Lesley Ruthven (Goldsmiths, University of London)

In this paper I will discuss the theoretical and pedagogical foundations of creativity and how it is developed, along with examples of how this can be facilitated in a special collections service. Because of the complex connections between creativity and other aspects of our cognitive lives, creativity is something that cannot be taught; rather, students must be provided with a wide range of environments and situations in which they can develop their creativity over the course of their education. Special collections and archives can be valuable assets with which to help students develop creativity in conjunction with other aspects of their programmes.

Art librarians and others who work with students in the creative disciplines will gain new insight into the pedagogical foundations behind activities they already carry out, and will learn new techniques for encouraging the development of creativity. Knowledge of this theoretical background allows us to better understand the role of our activities within the wider context of students’ creative development, and better advocate for the value of our services within the competitive HE environment.

First, I will define creativity, introduce it as a metacognitive process and discuss its relationship to metaliteracy (a concept familiar to art librarians through our long association with information literacy, digital literacy, visual literacy, etc.). Next, I will look at historic thinking on how creativity is developed and current pedagogical theory. These include the “stages of creativity” as originally proposed by Graham Wallas in 1926, as well Kolb’s cycle of experiential learning and later adaptations to both. I’ll explore “eccentric objects and odd experiences” as designed interventions to encourage collaborative and creative spaces, as well as “metacognitive experience” as a literal and metaphorical environment outside of students’ usual lecture theatre, seminar room, studio or lab in which novel objects and tasks give participants the opportunity to think differently. I will also touch on pedagogical theories put forward by Paulo Freire and bell hooks relating to learning communities.

Finally, I will apply the above theories to real-world pedagogical tools to help facilitate the development of creativity. The sessions that many of us facilitate in special collections and archives services already take advantage of many of these theories, or could do with reflection and adaptation. I will include ideas applicable to one-off sessions and workshops, as well as integrating special collections and archives activities into larger programmes to provide a wider breadth of cognitive experience for students. I will also discuss the unique potential of special collections (and libraries in general) to counteract hierarchies that can have a detrimental effect on robust learning communities. For Special Collections services that want to participate in the development of the creativity of their students, seeing the larger picture is key. When designing sessions, it’s important to understand the pedagogical theory behind the development of creativity to make the biggest impact on students.

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Lesley Ruthven is the Special Collections & Archives Manager at Goldsmiths, University of London, overseeing the team caring for collections such as the Goldsmiths Textile Collection, the Women’s Art Library, the London International Festival of Theatre Archive and the Daphne Oram Archive. With MAs in Library and Information Studies and Archaeological Research, Lesley’s research interests include pedagogy in HE (she has obtained a PGCert in the Management of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education) and Early Print Culture. She is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy.