Summary
The University of Leeds documented student protests on campus.
Background
In spring 2024, a student protest occupied part of a building shared by the library and galleries. A second, outdoor encampment took place in summer 2024.
Challenge
The team wanted to provide an opportunity for this aspect of student life to be documented in the University’s archives, if people involved wanted this. The Occupation was organised as a collective, and those involved were not individually identifiable. The team aimed to collect items in a way that was acceptable and permitted by the people participating, to include the student experience in the archives.
Approach
The team was introduced to the indoor encampment by the University Librarian who had made personal contact with the people involved in the first days. The team spoke about how they aim to record the life of the University in all its aspects, and left hard copy flyers to enable people to circulate and discuss this if they wished. Over the three weeks of the encampment, which took place in a building the team are based in, they regularly kept in touch. Later they were able to get permission to take pictures of the layout and how items were arranged. As the indoor encampment was ending, they were able to collect a selection of physical items and secure verbal permission to do this from those who were there. The team was also sent some audio anonymously.
When the second, outdoor encampment began the team again made contact. This encampment ended suddenly without any collecting possible.
Intended aims
The team wanted to make sure they continue to collect contemporary material on protest and activism at the University, and to record current events for posterity.
They wanted to document student protest ethically, securing permissions, being inclusive and transparent about what they were doing. It was important to emphasise the historical record rather than evidence-gathering for the University. They aimed to co-create catalogue descriptions to reflect the participants’ understandings and meanings rather than imposing these. The team also wanted the items collected to be available for use as soon as possible, with file level catalogue records and some digitised content available to enable this.
Obstacles and issues
It was important to be trusted by those taking part in the Occupation. Staff were therefore always identifiable and sought permission to take photographs and to collect items. They agreed parameters such as not including people in photographs or blurring their faces, and which items could be collected. The team relied on their previous communications and seeking verbal permission when they collected material. The team found it beneficial to see whether staff members with connections to student groups, or students who had worked with them previously, might be intermediaries.
Whilst the team were able to document the messages and presentation of the indoor occupation, how those involved organised themselves and the activities which took place could not be documented – this probably took place through private social media groups. It will therefore be important to be clear in the collections description that the items collected are a partial record of the indoor occupation and protest.
The team had less capacity to keep in regular contact with the outdoor encampment and were unaware when it was ending, so were unable to collect items from it. There was also less documentation because there were fewer opportunities for the participants to display posters and other material. The weather was also a factor.
The team aim to co-create catalogue descriptions with the group, who wanted to be involved in co-curation. As the team have a limited number of contacts, many of the group are anonymous, and some have now graduated, there are some practical challenges in organising this.
Actual outcomes and outputs
An accessible collection of around 100 individual items from the indoor encampment, along with over 100 photographs taken, documenting its layout and appearance.
Lessons learned
It was important to develop a clear initial message quickly about the team’s interest in collecting and that participants in the encampment retained control and agency over whether and what items may become part of the permanent University archive.
It was helpful to maintain as frequent contact with the encampments as possible, to build a trusting relationship and to secure items as the indoor encampment ended. The team could also have encouraged the participants to consider documenting the organisation and activities of the encampment as well as the message and creative expressions of protest.
It was important to communicate with the participants in ways that suited them, and remember preserving of content was a lesser priority than the aims of the protests. For example, the team found ways to secure permission to collect which did not require written forms. Digital items could be transferred anonymously using WeTransfer. The team tried to communicate using intermediaries as the situation was sensitive, and they wanted to ensure that they were reaching the students who were actually involved.
The team wanted to focus on items produced by our students, rather than external organisations (which contributed many items to the encampment), so they emphasised this in our communications with the participants.
Next steps
The team plan to expand catalogue descriptions, ideally through co-creation with the student participants if they are able to overcome practical challenges of communication with those who remain at the University, and ensure that the correct terminology is used. They plan to collect any further student protests and events in future, when resource allows.