Putting the Pieces Together: The Challenges of Working on Architectural Models (Part 1) Today we have the first instalment of a two-part series from our Projects Conservator, Mhairi Boyle. In this first instalment, Mhairi discusses the assessment and the first treatment steps involved …Continue reading →

Semply the Best: A Collection in Need of Some Love TAGS: large scale survey | School of Divinity | Semple Collection | surface cleaning | University of Edinburgh This week’s blog comes from Project Collections Assistants Anna O’Regan, Winona O’Connor and Max Chesnokov who worked with Preventive Conservator Katharine Richardson on a project back in 2019 to survey …Continue reading →

The Battle of Life: A look at the Dumfriesshire mental health survey TAGS: Dumfries | mental health | Scotland “worried, dull and anxious, not quite up to the battle of life.” Widowed female, 45-54 yrs, Dull and backward As the second world war was coming to an end a …Continue reading →

Introduction to Leadership TAGS: Leadership | Management This is a not one of my usual posts about Open Research, but rather a short essay written about and submitted for a Leadership course that I recently completed. I …Continue reading →

Responding to a National Crisis: Social Work at Times of Great Need (illustrated with images from the University’s art collection) We find ourselves living through remarkable times. A global pandemic has taken hold and life has changed completely in just a few …Continue reading →

High Rises and Lows: Emotions in an Edinburgh Suburb TAGS: community | Edinburgh | emotion | family | Housing | neighbours In 1957 three professionals, a GP, a minister and a headteacher, approached the University of Edinburgh’s Social Science Research Centre requesting a study of the North Edinburgh communities in which …Continue reading →

Diamonds and Rust: Re-housing the Student Records One of the largest components of the Department of Social Work’s archive is a collection of over 1000 student admission files from 1928, when the school was transferred to the …Continue reading →

The Edinburgh School of Social Study and Training Foundations: Social work training at the University of Edinburgh has gone through several guises since it was first taught in 1918.  Initially it was established as the Edinburgh School of …Continue reading →

From Barbed Wire to the BBC: The Writings of Tom Burns TAGS: behaviour | Communication | suburbia | town planning | urban | workplace Introduction Throughout his career as researcher, lecturer and finally Professor of Sociology, Tom Burns was a prolific and engaging writer of journal articles, lectures, conference papers and reviews. His works …Continue reading →

A New Profession TAGS: Archives | Social Work | students From 1 October 1928 The Edinburgh School of Social Study and Training, established in 1918, was to be incorporated into the University. Students at the school had been entitled to …Continue reading →