Alma Updates

Posted on 13 September, 2023 by lays

By Helen Scott, English and Film Studies Subject Librarian

On 24 August 2023 the Bodleian Libraries upgraded to a new library management system. Most of the changes are ‘behind the scenes’ but we have also taken the opportunity to make changes to some aspects of SOLO, and to the Bodleian Libraries’ borrowing policy. This blog post outlines the changes and will help you navigate them smoothly.

Changes to the Bodleian Libraries’ borrowing policy

Readers now have one allowance for borrowing, across all Bodleian libraries that offer lending. (Please note that college libraries have their own separate lending policies.) The Bodleian Libraries have also standardised loan periods into 4 different loan types: same day loan (3 hours), 2 day loan, 7 day loan, long loan.

Most of the English Faculty Library’s borrowable books are now 7 day loans for all readers (as previously, there are also a minority of 2 day loans). However, loans will auto-renew for up to 112 days – unless somebody else places a hold request.
Follow the link to see further details of borrowing allowances and loan categories.

Book already on loan? Place a hold request!

If you want to borrow a loanable Bodleian Libraries book (which another reader already has on loan) we recommend you place a hold request on SOLO. If you don’t place a request, the book will continue to renew automatically for the original reader.

Below are the most noticeable changes and improvements to SOLO. For a full guide to using SOLO, please see the SOLO LibGuide.

You will now need to sign into SOLO to see borrowing options

If you are not signed into SOLO you will only see whether an item is available or not, rather than whether an item can be borrowed or for how long. It is always best to sign first as you get a better service from SOLO.

Once signed in you will now see loan periods personalised to you

The terminology for loan policies has also been improved to make it clearer how long you can borrow the book for. (e.g. 7 days; 28 days etc). Please note that you can only borrow from libraries where you are a member, for example, the Bodleian Libraries and your college library.

Check for available copies before requesting from offsite

To try to help you avoid reserving and waiting for a book out on loan when there are copies already available on library shelves for you to fetch immediately, we have added this additional message to SOLO:

Message content: Find & Request - Before requesting, check for 'item in place' copies - it will be quicker for your to fetch it from the shelf than to wait for a request

A message that appears on SOLO to help you get your books faster.

New location names

If you regularly use the collections in the Bodleian Library, Weston Library, and/or the Radcliffe Camera, please note that we have improved some location labels, which will make it easier to understand at which library (or location) a book is available.

See this blogpost from the History Faculty Library for more information.

LibraryScan streamlined with Scan & Deliver service

The LibraryScan service has now been streamlined with the existing Scan & Deliver service (for items in offsite storage) into a new integrated service. If scanning is an option for any type of item you will now just see the ‘Scan & Deliver’ button.

The Scan & Deliver request form has been improved, particularly the wording on how much you can have scanned (not the whole book!) including advice that you can ask for the index or table of contents in addition to your final choice of chapter.

Requesting items from other libraries, beyond Oxford

If we do not hold an item in Oxford it is now really easy to request an item from other libraries, beyond Oxford. Simply click on ‘NEED MORE?’ from the menu at the top of the SOLO page and fill in the form.

Help & support

If you need any help, please do get in touch with library staff who will be more than happy to help you. You can contact the English Faculty Library by on efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk, or use the Live Chat service (from SOLO front page).

You can also give feedback on the changes via the ‘Feedback’ option on the banner currently at the top of the SOLO front page.

Service Update: Long Vacation 2023

Posted on 13 June, 2023 by dayk

Introduction

As the sun finally comes out to herald the end of Trinity Term, congratulations to all our readers on making it through another busy exam period! We hope you all have a fun and restful summer break. We’ve also got some information to share for finalists, as well as upcoming changes that will affect long vac library service.

Finalists

Loans

If you’re completing your courses this year, please return items on loan before the end of term and prior to the expiration of your University card.

Print, Copy and Scan (PCAS)

If you’re leaving us this summer, do use up any remaining PCAS balance as it cannot be refunded. On request, credit can be transferred to another PCAS account. Please email pcas@bodleian.ox.ac.uk if you need assistance.

Becoming an Alum?

As an Oxford alum you can take advantage of a number of benefits, including free access to the Bodleian Libraries and certain eresources. Learn more at the link below!

