New backgrounds for video meetings

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Although some of us have been able to carve out a designated working space with as professional a background as possible for our meetings, it’s not always the case that you’ll be able to use it.

Flexible working around partners and children mean that sometimes we find ourselves crammed into a corner next to the washing, or on a kitchen table covered in various papers.

William Henry Playfair, College of Edinburgh, Perspective View of the Court (Old College), 1816 (Coll-13/55/4881)

Shelving in the University Collections Facility

Alexander Adam Inglis, Student Union Debating Hall, University of Edinburgh (EUA GD63)

St Cecilia’s Concert Hall and Music Museum

Fortunately, both Microsoft Teams and Zoom have features that allow us to upload a photo to use as a background, hiding all that chaos that’s inevitable given the current situation. Our Centre for Research Collections (CRC) has created a bank of images, using the Digital Imaging Unit in the Library and University Collections. You can choose photos from the CRC and St Cecilia’s Hall Museums to provide a more professional and less distracting background to your meetings. The collection includes four categories in total: University Buildings and Interiors, Collections, Historic Photographs and St Cecilia’s Hall. For information about any of the images featured you can contact the CRC at is-crc@ed.ac.uk.

You can also find more information on the CRC website.

You can also find a selection of our most recognisable images branded with the University logo along with instructions on how to upload the backgrounds to Microsoft Teams on the CAM wiki page.