Are you a (UK-based) neurodivergent researcher who has used archives in your work? Or an archive, library, or collections professional who would like to inform discussions on neurodivergent user access? Or a neurodivergent archive, library, or collections professional who can offer insights into accessibility?
‘Divergent Minds in the Archive’ is an EDI Caucus-funded project investigating:
- How neurodivergent users experience archive workspaces
- Any barriers neurodivergent people might encounter in archives
- How we can create more enabling and inclusive archive workspaces.
It is led by a neurodivergent investigator team (Dr Ria Cheyne, Liverpool John Moores University; Dr Ann-Marie Foster, Robert Gordon University/Imperial War Museums; Dr Lucinda Matthews-Jones, LJMU) working in collaboration with GLAM sector partners such as SCA.
In relation to the project the group will be running a series of research and knowledge exchange workshops at archives around the UK, and online, in summer 2025. These workshops will bring together archive users and professionals to share archive experiences, identify potential barriers for neurodivergent users, and creatively ‘re-imagine’ archival spaces.
As part of the project, SCA will be hosting an online workshop on 18 September 2025. The workshop will bring together archive users and professionals to share insights into what makes an ‘archive’ more or less accessible. To participate, you need to be UK-based and over 21. You will have used an archive, special collections library, or museum collection for research within the last two years, or work in/with archives, special collections, or museum collections.
To apply to take part in the workshop please complete the application form.
For more details on the Divergent Minds in the Archive workshops taking place view here.
If you cannot make the event, but would like to hear more about the project, sign up to the mailing list for more information in due course. Please feel free to get in touch with further questions at divergentmindsarchive@gmail.com.