This blog post was inspired by a fascinating discussion with Moira Rankin (Senior Archivist) and Rachael Egan (Heritage Engagement Officer) about the role of the Library’s historic collections in learning and teaching.
This is a really exciting time for us in the Learning & Teaching Centre and the University as a whole. Within the last 18 months we have embarked on a journey towards greater blended and online learning through the BOLD project (Blended & Online Learning Development) and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).
In our enthusiasm to embrace the potential of new technologies to positively transform learning and teaching, we should continue to celebrate the rich heritage of the University and the significant achievements of our predecessors in research and teaching and the professions. One way that we can do this is to illustrate the context for learning and teaching, by drawing upon the rich resources of the University Library.
The University’s Archives and Special Collections are a veritable goldmine of visually engaging and compelling evidence which can help learners to better understand their course content, empathise with personal histories, and appraise primary sources, in order to be more effective lifelong learners and researchers. While archive material is of immense value across learning and teaching, we envisage that it might be particularly beneficial in engaging a very diverse MOOC audience.
The Library is currently investing in a new Learning Technologist post, to help deliver such rich content to new audiences via MOOCs and other opportunities for online learning. Applications for the post are being invited until 13th September 2015. Visit the University Jobs page (www.gla.ac.uk/about/jobs/vacancies/) and search for vacancy number 011074.
For a taster of the collections on offer visit the Library Flickr page: www.flickr.com/photos/uofglibrary/albums
If you would like to know more about using the historical collections for online and blended learning, please speak with your College Librarian in the first instance: www.gla.ac.uk/services/library/subjectssupport/collegelibrarians/