“Who Taught Her That?”
curated by MScR students from the University of Edinburgh
The National Library of Scotland prides itself on providing free and easy access to its collections. As technology advances, the digital world has not only become an important part of our everyday lives, it affected the Library’s established practices as more and more of its legal deposit intake is received digitally. The main question then is how to display something Born Digital (i.e. material that has been created as a digital resource rather than digitised after creation) as part of a public exhibition? In search for a solution, the Library invited us, a group of master’s students by research following the ‘Collections and Curating Practices programme,’ to approach the display of the Library’s collections from a digital perspective. Our response took the form of an exhibition, located in the Library’s George IV Bridge Board Room. Coinciding with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, it celebrated women’s contributions to the Library’s collection, the ways in which the digital age has transformed the manner in which women express themselves, and how audiences can engage with this material.
As a team of five women curators who also enjoy using social media and online platforms to share thoughts and engage with our peers, we noticed that much of women’s use of digital resources often comes in various forms of advice and so we began exploring the history of different forms of instruction and guidance through the Library’s extensive collections. When putting together the exhibition checklist, we aimed to include as many areas of women’s lives as possible, picking artefacts which addressed politics, sexuality, health, home life, and growing up. We were particularly keen to feature the experiences of women living in Scotland and Britain, focusing on the ways in which culture and customs have been passed down to subsequent generations, as well as how they have evolved over time. By placing digital and physical items next to each other, we aimed to highlight and emphasise the contrasts, similarities, and partnerships that exist between different formats as well as the possibilities of each.
One of our main goals was to inspire visitors’ participation at the exhibition, which was designed to appeal to every person who identifies as a woman from across all generations and backgrounds. The exhibitions are generally associated with unapproachable glass cases, stern museum workers, and limited opportunities to leave feedback. We wanted to show just how wrong that perception can be. To make the space as welcoming and inclusive, as possible, we used a live feed of advice contributed via Twitter by our guests, workshops, and created a Conversation Corner, where the visitors could engage with inspiring women guest speakers, whom we invited to talk about their accomplishments in different spheres of life. The idea was to encourage people to react to the objects on display and create a discussion around them, which helped the Library and our group to better understand what the public would like to see in future exhibitions. One of the main advantages of using digital content to encourage these conversations was its ability to accommodate the inclusion of these new perspectives and to track the evolution of ideas and discussions in real time.
Visitors will be able to view the exhibition, then are encouraged to join the Conversation Corner, as well as leave some feedback or even share advice of their own. We encourage people to think about the difference in their perception and treatment of the information they encounter or acquire through both formats. Additionally, we want to explore questions regarding the perceived value of physical items in comparison to the digital content, and the reactions people have to them.
