One of the many wonderful things about working at the Bodleian Libraries in Oxford is Friday morning coffee. Organised by the Keeper of Special Collections, Chris Fletcher, this weekly gathering includes a ten-minute ‘show and tell’ from a colleague, visiting academic or graduate student. It’s an exciting opportunity to learn more about some of the amazing items from the collections from an avid enthusiast.
Last week, the Public Engagement team, based at the Weston Library, had the opportunity to both share something of our work and to thank our colleagues for the support they give us in bringing the Library’s exhibitions and collections to life for different audiences.
We shared a selection of items from our Moments in Medicine workshop for secondary schools. This takes students through a thousand years of the development of public health in Britain. We chose this example from the varied range of work we do because it draws items from several areas including Medieval Manuscripts, Rare Books, and the John Johnson Collection of Printed Ephemera.
Here’s the video of me sharing these amazing items and how we use them with colleagues. Please bear in mind that it’s an unedited single take! Thanks to Prof. Henrike Lähnemann for the excellent camerawork and making the video available online and to Dr. Matthew Holford for expert curatorial support.
If you’re a teacher interested in bringing a group to visit the Bodleian, you can find out more on the School visits page of our website.
A selection of schools resources, including a downloadable version of Moments in Medicine topic is available on the Bodleian’s Resources for teachers webpage.
Caseby's Casebook 