The University is a finalist in the Outstanding Library Team category, recognising its archive’s exceptional community engagement work.
Initiatives such as the Research Catalyst and online collection, the Archive Showcase, have brought academics, students and members of the community together to celebrate their shared history.
The University also ran the Think Creative Archive competition, which invited the public to create artwork inspired by materials found in its online collection. The best entries were awarded prizes and displayed at the Everyman Theatre in Liverpool, taking the archive to the public in the heart of the region.
Director of Library Services Maria Mirza welcomed the shortlisting and thanked her colleagues for their hard work bringing the archive to life.
“I’m incredibly proud of everyone who works in our library and archives. Thank you to all of the students, staff and community members who donated their time and energy to open up our archive to the public.
“We take our position in the local and wider community very seriously and will continue to support our community, socially and culturally, by making our artefacts accessible to the public and carrying out historically important, high-quality research.”
The items contained in the archive, including books, records, images and even a sword, chart the University’s course from 1885, when it opened as the first non-denominational teacher training college for women, up to the present day, where it continues the tradition of academic excellence and social responsibility.
The artefacts shed light on the lives of thousands of alumni, the women’s suffrage movement, both world wars, the Hillsborough tragedy and the development of the University’s surrounding communities over the last 138 years.
The THE awards attract hundreds of entries from UK higher education institutes every year, which exemplify the talent, dedication and innovation of individuals and teams across all aspects of university life.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony on Thursday 7 December at the ACC in Liverpool.
Discover more about the archive on the library and learning services webpage or to find out more about courses at Edge Hill University, please visit ehu.ac.uk/study.
September 8, 2023