Senate House Library and the Institute of Historical Research Library will give history buffs a thrilling Halloween experience at their fifth History Day on 31 October.

This unique event for undergraduate and postgraduate students, early-career researchers and anyone interested in history, brings together libraries, archives and history organisations from London and beyond. Items relevant to Halloween will be highlighted.

It will culminate in an open fair at Senate House that is an essential one-stop shop for all those interested in historical research.

More than 30 organisations are planning to join this year’s celebration of history, which was first conceived in 2014. They range from the Science Museum and the Royal College of Physicians to the Black Cultural Archives, the Geological Society and the German Historical Institute.

The day will also include three panel discussions on topics selected to support the research process. The first session will introduce the principles and practices of digital history, while the second will explore the various aspects of discovery in libraries and archives. The final is led by Professor Sarah Churchwell, the School of Advanced Study’s public engagement chair, who will explore public history and how practitioners are communicating history to new audiences.

The event, which is free and open to all, is an opportunity for attendees to question the librarians and archivists responsible for the myriad of rich research collections. As a nod to History Day being held on 31 October, the event blog will highlight collections found in participating libraries and archives that can be described as magical or scary.

‘This will be the biggest history day so far with new organisations from outside London joining libraries and archives who are returning for the fifth time’, explains Jordan Landes, SHL’s research librarian in history.

Anne Welsh, lecturer in library and information studies at University College London, says ‘I’m pleased to be chairing a new panel this year that will give people insights into how they can explore collections using the latest online tools and make the most of catalogues and archival hand lists.’

Panel sessions include:

• Digital History, 10am, Jane Winters (SAS), Jonathan Blaney (IHR), Judith Siefring (Oxford)
• Discovery in Libraries and Archives, 11:30am, Anne Welsh (UCL), Christian Algar (British Library), Geoff Browell (KCL), Christopher Hilton (Britten-Pears Foundation), Claudia Mendias (SOAS)
• Public History, 2:30pm, Sarah Churchwell (SAS), Catherine Fletcher (Swansea),Justin Bengry (Goldsmiths)

History Day 2017 takes place on 31 October in Senate House, Malet Street, London, W1CE 7HU, 10am–4pm. For all enquiries, please contact ihr.library@sas.ac.uk, or 020 7862 8771 for press enquiries.

Twitter: #histday17