Addressing Health: Morbidity, Mortality and Occupational Health in the Victorian and Edwardian Post Office

Grantholders

  • Dr Kathleen McIlvenna

    University of Derby, United Kingdom

Project summary

We will develop a collaborative relationship between the Addressing Health enrichment project and the public to improve access to archives and enhance understanding of the history of workplace health. This will be achieved through a programme of online and face-to-face outreach activities on a variety of project topics, with regular evaluation touchpoints to capture learning and improve processes. These activities will support and enhance the Zooniverse project, which will transcribe c. 30,000 postal pension records.

There are three key aims:

- to develop archival and content creation skills for our growing community of citizen-scholars.

- to enrich public knowledge about histories of workplace health through public-driven research.

- to make our data and findings freely accessible through resources including a database of Post Office pensioners 1858-1908, interactive data visualisations, and other co-produced content.

Our project will develop a significant community of citizen-scholars with an understanding of histories of workplace health. These citizen-scholars will engage with the project in different ways: as data explorers using freely available data visualisation resources; by attending seminars, workshops, museum events, and conversation cafés, and through active participation as transcribers and volunteers. We will work with these citizen-scholars to develop research skills, frame new research questions, and co-create content such as blogs and podcasts. By taking our project 'on the road', we will also foster stronger links between TPM, local museums, past and present postal workers and citizen-scholars. Through our activities, the project will help facilitate new forms of collaborative research on histories of workplace health.