Specialists
• speak with curators of collections relevant to your studies
• meet researchers with similar research interests and develop your academic network.

The day will consist of:

• a drop-in session with our Reference Specialists, who can advise you on the practicalities of accessing our collections
• presentations by our curators, introducing you to their collection areas
• a ‘Meet the Curators’ session, during which you can view highlights from our collections and talk to our curators about your research
• a panel discussion with PhD researchers and Library staff exploring their experiences working with our collections.

In this session, explore our contemporary collections covering 1950 to the present day:

• Contemporary Published collections, including legal deposit
• Literary and Creative Archives, Contemporary Archives and Manuscripts
• Politics, Science and Society, Contemporary Archives and Manuscripts
• Oral History collections.
• News and Moving Images

Plus, learn about our digital collections, including:

• the UK Web Archive
• data sets
• born-digital archives
• digital maps.

Please note:

• on the day of the event, registration will open at 10.30, with optional activities running until 11.30. The main programme will begin at 11.30
• lunch will be provided and is included in the ticket price. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements (allergies, intolerances and vegetarian/vegan), but please be aware we cannot accommodate preferences
• you will not be able to bring your bag into some sessions due to collection security rules, please do not bring any valuables which cannot be left unattended
• a quiet space will be provided for anyone who needs it.

If you have any questions about this event or would like to discuss accessibility or dietary requirements, please contact pgr@bl.uk.

Looking for a different Doctoral Open Day? Explore our other Doctoral Open Days currently available to book. 

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