Getting started: Alumni | Bodleian Libraries

Vacation Opening Hours

The library will move to vacation opening hours from 19th June, with a closed period of 14th-28th August inclusive. Opening hours during the vacation are:

Monday to Friday: 9:00-17:00

Vacation loans

Vacation loans for normal loans start on 12th June and 15th June for short loans.
Loans issued from these dates will be due back during the first week of Michaelmas Term, starting 9th October.

Change of Library Management System

During the summer, the Bodleian Libraries are moving to a new and improved library management system called ALMA, with a go-live date of 24th August. The project is a significant undertaking and there will be a transition period of a week, 16th August to 23rd August, where data is migrated between systems. A number of library services will be affected during this period as a result. Details are captured in the Message for our Readers notices displayed in the library’s reading rooms.

Lending Books

You will be able to borrow and return books. For one week, 16th-23rd August, online circulation will be replaced with offline circulation and the data transferred to the new system when live. The real time book availability displayed on SOLO will not be updated for these offline transactions but, on request, library staff can verify availability for readers travelling to the library for particular items. Self-issue machines will not operate between 16th-23rd August. Please note access to online resources, both on campus and remote access, will be unaffected.

Requesting books from closed stacks

Automated stack requesting from SOLO will not be available between 16th-23rd August and readers are advised to place stack requests for books and archives in advance by 15th August. Libraries will extend the due date so that nothing ordered in advance will be returned to the stacks during the cutover period. A limited staff-mediated option will be available to manage requests placed between 16th-23rd August, but readers are urged to place requests in advance where possible. If you require the use of the staff mediated stack requesting service, email book.fetch@bodleian.ox.ac.uk between 16th-23rd August.

Scan & Deliver, Print & Deliver and Inter-library Loans

These services will be unavailable from 16th-23rd August inclusive. Readers are advised to place requests by 15th August or wait until 24th August.

MySOLO

Saved searches and records in MySOLO will not migrate to the new system. Favourites can be exported until the 15th August. To export: log in to MySOLO, select ‘export’ and choose your mode of exporting (Excel, email, print, RefWorks, EndNote and Zotero). There is no way to export saved searches. Readers who use those will need to set them up again once the new system goes live – apologies for any inconvenience caused. For more information see our reference management guide.

Stay up to date with developments at the English Faculty Library by following us on Twitter. Updates affecting the Bodleian Libraries as a whole will be published on the Service updates webpage. Any questions about library services updates can be addressed to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Service Update: Trinity Term 2023

Posted on 20 April, 2023 by dayk

Introduction

Now we’re coming to the end of 0th Week, it’s time to wish all our readers the best for the term ahead! To help you meet that term with your best self forward, this post’ll let you know all about recent and upcoming changes to services and opening times. We’ve kept it short – you have enough on your plates!

Vacation Loans

Vacation loans are nearly due! All vacation loans need to be either returned or renewed during the first week of Trinity Term – the week starting from the 23rd April.

Opening Hours

From Saturday 22nd April*, the library will move to term time opening hours. These are:

Monday to Friday: 9:00-19:00

Saturday: 10:00-13:00

Sunday: Closed

*For avoidance of doubt, we will be open Saturday 22nd April as usual in term-time, 10am-1pm.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or need help with anything, our library staff will always be available during opening hours to speak with you.

You can also contact us via telephone, email, or twitter. All our details can be found on the English Faculty Library webpage.

Final Words

From all of us here at the EFL – welcome back!

Stay up to date with developments at the English Faculty Library by following us on Twitter. Updates affecting the Bodleian Libraries as a whole will be published on the Service updates webpage. Any questions about library service updates can be addressed to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

More Than Just Books – Reader Aids & Info

Posted on 20 January, 2023 by jonesr

Hello there! A happy Friday to you all and a warm welcome back to those of you who read the first instalment of this series released back in October. In that first post we focused on all the library tech on offer to our readers, but today we turn our attention to reader aids and information in the hope that those visiting us in Hilary Term and beyond can hit the ground running. Specifically, we’re taking a look at the library’s signage, guides and website (the info); and equipment and furniture (the reader aids). Let’s dive in shall we?

Signage

The signs in our library are a useful way of staying abreast of the latest events and developments relevant to readers, from forthcoming student productions of Shakespeare to details about Bodleian Libraries service updates. But perhaps the most important one to keep an eye on is just outside the main entrance; it shows the opening hours for the week, which are subject to change depending on whether we are in term time or vacation.

