Teaching with Collections

1. As early as possible submit a Teaching with Collections form: this will allow you to either upload a list of collection items you would like to use, or indicate that you would like to speak to a member of staff about your selection. The form also allows you to request digitisation, subject to service capacity. NB you do not need to know your course timetabling at this stage.
2. If you have an existing list of items you would like to use for teaching, we request you include this in your form submission. Please include the shelf mark, title, author, and date of publication (if applicable) of the item. In most instances, we recommend a maximum of 10 collection 'items' per seminar.​​​​​​
3. All forms will be reviewed by the Research Collections team: this team consists of specialist staff across all collection types.
   1. They will review requests and make any suggestions or recommendations for additional content.
   2. If you are looking to develop a collaborative course, or would like Heritage Collections staff to deliver teaching, they will get in touch with you directly to discuss this. This is dependent on staff capacity and availability.
4. Once the selection of items are confirmed, they will all be assessed for any conservation concerns. We aim to make collections as accessible as possible but on rare occasions we may be unable to include an item - in these instances we will endeavour to suggest an alternative.
5. If you are using physical collection items, you will be required to attend an in-person collections handling training session with a member of our Conservation & Collections Management team before each academic year. This is a mandatory training session, in keeping with the sessions provided to Heritage Collections staff on an annual basis. Staff will arrange a time and date with you directly.
6. When you receive your timetabling information, email HeritageCollections@ed.ac.uk and we will book you in to a suitable seminar space as required.
7. Before your session, you will need to register and agree to our Teaching with Collections Regulations.

We require sufficient preparatory time for all teaching involving collections, including digital content. Preparatory work can include conservation assessments, relocation of collection items, data protection screening and copyright checking.

For University courses, we request course lists or enquiries by the following dates, which are in line with the Resource Lists service:

• Semester 1 24/25: July 2024
• Semester 2 24/25: October 2024

For seminars or events which are not part of the University curriculum, we require 6 weeks notice.

If you wish to use digital content (either digitised or born-digital) for either teaching or student coursework, please include this when submitting your form.

Please see our digitisation pages for help finding existing digitised content, and for advice about copyright.

Students should be directed to copyright resources as part of their learning if they are using digitised content or substantial quotes as part of their coursework.

Unless explicitly stated otherwise by Heritage Collections staff, students are welcome to take photographs of collection items during seminars.

If you intend to use archive collections (including physical archives and sound archives) that may contain personal data, we will check this material and advise if it is accessible. We aim to make collections as open as possible whilst complying with UK GDPR legislation. Our staff can advise on what is possible. You can find more information about data protection on this webpage.