A project to support museums, libraries and archives in the Humberside region to work with new adult audiences
Funded by the Yorkshire Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, ‘Widening Participation in the Humber’ aimed to support museums, libraries and archives in the Humberside region to work with new adult audiences.
The activities of the project included both staff training and running of activities targeting a range of new audiences, including older people, the long-term unemployed, teenagers and adults with low literacy skills.
Six organisations were involved in the project:
– Burton Constable Foundation
– East Riding Museums, Libraries and Archives
– Hull libraries
– Hull History Service
– North Lincolnshire Museums Service
– Waterways Museums, Goole
As a result of the project, museum, library and archive staff felt they had gained a deeper understanding of working with new audiences, and increased confidence to do this.
By targeting new audiences, a total of 270 members of the public experienced innovative museum, library and archive learning activities, in many cases for the first time. Benefits for these learners included gaining new skills, changing attitudes towards themselves and towards museums and archives, increasing confidence and the opportunity to do new things. A large number of learners also expressed an interested in being involved in further museum, library and archive based learning activities. The evaluation indicated the potential for even short-term initiatives to engage people and lead to long-term involvement in museums, libraries and archives learning.
The full report on the Widening Participation in the Humber project can be viewed on the YMLAC website www.ymlac.org.uk
