Databases – Page 16 – Library Blogs Migration

On trial: primary source collections from British Online Archives

Following a request from staff in HCA, the Library currently has trial access to two digital primary source collections from British Online Archives, Conscientious Objection during the World War 1 and The Middle East, its division into countries and the creation of Israel, 1879-1919.

Trial access ends 6th August 2017.

Conscientious Objection during the World War 1

During World War One, Conscientious Objectors united to oppose the war despite the criticism they faced. Three of these anti-war protest groups included the Conscientious Objector Information Bureau, the Union of Democratic Control, and the No-Conscription Fellowship. Conscientious Objection during the World War 1 includes complete files of key anti-war publications. It also contains rare reports from the Conscientious Objector Information Bureau. The internal papers include minutes from the Union of Democratic Control and letters from the No-Conscription Fellowship. The Fellowship’s most prominent figure, Clifford Allen, wrote a number of these items. Local Fellowship branches in Willesden, Middlesex and in Hyde, Greater Manchester are also covered. Also included amongst the papers is Thomas Henry Ellison’s scrapbook. Thomas was a Conscientious Objector and spent much of his time during the war in prison. His scrapbook covers both his own experiences and the experience of the anti-war movement as a whole. Continue reading “On trial: primary source collections from British Online Archives”

Jul 11, 2017

New to the Library: British Library Newspapers, Part V

I’m really pleased to let you know that the Library has purchased access to the final part of Gale Cengage’s British Library Newspapers collection (Part V). This means the Library now has access to the full British Library Newspapers, Parts I-V.

You can access British Library Newspapers via the Databases A-Z list or Newspapers databases list.

British Library Newspapers, Part V: 1746-1950, has a concentration of titles from the northern part of the United Kingdom with 36 individual titles included. This doubles coverage in Scotland, triples coverage in the Midlands, and adds a significant number of Northern titles to the British Library Newspapers collections. Continue reading “New to the Library: British Library Newspapers, Part V”

Jul 10, 2017

New to the Library: History of Contemporary Chinese Political Movements, 1949-

I’m pleased to let you know that the Library has got a 1-year subscription to The Database for the History of Contemporary Chinese Political Movements, 1949-.

The database provides full-text primary source materials relating to the Chinese political movements after the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949.

You can access The Database for the History of Contemporary Chinese Political Movements, 1949- via the Databases A-Z list. Continue reading “New to the Library: History of Contemporary Chinese Political Movements, 1949-“

Jul 5, 2017

5 things to remember if using the Library this summer, 2017

I wrote a “5 things to remember if using the Library this summer” post last year and it is the second most viewed post on this site. So shamelessly clinging to the coat-tails of that post, this is an updated version for 2017.

We’re creeping ever closer to the official end of the academic year (Friday 26 May) and while some of you may already have finished, to those that haven’t, keep going you are almost there!

While many of you are probably thinking the last thing you’d want to do is use or visit the Library over your summer break, there will be a large number of students who want to or need to use the Library during the summer vacation period to continue with their studies or research.

So if you are one of the many who is planning on using Library facilities or services over the summer then read on. And for those of you who aren’t planning on this maybe you should read on anyway just in case (particularly if you have not returned borrowed books).

1) The Main Library and other site libraries remain open throughout the summer vacation period.

Opening hours and Helpdesk staffed hours will be reduced in some libraries so keep an eye on the opening hours web site and follow the Library on social media for updates e.g. @EdUniLibraries, @EdUniMainLib, Facebook, etc. Continue reading “5 things to remember if using the Library this summer, 2017”

May 23, 2017

On trial: Secret Files from World Wars to Cold War

Following a request from staff in History the Library has been able to secure trial access to Secret Files from World Wars to Cold War: Intelligence, Strategy and Diplomacy from The National Archives and Taylor & Francis. This provides access to British government secret intelligence and foreign policy files from 1873 to 1953, with the majority of files dating from the 1930s and 1940s.