Photo of the English Faculty Library main entrance showing the opening hours sign to the right of the automatic door.

Welcome to the English Faculty Library! Don’t forget to check our opening hours sign on your way in.

Many of our signs are displayed on one of four noticeboards or at natural confluence points in the library. You can find the noticeboards in the following locations:

Next to the entrance and exit gate.
In the computer room, to the left on entering.
Next to the Quick Search PCs on the ground floor.
Above the Quick Search PC at the top of the stairs.

Directional signs and maps are also displayed throughout the reading rooms to help you navigate our spaces and find the resources you need. At the bottom of the stairs you’ll also find a handy author look-up table, which lists alphabetically a number of noteworthy writers alongside their corresponding shelf mark.

Photo of the author lookup table at the base of the library stairs along with floorplans of the library.

Our author look-up table at the foot of the stairs is a great place to go if you want to browse our collections or research a particular individual.

Guides

A number of useful guides are available from the help desk and next to the Quick Search PCs on the ground floor. Need help placing a hold request? Want to find out more about Bodleian Libraries provision for disabled readers? Looking for the location of an Oxford library? You can find the answers to these questions and many more in our guides.

Our guides cover a range of topics and are looked after dutifully by a team of rubber ducks.

At the top of the stairs, next to our PCAS machines, you will also find laminated instructions for completing routine tasks such as scanning to email, photocopying, or printing from a personal device.

It doesn’t end there either. We have a wealth of resources available to readers online, including subject and research guides that cater to specific topics and periods of interest to members of the English Faculty. Click on the link below to get started.

Subject Specific Guides – English Language and Literature – Oxford LibGuides at Oxford University

Website

The Bodleian Libraries website is one of the most useful places to go for up-to-date information on library services and resources for all the Bodleian Libraries, including the English Faculty Library. Take a look at the GIF below for a brief overview of the homepage and navigating to the EFL’s webpage. This webpage contains all the information you’ll need to get started in our library, including an introductory video, a virtual tour and links to our floorplans.

A GIF of replaying a mouse navigating the drop down menus of www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk, scrolling to 'Find a library' and selecting 'English Faculty Library' from the options.

www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk is the place to go for lots of useful library information, including important service updates.

Equipment

So now you know where to go for the info, how about the reader aids? Well, the library has a variety of equipment for readers to use onsite and most of it is kept at the Accessibility Hub adjacent to the help desk. Here you will find a foot stool, magnifying glass, reading ruler, laptop stand and acetate overlays. Need to block out the ambient noise of the library? There’s earplugs too!

Photo of the library's accessibility hub, showing bookstands, laptop stands, a foot stool, earplugs, a magnifying glass and coloured acetates.

The majority of our reader aids live at the Accessibility Hub and are free to take away and use in the library – you don’t need to ask!

There are multiple units of more popular equipment, such as bookstands. These are kept both at the Hub and on the gallery balcony by the first floor seating area, meaning you’ll never have to go far or wait long to get one.

Our daylight lamp is the only bit of kit that isn’t kept at the Hub. It’s plugged in with the height-adjustable desk on the first floor at the top of the stairs. Which brings us on neatly to the ergonomic furniture available for use…

Ergonomic furniture

Here we’re referring only to furniture that can be adjusted for different postures. There is of course plenty of different seating across our reading rooms, conducive to different activities, but we won’t go into that here.

On the ground floor, you will find two height adjustable desks, one accompanied by an ergonomic chair in the main reading room and the other in the computer room, topped off with an all-in-one monitor. It is a similar situation on the first floor, where you will find another adjustable table and chair combo at the top of the stairs and another adjustable desk with a monitor just beyond the PCAS machines.

And that’s all for this instalment of More Than Just Books. But before we let you go, a reminder that suggestions for future posts in the series can be sent to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Service Update: Hilary Term, 2023

Posted on 16 January, 2023 by jonesr

Introduction

A wintry welcome back to you all for the first week of Hilary Term. We hope you had a pleasant break, full of festive frivolity, and are sufficiently layered up for the approaching cold weather. On that note, before we jump in, a reminder that hot drinks can be brought into the library provided they are in a KeepCup. Said hot drinks can be purchased from the Missing Bean Cafe, a 30 second walk away in the St Cross Building.

