Leeds IMS PhD Researchers Attend British Library Open Day

Three University of Leeds IMS PhD Researchers attended and participated in the British Library Doctoral Students Open Day 2018: Pre-1600 this February.

On 5 February 2018, Jack Litchfield, Samuel Bradley, and Jacob Deacon - all IMS PhD researchers - attended the British Library Open Day from 10:00-16:30.

The event took an interdisciplinary approach to the British Library's collection, and was open to researchers undertaking PhDs in the areas of classics, history, literature, and more. In particular, the event catered to first year PhD students new to the library, and introduced researchers to the full scope of ancient, medieval, and 16th-century western heritage collections. 

Samuel Bradley noted that the event provided 'plenty of time to network between sessions, and time to view some of the manuscripts and discuss them with conservators'.

Jack Litchfield appreciated the 'practical guidance' offered in terms of how to use the library effectively, and also 'enjoyed being encouraged to think about both what is gained and lost in the process of digitalising these texts'. 

Jacob Deacon called the event 'a fantastic opportunity...that I'd certainly recommend' and 'felt much more confident about carrying out research at the library after the talks'.

All three researchers spent additional time at the library to consult relevant manuscripts.