Putting on a show: LHSA items displayed

There have been a number of opportunities for LHSA to put material on display recently. This week’s blog gives a brief overview of our work in this area, as well as highlighting several chances for you to see our collection items (some original, some in facsimile) out and about!

Two of our Andrew Kennedy drawings are included in ‘Masterpieces II’, a fascinating exhibition in Edinburgh University Main Library (30 George Square, EH8 9LJ), which showcases iconic items and asks the viewer to examine the qualities that make a masterpiece. Admission is free and the exhibition is open 10am – 5pm Monday to Saturday until 30 June 2012.

Over the last two days we’ve offered tours to NHS Lothian members of staff to introduce them to the range and depth of records we hold in relation to the hospital or specialism they work in. Yesterday we showed 15 dermatologists an accession we transferred from their department earlier in the year, now cleaned and rehoused, ready for future research use. And today it’s been the turn of staff working in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, who had a particular interest in seeing the material we hold relating to the Hospital's history, and in looking at what items might be used to commemorate the bicentenary of this important institution.

Showing the Royal Edinburgh Hospital staff the extent of the material we hold on their hospital

A selection of items that relate to the Royal Edinburgh Hospital, including early minute books and financial records

We’ve also provided digital images of collection items for exhibitions that other organisations have put together. A visually striking graphic from our UNESCO-awarded HIV/AIDS collections features in the ‘Human Race’ exhibition, which is touring Scotland and is currently in Inverness until 7 July and comes to Edinburgh’s City Art Centre and Royal Commonwealth Pool on 21 July (http://www.humanrace.org.uk/); and images relating to healthcare at the inception of the NHS are on display in ‘Delivering your community health services - from the birth of the NHS to 21st century primary care’, at The Heritage Centre, Manse Street, Saltcoats running until 29 June.

We hope you’ll take the chance to see some of our collection on display, and if there is other LHSA material that you’d like to view please don’t hesitate to get in touch on lhsa@ed.ac.uk.