How can libraries, archives, and museums reach out to students, get people interested in their collections, and engage with the wider public? Sometimes it takes doing something completely unexpected. Student Engagement Officer Serena Fredrick and Learning and Engagement Curator Sarah Deters shared how they are working to engaged people with the vast arrays of items housed at the Centre for Research Collections.

This presentation explored the concept of ‘engagement’ and how its meaning may differ between institutions; what are the different types of audiences institutions may focus on; and how funding opportunities may impact the types of activities an institution may provide.

An interactive session ended the presentation with participants creating their own event around one of the University’s more gruesome artefacts – a letter written in the blood of the notorious killer, William Burke.