Opening hours

From Saturday 14th January the library reverted to its term-time opening hours. For the duration of Hilary Term, until Saturday 11th March, the library will be open Monday to Friday, 9:00-19:00, and Saturdays, 10:00-13:00.

Vacation loans

The vast majority of library loans issued over the winter vacation are due back on 17th and 19th January, that’s Tuesday and Thursday of this week! Be sure to renew or return any loans you have with us on time so that everyone can borrow what they need when they need it for the term ahead.

A library refresher

It’s wholly understandable if one or two things about the library have slipped your mind after the holidays, or passed you by entirely during Michaelmas Term. After all, there are lots of resources and services to familiarise yourself with and we are expanding our provision all the time. So, with that said, why not head over to our webpages for a brief recap of what’s on offer? We’ve managed to pack quite a lot into our three-minute welcome video in case you haven’t got much time to spare:

Using the English Faculty Library | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

And remember, there are lots of ways to get help across the Bodleian Libraries. The last thing we’d want is for you to struggle on silently and staff across all sites work together to maintain a number of dedicated avenues of support. You can find out all about them here:

Ask and support | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

Of course, when you are in the English Faculty Library, you’ll always be able to find someone to talk to at the help desk. We’re a friendly bunch and we’ll do our best to answer even the hardest of library-related conundrums.

Library training sessions

In-person library training sessions for English students are being timetabled for the term, with details due to be circulated to relevant cohorts ahead of time via email.

Contact us

We warmly invite any of our readers with questions or concerns to contact the library directly using the details on our webpage:

English Faculty Library | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

Best wishes for the term ahead!

Stay up to date with developments at the English Faculty Library by following us on Twitter. Updates affecting the Bodleian Libraries as a whole will be published on the Service updates webpage. Any questions about library service updates can be addressed to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Service Update: Winter Vacation, 2022

Posted on 4 December, 2022 by jonesr

Introduction

All too quickly, it’s that time of year again where the library begins the transition to its vacation service. Congratulations to all our readers for getting through another busy term. Whether it is your first Michaelmas or last with us, well done! We hope you find the time for a restful break this winter.

Vacation Opening Hours

The library will move to vacation opening hours from 4th December (today!), with a closed period of 23rd December to 2nd January inclusive. Opening hours during the vacation are:

Monday to Friday: 9:00-17:00

Vacation loans

Vacation loans for normal loans started on 28th November and 1st December for short loans. Loans issued from these dates will be due back during the first week of Hilary Term, starting 15th January.

Closure of CSF

The CSF, or Collection Storage Facility, is the complex housing the Bodleian Libraries offsite, closed-stack material. Due to a system upgrade, there will be no deliveries from the CSF on 8th and 9th December.

The last delivery of material will arrive in the afternoon of 7th December. You must place requests for material through SOLO by 10:00 on 7th December to receive material in this delivery.

OffsiteScan will also be unavailable during this time. Readers are encouraged to place stack and scan requests well in advance so that they can be fulfilled prior to the closure.

Deliveries and offsite scans will resume as normal on 12th December.

Online Support

If you are away from the library over the vacation don’t forget the wealth of support available to you remotely online. If you need help or have a query, you can get in touch with us via email or the telephone – the details are on our library webpage. Alternatively, you can speak to a librarian in real-time using the Live Chat service available from the SOLO homepage.

Don’t forget to check out relevant Subject and Research Guides too:

Home – Subject and Research Guides – Oxford LibGuides at Oxford University

Finally, it just remains for us to wish you the very best over the festive period. You’ll have another service update from us in the new year!

More Than Just Books – Library Tech

Posted on 18 October, 2022 by jonesr

Welcome to this first instalment of a new (and hopefully informative!) series on our blog – More Than Just Books. The series has two aims. Firstly, we want to highlight the many things included in the English Faculty Library’s offering aside from its marvellous print collections and secondly, in drawing attention to this additional provision, encourage our readers to make the most it.

We begin our series by focusing on library tech, specifically our Print, Copy and Scan (PCAS) machines, library PCs, Wi-Fi and AV equipment. Why? Because in this day and age it’s quite hard to get by without it. Indeed, a tally of reader enquiries at the library’s help desk made during the first week of term reveals that library tech was one of the most commonly raised topics. So, without further ado, here’s a rundown of what we have, where it is and how it works.

