The Archives Unboxed

The Archives Unboxed: Learning from our History Public Lecture Series

Edinburgh Medical School 300, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine

Thursday 24 September 2026, 6:30pm

Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Doorway 3, Old Medical School, Teviot Place, Edinburgh, EH8 9AG

Archivist Rachel Hosker and Archive Interns Juliet Gartside and Lilia Foster offer the opportunity to see inside the rich trove of archives held by the University of Edinburgh, show some of what they've unearthed in this tercentenary year, and suggest what we should be archiving now for the future.

Rachel is the University Archivist and Research Collections Manager for the University of Edinburgh. She leads a team of archivists, curators and librarians working with researchers in all parts of the University. Rachel is involved in many projects that explore the narratives, history and cultural heritage at the University of Edinburgh, looking at where the University has connections to slavery, what its colonial curriculum looked like and who is represented or not in the archives. While conducting, encouraging and supporting research in this area, she is also part of a project to enact practical change through looking at what cultural heritage is in our leading spaces, such as artwork and what message does that give. She is an active supporter of EMS 300, Chair of UNESCO UK Memory of the World Programme and on the Management Group for the Institute of the Advanced Study in the Humanities.

Juliet is a final year History and Politics student who interned as an archival research assistant for the Edinburgh Medical School 300 project for six months before moving to Spain for her year abroad. She particularly enjoyed researching the history of women at the Medical School and organising archive-a-thons for students, staff, and alumni to engage with the archives and discuss the Medical School’s rich history.

Lilia is a final year History student who interned as an archival research assistant for the Edinburgh Medical School 300 project for a year, helping to support the programme of exhibitions and events. She was particularly interested in researching the Polish School of Medicine and the history of protest and activism in the Medical School.

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This event is free and open to all.

Please indicate any access requirements when you register to attend.

Lectures are in-person only and will not be live-streamed. Recordings of the lectures will be available after the event.

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