Luca has a background in Cultural Heritage Studies, oversees engagement projects and maintains a dynamic network of stakeholders, managing inquiries and content for the Heritage Centre website and supporting various events and workshops.
CITiZAN
Widening access to the Heritage Centre's resources through citizen science
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Duration
This project's duration was 5 years
Value of grant
£100,000
Partner info
For the past 50 years, MOLA has provided independent, professional heritage advice and services across the UK and beyond.
Contact details
Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)’s Coastal and InterTidal Zone Archaeological Network (CITiZAN) will widen access and inform best use of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Heritage Centre archive and resources through a citizen science programme.
Find out more
Overview
Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA)’s award-winning Coastal and InterTidal Zone Archaeological Network (CITiZAN) will widen access and inform best use of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation (LRF) Heritage Centre archive and resources through a robust programme incorporating citizen science, public outreach, higher education opportunities and professional development.
As a community-based project, CITiZAN engages with new and diverse audiences by using citizen science to document at-risk archaeology in the UK, including ports like Liverpool, Southampton, Hull and London, with an international perspective. By integrating the Heritage Centre's collections, the project will add more detail to MOLA’s research, and materially extend its scope. This will enhance the appeal, interest and relevance of the research for wider audiences, to the mutual benefit of both LRF and CITiZAN.
Impact
During the five years of the project, CITiZAN will facilitate collaborations with new audiences that the Foundation have not targeted before, including the voluntary sector, coastal landholders and managers, environmentalists, universities, statutory bodies and diverse local communities around the English coast. Within these groups, CITiZAN will raise awareness of maritime heritage threatened by coastal erosion and encourage new avenues of research into the results of fieldwork using the Heritage Centre's resources.
- Improving public understanding of LRF maritime collections: Training sessions and workshops focusing on maritime heritage include guidance on the Heritage Centre's resources, among which learning materials for six regional Discovery Programmes and best-practice guidelines to promote responsible coastal stewardship.
- Engaging new and diverse audiences with LRF resources and archives: The Discovery Programmes utilise targeted approaches to engage a wider and more diverse audience of people with LRF resources. This includes partnering with various local community organisations and service providers to deliver workshops, events and talks to targeted groups. International reach is being enhanced by encouraging citizen scientists and MA students to undertake research on topics such as impacts of the maritime sector on world trade and trade routes.
- Deepening the understanding of citizen science: Signposting citizen scientists to the Heritage Centre's resources while maintaining digital content linked to the Foundation on CITiZAN’s website and social media channels. the Heritage Centre's data is also being incorporated into the England Coast Path project through CITiZAN’s Low-Tide Trails. Crowd sourced photographs and data can assist in deepening knowledge of the UK’s maritime heritage landscapes.