PCAS Machines

The EFL has two of these machines in the main library space. Head up the stairs and you will find them directly in front of you. If you’re taking the lift, head to floor two and you’ll find them either side of you once the doors open for that floor. Look for the PCAS icon on library maps:

As the name suggests, these machines allow for printing, copying and scanning. Scanning, both to a USB or to an email address is free, though there is a small charge for printing and copying:

Pricelist	Single (simplex)	Double (duplex)
Black and white (A4)	6p	9p
Black and white (A3)	10p	15p
Colour (A4)	20p	30p
Colour (A3)	40p	60p

To log in, you will need your University Card or Bodleian Reader Card. The number above the barcode serves as your username and you can set a password at https://register.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Tap your card to the touchpad to the right of the display and enter your credentials. If you get stuck, a friendly member of staff is available at the help desk to unstick you.

A photo of the display screen and touchpad on an EFL PCAS machine.

The login screen for PCAS. Once you’ve tapped your card to the touchpad and entered your credentials, PCAS will remember you the next time you tap.

Details about how much can be scanned or copied under copyright is displayed on a poster behind the machines, as is a QR code linking to relevant PCAS webpages on the Bodleian website. Short A4 guides with step-by-step instructions for completing common tasks are also available.

A photo of the wall above the EFL's PCAS machine showing a blue folder with help guides inside; a poster displaying copyright information; and a poster displaying charges for printing and photocopying on PCAS machines.

PCAS information is displayed on the wall behind each machine.

You can send print jobs from a personal device using Web Print, though more savvy users might wish to download the Mobility Print driver to their device for quicker more flexible printing. It’s also possible to print from the library’s Reader PCs, which calls for a segue!

Library PCs

Broadly speaking, there are two types of PC available in Bodleian Libraries reading rooms. These are Reader PCs and Quick Search PCs. The latter allows readers to search the Bodleian Libraries’ main resource discovery tool, SOLO, without signing in, but additional functionality is limited.

Photo of a Quick Search PC in the EFL. The SOLO homepage is displayed on the screen.

A Quick Search PC next to the EFL’s entrance gate.

Those wishing to access a fuller range of desktop and online services are encouraged to use a library Reader PC. These PCs require you to log in, using the same Bodleian Libraries credentials needed for PCAS, but reward you with access to electronic Legal Deposit, or eLD, material, cloud services and Microsoft Office applications.

A photo of Reader PCs in the EFL computer room. The closest computer is displaying the login screen.

Reader PCs in the EFL’s Computer Room.

The EFL’s computer room has 28 Reader PCs, available year-round when the room is not in use for training sessions. There are two more Reader PCs upstairs for when it is. You’ll find the library’s Quick Search PCs next to the entrance and at the top of the stairs. Look for the respective PC icon on library maps to find Quick Search or Reader PCs:

Wi-Fi

For those using their personal devices in the library, we know that a Wi-Fi connection is a top priority. We have three networks available to choose from:

The three wi-Fi options available in Bodleian Libraries, as they appear on a personal device.

Eduroam

For students and staff of the University, and any visitors from other institutions also using Eduroam. The great thing about this network is that once you’ve set it up, you won’t need to log in each time you want to connect. Many University and college buildings offer access this network, so in central Oxford you’re rarely without coverage.

Get help with Eduroam: How to connect to eduroam WiFi | IT Help (ox.ac.uk)

Bodleian Libraries Wi-Fi

For University and Bodleian Library Reader Card holders. Conveniently, logging in is the same as it is for PCAS machines and Library PCs. So just to recap, that’s your card’s barcode number as the username along with a password that you set for yourself at https://register.bodleian.ox.ac.uk. Trigger the login process by opening a browser window once you’ve connected to Bodleian Libraries Wi-Fi. The drawback of this service is that you’ll need to log in each time you visit the library.

Get help with Bodleian Libraries Wi-Fi: Library Wi-Fi and computers | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

OWL

This service is for University visitors, but it also serves as a handy alternative for staff and students who cannot access Eduroam. Very few webpages are available to those that don’t sign in with guest credentials or connect to the University’s Virtual Private Network beforehand. Staff at the library can help you negotiate either of these steps to get you online.

