In Autumn 2024, BSR staff members Alessandra Giovenco (archivist) and Elena Pomar (geophysicist) both spent a research period at the University of Newcastle as winners of the Newcastle University-BSR Bilateral Fellowship Programme.
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During her time at the University, Elena Pomar led a workshop on Geophysical prospection applied to archaeological research and cultural heritage as well as a seminar on The peri-urban area of a Roman city. The case of Falerii Novi. The experience allowed Elena to explore a different educational system and challenged her both as a PhD student and a teacher.
Meanwhile, Alessandra Giovenco participated in ‘Engagement and Outreach’ sessions focused on the Gertrude Bell Archive, housed in the Special Collections & Archives at Newcastle University.
The archive reveals striking parallels between Bell’s upbringing, education, social life, and her network of influential figures from intellectual, political, and religious spheres, and the life of Eugénie Sellers Strong, BSR Assistant Director and Librarian from 1909 to 1925.
She also had the opportunity to explore materials from the Thomas Hodgkin Archive, including the John Henry Parker Collection on the Walls of Rome and a photographic album with family photos. Part of the Hodgkin Library, which contains works on medieval subjects related to the history of Italy and Rome, was donated to the BSR after Hodgkin’s death in 1913.
Reflecting on her experience, Alessandra said, “I had the opportunity to visit the Special Collections and Archives, preserved in the Philip Robinson Library at Newcastle University. I talked with Valentina Flex, Stillman Project Archivist, about conservation issues, physical arrangement, cataloguing, and research in the archives. It was so inspiring, and I had the chance to see materials from the Gertrude Bell Archive.
The opportunity to talk to many colleagues with diverse backgrounds and discuss current and best practices helped me benchmark the activities and programmes run in the BSR archives.”
