Dr Lynn Barnett: archive

  • Dr Lynn Barnett
Date:
c.1970s-c.2000s
Reference:
PP/LBA
  • Archives and manuscripts

About this work

Description

Dr Lynn Barnett's longitudinal studies into child development and day nurseries, including over 80 tapes of footage showing the development of child participants over their childhood and adolescence. Alongside these recordings, the archive also includes paperwork including scripts and planning documents, observation notes, case histories and collected articles, papers relating to video publicity, sales and distribution, and feedback on screenings.

Publication/Creation

c.1970s-c.2000s

Physical description

86 tapes; 2 boxes of archival material

Contributors

Acquisition note

Wellcome identified and acquired master versions of tapes, but not the rushes. This decision was based on an understanding that the rushes are raw data and so would fall outside our collecting remit, and also due to the volume and poor condition of the tapes. Lynn Barnett has offered the rejected rushes to Concord Media, who distribute her recordings on her behalf. A number of tapes were found to contain mould on the spools; for this reason, the tapes were immediately sent off-site for format shifting on acquisition.

Biographical note

Dr Lynn Barnett is an anthropologist and psychotherapist. For over 30 years, Lynn Barnett worked in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) in the NHS in Exeter, and was the South West Regional Adviser for Child Psychotherapy. She has conducted field work in New Guinea, Crete and London, before continuing her training at the Tavistock Clinic and British Association of Psychotherapists. A longstanding member of MCANW (Medical Campaign against Nuclear Weapons, later Medact), Lynn was sometime Vice Chair, as well as founding and chairing the Campaign's psychosocial working group (SPINA), which brought a psychosocial dimension to the campaign. Lynn's work for Medact considered the impact of the threat of nuclear war on children, and how this might psychologically impact young people (see Medact archive SA/MED).

Lynn's main professional interest is infant development and mental health. She has made a series of child developmental videos in various cultures and acted as a consultant for children's institutions internationally.

Barnett’s work in child development was longitudinal, observing children throughout their development. Lynn filmed children at play, at nursery and at home over a number of years. Her film "Sunday's Child" followed a baby's development from pre-birth to 35 years old as a father. The footage is extensive, following the child's early development closely, and then over follow-ups at various intervals over time. Other films by Lynn Barnett on this topic included Buddle Care (a day nursery becomes a family centre), Anna Freud Centre (Toddler group and nursery school), and Enriching Day Care (a comparison of different practices and principles).

Lynn also worked on three cross-cultural videos of the first two years of development of a baby in India, Finland, and Nepal.

These videos, particularly “Sundays Child”, have been used by teaching professionals (medics, Psychotherapists, nurses, social workers, teachers etc) in nearly 30 different countries.

The Day Nursery Project, was funded by DHSS with Isabel Menzies Lyth as consultant to researchers Alastair Bain and Lynn Barnett. This research was published in several Tavistock Institute of Human Relations reports (both held in SA/TIH archive), including:

2T45 [T.I.H.R]: Alastair Bain, Lynn Barnett, "Longcot Day Nursery: The Conditions Necessary to Perform its Primary Task. Day Nursery Project Working Note No. 1".

2T134 [AB/LRB]: Alastair Bain, Lynn Barnett, Isabel Menzies-Lyth, "The Design of a Day Care System in a Nursery Setting for Children Under Five".

Terms of use

This collection is currently uncatalogued and cannot be ordered online. Requests to view uncatalogued material are considered on a case by case basis. Please contact collections@wellcomecollection.org for more details.

Ownership note

This material was originally housed by Lynn in her house in Dorset, before being transferred to her friend's London home for storage.

Permanent link

Identifiers

Accession number

  • 2512