The British Library @ The Centre for Medieval Studies: Seminar on Public Engagement (2017)
12 June 2017; King’s Manor, University of York
On the morning of Monday 12 June 2017, British Library curators , Dr Kathleen Doyle (Lead Curator for Illuminated Manuscripts) and Dr Scot McKendrick (Head of Western Heritage Collections) gave a seminar to students and staff on Public Engagement at the Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS) at Kings Manor, University of York. It was organised and chaired by Dr Hanna Vorholt (Department of History of Art, University of York). Whilst aimed at students and staff in the Centre for Medieval Studies (CMS), the talk was free and open to all.
Drawing on examples from their recent publications, co-curated exhibitions and outreach work at the British Library, Dr Doyle and Dr McKendrick discussed how to present specialist knowledge to a general audience. This was a unique opportunity to learn more about wider issues of impact and public engagement.
The same evening, Dr Doyle, Dr McKendrick and Dr Vorholt took part in a roundtable discussion for the Festival of Ideas, ‘The Art of the Bible: Illuminated Manuscripts from the Medieval World’ with Dr Vorholt and colleagues from the CMS.
Miniature portrait of the book’s author, Vincent of Beauvais, within a border containing the arms of Edward IV, to whom this manuscript belonged. Le miroir historial, vol. 1 (Vincent of Beauvais, Speculum historiale, trans. into French by Jean de Vignay), Bruges, c. 1478-1480, Royal 14 E. i, vol. 1, f. 3r, (courtest of The British Library; Public Domain via Wikimedia)
Main image: Detail of author portrait of Vincent of Beauvais in a manuscript of his Speculum Historiale. French translation by Jean de Vignay, Bruges, c. 1478–1480, for Edward IV. The British Library (Public domain via Wikimedia)