Basement, David Hume Tower,
George Square,
Edinburgh EH8 9JX

Tel: 0131-650 3974
Fax: 0131-650 6538
Email: LHC@ed.ac.uk

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Language and Humanities Centre

A Short History

The Language Laboratory, as the Department was then known, first opened in 1964 with a 24 booth language laboratory. At that time it was run by one technician and Professor Denis Ward, Head of the Russian Department, was also Head of the Language Laboratory. By the early 1970s one language laboratory was unable to cope with student numbers. It expanded by taking over a portion of the Cafeteria in the basement of the David Hume Tower and the number of laboratories increased to four. Also another technician joined the staff. By the late 70s, video was superseding language laboratories and two laboratories were converted for video replay. At this time the Language Laboratory was renamed The Language Learning Centre and was using television, video recorders and video cameras as well as language laboratories for teaching.

When Professor Ward retired in the early 1980s it was decided that an academic head of department was no longer required and the Chief Technician, Bill McDowall, was promoted to Manager of The Language Learning Centre. In the mid-80s the Centre started to use computing for teaching and Fiona Carmichael was appointed as the Media Resources Officer. It was also decided at that time to appoint a Management Committee to oversee running of the Centre, firstly under the convenership of Prof N. Furness and then convened by Professor J. Renwick.

In 1987 Peter Glasgow was appointed as Manager of the Centre and in 1995 it was agreed to dissolve the Management Committee.

Since 1990, with the introduction of computing laboratories, the Centre had opened its doors wider, so to speak, to encompass the Arts Faculty in general (until this time its primary responsibility was to the modern language departments only). It was then renamed The Language and Humanities Centre. This change of name resulted from the introduction of the Humanities Microlab.

In August 2002, when the University faculties became Colleges, the Language and Humanities Centre became part of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences and is now, mainly, a support and teaching facility for the School.

In the Summer of 2008, due to the refurbishment of the Adam Ferguson Building, the Languages and Humanities Microlabs were moved to the basement of 6 Buccleuch Place and to a new teaching lab for 35 students, entered through 6 Buccleuch Place. It was also decided at that time to rename the computing labs as the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, Undergraduate and Postgraduate Computing Labs.

It is intended to move the ArtLAN Cluster rooms (postgraduate labs) from the David Hume Tower to the ground floor of 6 Buccleuch Place in December and January 2008/2009, moving all the School postgraduate and undergraduate computing facilities to one area.