Get help with OWL: How to connect to Oxford Wireless LAN (OWL) | IT Help

AV Equipment

Once you’re online, you might be inclined to search SOLO for one of the many films available from the EFL, on Blu Ray, DVD and yes even VHS. Once you’ve found one in the library you might then be thinking ‘how on earth do I watch AV formats developed in the 70s, 90s and 00s in the year 2022? My laptop doesn’t even have a disc drive!’ Well, that’s where the library steps in again.

Photo of EFL DVD drives in a drawer at the help desk.

The DVD drives live in a drawer at the library help desk when not on loan.

We’ve got two DVD drives that staff and students can check out on loan and a viewing area in the corner of the computer room, complete with a quaint box TV boasting a built-in VHS player. Headphones are available for use from the help desk.

The viewing area in the EFL computer room.

And so concludes our whirlwind tour of tech in the EFL – we hope you found it useful! Suggestions for future posts in the series can be sent to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Service Update: Michaelmas Term, 2022

Posted on 4 October, 2022 by jonesr

Introduction

A warm 0th-week welcome to new and returning library users! We hope you had a pleasant and restful summer. Here are a few pointers to help orientate you for Michaelmas Term.

Welcome sessions

A number of Bodleian Libraries welcome sessions are running Wednesday to Friday of this week (5th-7th October). We recommend new English undergraduates attend the following:

Central welcome webinars (Online, Microsoft Teams)
English Faculty Library Tours (In-person, English Faculty Library)

Further details about these sessions have been circulated to new cohorts via email and relevant information is available on the webpage below:

Getting started: Undergraduates and taught postgraduates | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

Library training sessions

In-person library training sessions for English students are being timetabled for the term, with details due to be circulated to relevant cohorts ahead of time via email.

Getting to grips with the library

New library users are encouraged to read the ‘Using’ tab of the English Faculty Library’s webpage prior to visiting:

Using the English Faculty Library | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

Information on support for disabled readers is available here:

Services for disabled readers | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

The English Faculty Library is located in the St Cross Building, which is home to other University Faculties and Departments. On approach, follow signs for reception and you will find the library entrance adjacent to the reception desk. The building can be found using Oxford’s searchable map. Floorplans are also available. See the Access Guide for the St Cross Building for information on step-free routes and accessibility facilities throughout the building.

Reclassification project

The library’s reclassification project is ongoing. Over the summer we hit a big milestone, reclassifying all of our main open-shelf in-house sequence to the Library of Congress Classification Scheme. Information about the scheme and finding items in the library is available on our Finding EFL Items LibGuide.

Returning readers may notice that the location of some items in the Ground Floor Reading Room has changed. Signs and maps in the library have been updated to reflect these changes and staff are available at the help desk for guidance.

ALMA postponed

In a previous service update, we shared details of a planned migration to a new Library Management System called ALMA. This migration has been postponed until the Long Vacation after Trinity Term 2023.

Contact us

Readers who require help or who have any questions concerning the above are warmly invited to contact the library directly using the details on our webpage:

English Faculty Library | Bodleian Libraries (ox.ac.uk)

Best wishes for the term ahead!

Stay up to date with developments at the English Faculty Library by following us on Twitter. Updates affecting the Bodleian Libraries as a whole will be published on the Service updates webpage. Any questions about library service updates can be addressed to efl-enquiries@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

New Books September 2022

Posted on 30 September, 2022 by jonesr

Lots of new books have been arriving at the EFL over the summer, ready to welcome everyone back for Michaelmas Term! In amongst all the new pens and notebooks that the start of the year brings, why not have a look at a couple of new books too? Remember that you can browse all of this month’s arrivals over on LibraryThing.

Maureen N. McLane. Mz N: The Serial: A Poem-in-Episodes: (Not/a Novel) (Not/a Memoir) (Not/a Lyric). (2016).

McLane is a poet, a memoirist, and an essayist, yet Mz N, as the subtitle says, is not easily categorised. Instead, this genre-bending book is best described as an allegory of a life – ‘a life intense, episodic, female, sexual, philosophical, romantic, analytic’ (from the blurb). McLane’s poetry can be placed within a queer tradition stretching from Sappho through Virginia Woolf to Gertrude Stein – the latter getting a number of mentions in Mz N.

