The ‘A Publishing and Communication History of the Ministry of Information’ project team are delighted to confirm their involvement in the Being Human 2014. This post by Dr Henry Irving explains what can be expected.

Being Human is the UK’s first national festival of the humanities. Running between 15 and 23 November 2014, it aims to engage people with innovative research and highlight the impact of the humanities on everyday life. And I am delighted to confirm the Ministry of Information (MOI) project’s involvement.

The festival is of particular interest to our team because the MOI was itself designed to act as a ‘vehicle of communication’. As Simon Eliot and I have explained on the Being Human blog, its success depended on effective dissemination and involved a variety of different approaches.

A commitment to public engagement is also central to our project. We recognise that the MOI’s history extends beyond its archives, and are keen to share this history beyond an academic audience. These are among the main reasons for the existence of this website and for our regular tweeting.

During the Being Human festival, we will invite participants to join us as we explore the MOI within the very building that it occupied for the duration of the Second World War. An exhibition and series of talks will examine different parts of the MOI’s work, while tours of Senate House will offer a tactile history of the corridors that once housed its staff.

You can keep up to date with the programme at the Being Human festival website or by following @BeingHuman on Twitter.

Information about our involvement in the festival's launch day is available here.