Promoting and sharing the audio-visual heritage of the history of Italian physics are the two main goals of “La Mediateca INFN: the history of physics through videos”, the new cultural project of INFN, a website dedicated to a general audience, but in particular aimed at students of Italian schools and university researchers and students. Today, it includes almost 200 videos totalling more than 70 hours of interviews, documentaries, newscasts, conferences and seminars, giving rise to a digital archive open to everyone to do research, gather information, explore, and re-trace paths, anecdotes and events in the history of physics.
To make La Mediateca known especially by young students, a large in person and online event focusing on the project was organised. The event was followed by over 600 classes, with almost 12 thousand high school students that connected from all over Italy. La Mediateca was also at the heart of a contest for high school students, called “Audioritratti di Scienza” (Science Audioportaits): over 500 students participated in the contest, submitting 130 original podcasts.
These initiatives were evaluated through two different tools: an assessment questionnaire filled in by the students who participated in the contest and the analysis of the numbers and behaviours of the users visiting the website La Mediateca INFN, from November 2022 until today.
During this proceeding, the main features of La Mediateca INFN will be presented. Furthermore, the reach of the website, the results of questionnaire and the participation in the project’s events will be discussed to understand how the history of physics can be a hook to engage young students and to make them closer to physics and science.