In fact, McLane’s other works have been finalists for the Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Poetry (2009) and the Publishing Triangle Audre Lorde Award (2009 and 2018), again for lesbian poetry. But rather than accepting this lineage, Mz N interrogates what it means to be a (queer) woman. Themes of identity, subjectivity, and the self percolate her writing, alongside the idea of what it means to be contemporary – indeed, what it means to be alive.

Also by Maureen McLane at the EFL: My poets (2012); What I’m looking for: selected poems 2008-2017 (2019).

Lara Choksey. Narrative in the Age of the Genome: Genetic Worlds. (2021).

Choksey frames this work as a reflection on a twenty-year period within scientific studies which has focused on the genome. While molecular biologists hoped that sequencing the human genome would provide answers to questions about the fundamental nature of humans and our relationship to our world, in fact their enquiries gave rise to even more questions than before. Choksey explores how the messy and inconclusive nature of our scientific knowledge of the genome feeds into – and is in some ways a product of – narrative trends and change. She draws links to late twentieth-century economic trends, to understandings of health, and to conceptions of identity and the self. This book is part of the series Explorations in Science and Literature, underpinned by the idea that these two fields are fundamentally connected and taking a cross-disciplinary approach to both explore and demonstrate that connection.

Also available as an Open Access ebook.

Layli Long Soldier. Whereas. (2019).

This small yet highly decorated volume (National Books Critics Circle Award winner, Poetry Book Society Special Commendation recipient, and National Book Award finalist) is an exploration of language and a riposte to the United States Congress’ 2009 Apology to the Native Peoples of the United States. It is divided into two parts: Part I, These Being the Concerns, explores Native heritage (Long Soldier is a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe) and scrutinises the relationship between language and meaning; Part II, Whereas, turns to the United States government’s bureaucratic language and to the 2009 Apology in particular. Long Soldier’s poetry plays with the official language used by the United States government, picks apart the language’s hollowness and inadequacy, and ultimately turns it back on its perpetrators. Powerful and compelling, Whereas interrogates the politics of how language shapes our realities.

Rachel Kushner. The Mars Room. (2019).

Romy Hall is serving two consecutive life sentences at Stanville Women’s Correctional Facility, California, for the crime of killing her stalker. She will spend the rest of her life behind bars, cut off from the outside world and her young son, Jackson. Kushner delves into Romy’s prison experience, encompassing her fellow female prisoners and the prison guards, as well as the hardships and absurdities of Romy’s new institutional life. No character could truly be considered likeable, yet Kushner portrays them all with a sympathy that highlights the hopelessness of their situations. She reveals how Romy has been failed at every possible turn: by an inhumane prison system, an unfit-for-purpose justice system, and a society that has turned a blind eye. This ‘compelling, heart-stopping novel about a life gone off the rails’ (from the publisher) – shortlisted for the Booker Prize (2018) and winner of the Prix Medicis Étrangers (2018) – throws a light onto the women our society would rather forget.

Purchased with the Drue Heinz Book Fund.

Caroline Davis (ed.). Print Cultures: A Reader in Theory and Practice. (2019).

In this edited collection, Davis has brought together an anthology of critical writing from the twentieth and twenty-first centuries which together offers the reader ‘a vital overview of the processes that shape contemporary reading, writing and publishing’ (from the blurb). There are sections exploring everything from the impacts of censorship and war to the growth and consequences of literary prizes and globalisation. These sit alongside studies of colonial and postcolonial print cultures, women in the publishing world, and the rise of digital print cultures. The extracts in this volume are enormously varied: Davis’ selections were originally published between 1934 and 2015, penned by authors ranging from Gerard Genette and Virginia Woolf to those right at the forefront of the latest research in publishing studies. All these works sit together to provide a fascinating insight into the worlds of print culture, book history, and publishing.

John Dos Passos. USA. (1996).

Finally, it may seem odd to highlight novels originally written in the 1930s in a New Books post! But this edition’s arrival in the EFL coincided almost to the day with the 52nd anniversary of Dos Passos’s death (28 September, 1970), and the trilogy continues to feature on ‘greatest novels of all time’ and ‘books of the century’ lists.

