Monday, 27 August 2007 09:55

Pupils and staff from two primary schools on the Isle of Mull were given a treat when they were invited to attend the official opening of the John Murray Archive Exhibition at the National Library of Scotland.

The children from Dervaig and Ulva were invited to the event after taking part in the ‘Handbooks for Travellers’ project which had been set up by NLS with help from CAST.

Writer, traveller and actor Michael Palin declared the exhibition open and the Argyll and Bute pupils were invited to meet him.

Subtitled ‘Ideas that shaped the world’, the interactive exhibition is now open to the public and state-of-the-art display technology helps visitors learn about great ideas and achievements from the 19th century and the people behind them.

Argyll and Bute Council’s spokesperson for Education and Lifelong Learning, Councillor Isobel Strong, said: “The project brought together two schools to create a real contribution to modern tourism in their area by creating an interactive guide for visitors.

“This was done by building upon the tradition of guides like Murray’s Handbooks and modern Internet and printed publications. This was a fantastic experience for both pupils and staff alike.”

The Council’s Spokesperson for 21st Century, Councillor James Robb, agreed: “Through participation in the project pupils developed their skills and understanding of new technologies, understanding of their local community and appreciation of the role of the tourist industry in society.

“This project developed the pupils’ skills in information and communications technologies and gave them a better understanding of their local communities and the significance of tourism in the local economy.”

John Murray published Handbooks for Travellers in the nineteenth century. Much like ‘Rough Guides’ today, these books provided tourists with all the information they needed when visiting a particular area, including suggested sites to visit.

To coincide with the opening of the John Murray Archive, the National Library of Scotland undertook an exciting and innovative multimedia project with Ulva and Dervaig Primaries.

Each school worked to select appropriate local features and designed their mediascape, before collecting images and sounds to populate it.

Finally, they placed their images and sounds on relevant points on a digital map to make a guided tour.