In Michaelmas term 2022, members of the Library’s Teaching & Research Support team were delighted to attend a seminar showcasing work created by third-year Drama students as part of the module "Studies in Samuel Beckett: Beckett Beyond".
Library colleagues have been extremely impressed by the students’ enthusiasm and intrigued to gain an insight into their research journeys.
One student acknowledged a challenge most researchers can identify with - “how was I going to avoid falling down a research hole?” Another reflected that they didn’t know “how they were going to confine all that research into eight pages of a zine”. The result is a collection of beautifully crafted zines that capture the students’ creativity and speak to the Trinity Graduate Attributes ‘to think independently and to communicate effectively'.
Research gleaned from journal articles, books and various media uncovered through the Library’s catalogue (Stella Search) was synthesised with the students' own knowledge, to create a wonderful collection of self-designed zines, each incorporating a bibliography or ‘influential works’ section.
This ongoing project highlights the significant contribution that undergraduate students make to academic research. Importantly, future scholars will be able to build on these research outputs as the zines will be catalogued and form part of the Library’s permanent collection. In addition, the digital copies will be hosted on TARA, Trinity’s institutional repository, representing two new firsts for the university.
The exhibition is on display in the Iveagh Hall, former Berkeley Library and is open to the Trinity community.