This single volume brings together the three books in Dos Passos’s USA trilogy: The 42nd Parallel (1930), Nineteen Nineteen (1932), and The Big Money (1936). They examine early twentieth century America and Dos Passos’s growing disillusionment with it amid a faltering of the American Dream. While Dos Passos shows many characters pursuing their fortune and climbing the social ladder, his sympathy remains with the ‘down and outs’ who are left behind. Four narrative techniques – incorporating fictional narratives telling the characters’ stories, ‘Newsreel’ sections bringing together collages of newspaper clippings and songs, short biographies of early-twentieth-century public figures, and ‘Camera Eye’ sections containing autobiographical stream-of-consciousness writing – come together to create a fragmented narrative, with different characters dipping in and out of view against the backdrop of the early twentieth-century American society that Dos Passos puts under the microscope.

New e-resources announcement

Posted on 8 August, 2022 by jonesr

Two children staring at a computer screen, one with their arms raised in the air, the other pointing at the screen. Both are excited.

Introduction

Great news English Faculty members! In step with the Bodleian Libraries’ strategy to enhance its collections, especially its e-resources, we can announce the acquisition of several exciting online packages. This includes access to new databases as well as expanded access to current offerings.

Highlights

Archives of Sexuality and Gender, part I: LGBTQ History and Culture Since 1940

What the publisher says:

With material drawn from hundreds of institutions and organizations, including both major international activist organizations and local, grassroots groups, the documents in the Archives of Sexuality and Gender: LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, Part I present important aspects of LGBTQ life in the second half of the twentieth century and beyond. The archive illuminates the experiences not just of the LGBTQ community as a whole, but of individuals of different races, ethnicities, ages, religions, political orientations, and geographical locations that constitute this community. Historical records of political and social organizations founded by LGBTQ individuals are featured, as well as publications by and for lesbians and gays, and extensive coverage of governmental responses to the AIDS crisis.

Punch Historical Archive, 1841-1992

What the publisher says:

From 1841 to 1992, Punch was the world’s most celebrated magazine of wit and satire. From its early years as a campaigner for social justice to its transformation into national icon, Punch played a central role in the formation of British identity—and how the rest of the world saw the British nation.

With approximately 7,900 issues (200,000 pages) from all volumes of Punch from 1841 to 1992, including Almanacks and other special numbers (issues), as well as prefaces, epilogues, indexes, and other specially produced material from the bound volumes, the images in the archive appear as originally published.

The Listener Historical Archive, 1929-1991

What the publisher says:

The Listener was a weekly magazine established by the BBC in 1929 under its director-general, Lord Reith. It was developed as the medium for reproducing broadcast talks, initially on radio, but in later years television as well, and was the intellectual counterpart to the BBC listings magazine Radio Times. The Listener is one of the few records and means of accessing the content of many early broadcasts. In addition to commenting on the intellectual broadcasts of the week, the Listener also previewed major literary and musical shows and regularly reviewed new books.

Over its sixty-two-year history, the Listener attracted the contributions of literary icons such as E. M. Forster, George Orwell, Bertrand Russell, George Bernard Shaw, and Virginia Woolf. It also provided an important platform for new writers and poets, with W. H. Auden, Sylvia Plath, and Philip Larkin being notable examples.

Newspapers & magazines

Afghan Central Press Digital Archive – archives of 4 national, Kabul-bases newspapers.
Caribbean Newspapers, Series 1, 1718-1876 – more than 140 newspapers from 22 islands, 1718-1876.
The Independent Historical Archive 1986-2016
International Herald Tribune Historical Archive, 1888-2013
Jet Magazine Archive – covers the civil rights movement, politics, education, and other social topics with an African American focus; over 3,000 issues, 1951-2014.
Latin American Newspapers, Series 2 – issues from more than 250 additional titles, including newspapers published in English, Spanish and Portuguese from 20 countries, 1805-1922.
Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers Premium Collection – five prominent newspapers from across the region, 1956-2019.
Picture Post Historical Archive, 1938-1957

Additions secured:

Other relevant databases

Chatham House Online Archive: Module 1: Publications and Archives of the Royal Institute of International Affairs, 1920-1979 – articles and essays on Chatham House, its history, research, publications and archival material.
Nineteenth Century Collections Online: British Politics and Society – primary source documentation relating to the development of urban centres and the restructuring of society during the Industrial Revolution.

Additions secured:

Past Masters series, including:
- Eliza Haywood bibliography
- Works of Mary Robinson

Like what you see? This list is just a selection of the new e-resources that have been acquired in recent months. For a full list visit Databases A-Z. Stay up to date with e-resource acquisitions by following the Bodleian Libraries E-resources blog.