Access first: co-creating inclusive collections experiences

A webinar exploring accessibility in the Richard Lancelyn Green Conan Doyle Collection at Portsmouth Libraries.

“Making something accessible to blind and partially sighted people makes it accessible to everyone.”

According to the RNIB, more than two million people are living with sight loss in the UK. How can your library, archive or cultural organisation open up access to your spaces and collections for blind and partially sighted people in creative and engaging ways?

Portsmouth is home to one of the world’s most significant collections relating to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, containing more than 3,500 objects, 16,000 books, and 40,000 archival items. This core principle has shaped recent work with the collection, creating opportunities for presenting the rich but primarily two-dimensional material in new and engaging ways.

Laura Weston, Learning and Outreach Coordinator for the Conan Doyle Collection, will show how embedding accessibility and co-production as a core practice has not only opened the collection to blind people or people who have low vision, but also strengthened its reach, creativity, and relevance for all visitors. During the session, Laura will share a series of innovative access projects, including:

• Training volunteers in audio description
• Producing 3D‑printed sensory exhibition objects
• Creating tactile textile story cubes with ten local community groups
• Designing a fully multi‑sensory exhibition informed by blind or partially sighted participants
• Preparing audio‑enhanced mini‑exhibitions and a new podcast series

This webinar is for anyone in libraries, archives and the broader GLAM sector interested in widening access, co-production and reinterpreting collections in inclusive ways.

About the speaker

Laura Weston is Learning and Outreach Coordinator for the Richard Lancelyn Green Conan Doyle Collection at Portsmouth Libraries. Since 2011, she has delivered creative and cultural projects to underrepresented groups and overseen engagement with one of the world’s most significant collections relating to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Laura’s work demonstrates how inclusive and accessible practice opens new routes into heritage learning and supports deeper connections with material culture. Through a co‑production approach, she invites communities to shape how the collection is interpreted and shared.