Transform the Walgreens Boots Alliance Archive Collection from a predominantly internal service to an international academic resource

Boots Archives would develop a well-researched, high quality travelling exhibition to promote awareness of this now publicly accessible collection. Located in Boots stores this display would engage with new audiences and challenge people's perceptions of the relevance of corporate archives. The exhibition would appear in 25 flagship Boots stores across the country during a seven month tour. The installation would use material from the archive to illustrate changes in community pharmacy. By using the Boots collection as a discussion tool, I aim to show that the value of corporate archives goes beyond their originating organization, providing a long-view on social issues. The exhibition, in illustrating the developments in pharmacy services, would seek to understand people's attitudes towards the role which community pharmacy plays in providing healthcare services in the UK today. Content would be drawn from recent research and I would work with an academic and museum professionals to create a visually engaging and stimulating display. The exhibition would aim to draw comparisons between the role of Victorian pharmacists and the current NHS positioning of retail pharmacists as the first point of contact for minor ailments. By demonstrating the extent to which pharmacist diagnosis was common practice prior to the inauguration of the NHS in 1948, it is hoped that this installation will raise questions and gauge opinions on the current and future role of community pharmacy. Additional events would be held in Nottingham which would include a community screening of pharmacy related archive footage and public talks.