The Necessary Step: Cataloguing to recognise and enhance the value of school heritage

This book represents the conclusion of the first comprehensive research project conducted in Italy within the Italian Scientific Society dedicated to the study of historical-educational heritage (SEPSI) to promote the legal recognition of school heritage. The aim is to establish a base to future research in the field, providing the scientific community with tools for the safeguarding, protection, and enhancement of the historical school heritage. There is much of value in historical educational materials conserved in schools, which may be at risk of dispersal due to their obsolescence. This edited collection illustrates the numerous creative and innovative methods through which teachers can use this heritage, not only for history teaching but for interdisciplinary educational purposes. One of the most straightforward and sustainable methods is the cataloguing of these objects within the classroom, which can be employed as a learning methodology. To this end, a comparative analysis of existing cataloguing tools is conducted, to identify solutions and new sets of descriptors for the effective, simple, yet scholarly cataloguing of “obsolete” objects still in the possession of educational establishments. The aim is to demonstrate the effectiveness of what authors have defined as “pedagogical cataloguing”; an educational technique that can assist in the development of disciplinary and transferable competencies. The book will be of value to educators, researchers, and academics engaged in the field of education sciences, as well as educational, government and administrative institutions.