If we are to engage with our communities, we cannot do so by remaining behind our desks. We may find it difficult to do so even if we remain on campus! This paper will outline the processes that are in place at the University of Chichester to ensure that pupils in our local/regional schools and colleges have both the aspirations and the resources to thrive when they enter Higher Education.

The paper will give examples of initiatives with pupils in local schools and colleges (from Year 8 to Year 13) who can either visit the Libraries at the Chichester or Bognor Regis campuses for ‘Research Days’ where they can both experience a university library and make use of the materials on hand, or can have professional library staff visit their school or college to offer sessions on the concepts of libraries and research generally.

The paper will also touch on specific themes around the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) and the assistance that the University can offer to external school and college students undertaking the qualification. The paper will be of interest to those information professionals who long to open up links with their local communities outside of their institutions, and to staff operating in the Secondary and Further Education Sectors.