You can access this online archive via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.

Trial access ends 26th June 2017.

Spanning four key twentieth century conflicts, with a spotlight on the Second World War, the material, sourced from The National Archives, enables research into intelligence, foreign policy, international relations, and military history in the period of Appeasement, through the Second World War, and into the early Cold War. Continue reading “On trial: Secret Files from World Wars to Cold War”

May 22, 2017

Do we have access to the British Newspaper Archive?

A question I get asked quite a lot is if we have access at the Library to the British Newspaper Archive. And it is the sort of question that I would usually be able to give a yes or no answer to but in the case of the British Newspaper Archive it isn’t quite as simple.

In fact the answer I would normally give is either “Yes, BUT…” or “No, BUT…”and I’ll try to explain why.

“Drawers” (https://flic.kr/p/gaUXpW) by Luke McKernan (https://flic.kr/ps/vNbEP) is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/).

Continue reading “Do we have access to the British Newspaper Archive?”

Apr 21, 2017

The Boston Globe Archive on trial

I’m happy to let you know the Library has trial access to The Boston Globe Historical Archive (1872-1985) from ProQuest. This resource delivers unique coverage of both New England and American history, covering a period of great change in Boston itself and the United States.

You can access this online archive via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.

Trial access ends 23rd April 2017.

The Great Boston fire of 1872. The infamous 1893 Lizzie Borden axe murder trial. The failed 1919 police strike. Mid-twentieth century decline and renewal. These stories and more, as well as accounts of everyday life in historical New England, can be found in the digitised pages of The Boston Globe (1872-1985). Continue reading “The Boston Globe Archive on trial”

Mar 27, 2017

Spotlight on film and moving images

This is part of an occasional series highlighting some of the online resources available at the Library that will be of interest to students and staff in History, Classics and Archaeology.

While previous posts in this series have looked at groups of online primary source collections, in this post I wanted to highlight resources that give you access to film and moving images, including films, documentaries, TV programmes, public information films, archival film footage, cinema newsreels, advertising, home movies, etc.

Film provides a fascinating insight into the past through documentary, archival and amateur film footage and a deliberately constructed historical world through feature films. However, using film as ‘historical evidence’ is far from straightforward; specific skills are required to understand the complexities of the visual medium, its relationship to the society from which it emerges, the industry which created it and those who consumed it. Despite these obstacles, film is a crucial means for understanding the recent past.¹

Academic Video Online

Continue reading “Spotlight on film and moving images”

Mar 23, 2017

Listen very carefully!

I’m happy to let you know that thanks to an agreement with JISC the Library has been given extended trial access to the primary source database BBC Listener Research Department, 1937-c.1950 from British Online Archives.

You can access the database via the E-resources trials page (listed as British Online Archive – BBC Listener Research Department, 1937-c.1950).
For off-campus access you will need to use the VPN.

Trial access ends 31st December 2017.

Founded in 1936 the BBC’s pioneering Listener Research Department (LRD) examined wireless listening in Britain nationwide and at a regional level. This database reproduces the entire available collection of weekly Audience Summaries, together with the weekly then daily Listening Barometers. Also included are the Audience Reaction Reports on specific programmes and Special Reports on particular themes or issues for the period, as well as some key policy documents produced by the LRD during these years, tracing the early development of what has come to be known as market research within the BBC. Continue reading “Listen very carefully!”

Mar 10, 2017

Trial access: Socialism on Film

And finally…Adam Matthew have given the Library trial access to their just released resource Socialism on Film. This impressive collection of documentaries, newsreels and features reveals the world as seen by Soviet, Chinese, Vietnamese, East European, British and Latin American film makers. Documenting the communist world from the Russian Revolution until the 1980s and covering all aspects of socialist life.

You can access the database via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.

Trial access ends 5th April 2017.

Continue reading “Trial access: Socialism on Film”

Mar 9, 2017

Tag: Databases