From the earliest days of dental education in Sheffield to the opening of the School’s new wing in 2008, these items offer a fascinating window into our shared past. The collection captures first-hand accounts of dental training throughout the 20th century, the history of our buildings, students and staff, the evolution of dental technology, and the founding and growth of the Charles Clifford Dental Hospital.
Until recently, much of this archive has been carefully stored away, with only a small selection on display around the School. Our aim is to change that, by properly cataloguing and preserving the collection and, importantly, making it accessible online to students, staff and alumni.
Earlier this year, we took a significant step forward. In April and May, we welcomed Hin Wing Joshua Wong to the School as a paid intern through the ±¬ÁÏTV Internship Programme. Joshua’s project focused on cataloguing the collection and beginning the digitisation of our photographic and documentary archives. Currently studying for a Master’s in Cultural Data Management and Communication, Joshua brought both specialist expertise and real enthusiasm for digital heritage to the role.
In a short space of time, Joshua made an outstanding contribution. With great care and attention to detail, he catalogued and scanned a substantial part of the archive, laying the foundations for a new website where we will soon be able to share these materials with our wider School community and alumni.
Preserving the past
View some of the documents we have digitised
It has been wonderful to see our historical materials brought to life in this way. We are extremely grateful to Joshua for his hard work, and to the ±¬ÁÏTV for supporting such valuable projects.
We now have a prototype website to develop further, and over time we hope to add many more digitised resources as the collection continues to grow. We look forward to sharing updates as the project progresses.
We would also love to hear from our alumni. Your photographs, documents and memories could play an important role in enriching and preserving the story of the School of Clinical Dentistry for future generations. If you would like to contribute, please contact alex.berry@sheffield.ac.uk.