This document summarizes efforts to showcase the Willy Russell archive and its impact. It describes: 1. The Willy Russell archive deposited at LJMU in 2013, including over 5,000 items, and an exhibition launched to showcase the archive which sparked interest. 2. The "Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes" exhibition at the Kirkby Gallery from 2015-2016, which featured over 250 archive items and attracted over 2,400 visitors. Feedback was very positive. 3. Plans to tour the exhibition, hold future exhibitions, and opportunities for further partnership, which will increase exposure for the archive and reach new audiences.

1. Partnership and Impact with Special Collections and Archives
Willy Russell:
Back in Knowsley
Emily Parsons
LJMU Archivist & Special Collections Librarian

2. Willy Russell Archive at LJMU
• Deposited in 2013
• Catalogued by project archivist, initially working
directly for Willy Russell
• Over 5000 items
• Exhibition and event held to launch the archive

3. Willy Russell Archive at LJMU
Material includes:

4. Kirkby
• New town, expanded from rural village to re-
house residents from Liverpool slums in 1950s
• Deprived area, residents don’t tend to travel to
Liverpool regularly
• Knowsley leisure and Culture
Services aim to raise aspiration
and attainment

5. Kirkby Gallery
• Opened March 2014
• Large, high spec contemporary space
• Located in combined services centre – non-traditional
audiences
Launch of archive in
2013 featured small
exhibition – sparked
interest

6. Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes
Material used
Over 250 items from archive

7. Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes
Material used
Material directly from Willy Russell

8. Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes
Material used
Material from Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatre

9. Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes
Material used
Painting from National Museums Liverpool

10. Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes
Education Pack
•Self-led
•Aimed at primary school
•Would have liked to produce
secondary school resources too
•Tied in with school visits, but
available for all

11. Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes
Exhibition Catalogue

12. Willy Russell: All Around Knowsley

13. Statistics
Exhibition open 05/10/2015 – 23/01/2016
2432 Visitors
8 School Groups
60 exhibition catalogues & DVDs sold

14. Feedback
“Brilliant exhibition Willy Russell, like a roller coaster. Just goes on and on like
yourself has a lot of thought and passion. Exhibition will educate many more,
not just Rita!”
“What a gem of an exhibition. So
many memories. The right size
venue, brilliant presentation. Well
done, give yourselves a pat on the
back”
“Insightful and important. Learnt about a
person I never knew but had heard of his
work.”
“Made me proud of my town. I am an
amateur writer and musician. Inspirational
stuff!”
“Superb exhibition; came from
East Yorkshire to see it. Best
wishes”

15. Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes
Exhibition
Successes/Failures:
•Feedback very positive
•Visitors numbers could have been higher, but each
visitor stayed for longer than expected
•Costs of exhibition catalogue compared to sales
•Great exposure for the archive
•Great experience for gallery – loan from NML
•Definitely reached new audiences

16. Willy Russell: Behind the Scenes
Exhibition
Impact/Legacy
•Enquiries about archive – some as a result of
exhibition
•Possibility of touring exhibition
•Willy Russell Painting Exhibition in 2017 at gallery
•Possible work with gallery in future

17. Partnership and Impact with Special Collections and Archives
Femorabilia: making an
impact with girls’ comics
Valerie Stevenson
Head of Academic Services

18. • Femorabilia: around 2000 girls’ and women’s comics and
magazines
• Lead researcher: Dr. Nickianne Moody
• Acquired to support teaching: critical thinking, using
primary sources to challenge established theory
• Also used in research and public events: impact?

19. HEFCE definitions of impact
2012
For the purposes of the REF, impact is defined as an effect on, change
or benefit to the economy, society, culture, public policy or services,
health, the environment or quality of life, beyond academia.
The Stern Review of the REF, 2016 has widened and deepened
the notion of “impact” to include influence on public engagement,
culture and on teaching:
“Institutions should be given more flexibility to showcase their
interdisciplinary and collaborative impacts by submitting
‘institutional’ level impact case studies, part of a new institutional
level assessment.”

20. A researcher’s definition of impact
“Impact is about having made a difference to how people
outside of universityworld do stuff, or think about things”
David Gauntlett: Achieving REF-able ‘impact’ in the arts and humanities.
Blog post, 21.8.15

21. Impact case study: example

22. Cover Girls Event 2015
• Student interns submitted
successful application and wrote
copy for Being Human event
brochure
• Other students joined the team:
122 attendees
• Interviewed by Tony Snell and Billy
Butler on Radio Merseyside
Charlotte and Aadrienne with Billy Butler

23. Cover Girls Event: Liverpool Central Library

24. Future Perfect Event 2016

25. Words are our Power Event:
Merseyside Schools

26. Femorabilia: planning for impact
• Research outputs
• Partnership with Writing
on the Wall: schools outreach
and evaluation
• Find a national partner
• Events: gather data and find
volunteers willing to participate
in oral histories or interviews
• Publicity
• Endorsements
Conference presentation: misconceptions about
female adolescence and magazine advice

27. Project: “A tactical change”. Influencing professional
development and supporting evidence-based practice
within the football industry
• LJMU Impact Tracker
• Set up project site
• Add to Evidence Vault
• Publications, contacts, data,
outputs, social media reach,
events, evaluations
• Build Storyboards
• Research and Graduate
School monitor and
advise

28. Questions and Comments