Book Display – Kafka and Entomology and Species Decline

Our latest book display showcases the extraordinarily diverse world of insects and their vital, but often overlooked, role in the ecology and continuing health of planet Earth. These books have been selected by colleagues in the Department of Biology, Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Oxford Entomology Society.

Close up photograph of Kafka book display showing the books, The secret life of flies, Oxford Reads Kafka and The Hidden World.

Curious about Kafka and creepy crawlies, check out our book display on the lower-ground floor of the RSL.

This display is part of the University’s wider celebrations of the writer Franz Kafka and his seminal novella ‘The Metamorphosis’ (‘Die Verwandlung’). During May and June there will be related events around the University. In particular don’t miss the Bodleian’s major exhibition ‘Kafka: Making of an icon’ opening at the Weston Library on May 30th. To find out about this and all other Kafka related events, visit the Oxford Kafka 2024 website.

For even more entomology recommendations which include not only books but also articles, websites, and videos, take a look at the Kafka reading list available on ORLO

Finally, check out our display of bugs and beetles in the Radcliffe Science Library Entrance Hall!

 

DisplayBook cover of The earwig's tail: a modern bestiary of multi-legged legends

Barenbaum, M. (2009). The earwig’s tail: a modern bestiary of multi-legged legends.

Online book available. Find it on SOLO.

 

Book cover of Essential Entomology 2nd edition.

Cover image copyright Richard lewington

McGavin, G. (2023). Essential Entomology (2nd Edition).

Online book available. Find it on SOLO.

Book cover of Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security

Cover photos, clockwise from top left: Women selling caterpillars in Bangui, Central African Republic (P. Vantomme) Gold-painted crickets on top of Belgian chocolates (P. Vantomme) Black soldier fly in a mass-rearing unit (L. Heaton) Appetizers prepared with insects (T. Calame) Coleoptera species used as a food colorant (A. Halloran) Palm weevil larvae (O. Ndoye)

Huis, A. (2013). Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security.

Online book available. Find it on SOLO.

Book cover of The hidden world: how insects sustain life on Earth today and will shape our lives tomorrow.McGavin, G. (2023). The hidden world: how insects sustain life on Earth today and will shape our lives tomorrow.

Available in print at the RSL. Shelfmark: QL467.2 MCG 2023. Find it on SOLO.

 

Book cover of Silent Earth : averting the insect apocalypse.Goulson, D. (2022). Silent Earth : averting the insect apocalypse.

Available in print at the RSL. Shelfmark: QL496.4 GOU 2021. Find it on SOLO.

 

Book cover of the secret life of flies.McAlister, E. (2018). The secret life of flies.

Available in print at the RSL. Shelfmark: QL533 MCA 2017. Find it on SOLO.

Book cover of Insect lives: stories of mystery and romance from a hidden world.Hoyt, E. (1999). Insect lives: stories of mystery and romance from a hidden world.

Available in print at the RSL. Shelfmark: QL4633 HOY 1999. Find it on SOLO.

Book cover of Dragonflies.Corbet, P. S. (2008). Dragonflies.

Available in print at the RSL. Shelfmark: QL513.O2 COR 2008. Find it on SOLO.

Book cover of Endless forms: the secret world of wasps.Sumner, S. (2022). Endless forms: the secret world of wasps.

Available in print at the RSL sooon.

Book cover of A buzz in the meadow.

Illustrations copyright Louise Bird.

Goulson, D. (2015). A buzz in the meadow.

Available in print at the RSL. Shelfmark: QL467 GOU 2014. Find it on SOLO.

Photograph of book display showing a variety of books on insects.

A new book display for April concentrating on wellbeing

With exams and deadlines fast approaching Trinity Term can be a very hectic time for students and staff. It’s important to take time for your own wellbeing and many people enjoy reading literature, poetry or non-academic works as a way to take a break.

We have a wide range of titles in our wellbeing collection in the Radcliffe Science Library and have highlighted a few of them in our book display this month. Pop down to the lower-ground floor and check out our display with titles covering a wide range of topics from harnessing the healing power of classical music to escaping escaping into the fantasy worlds of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett to having a chuckle at the idiosyncrasies of British life with the irresistible humour of Bill Bryson (they do say that laughter is the best medicine…).

All of the books in the display are borrowable along with those in the Wellbeing Room. If there are any titles you would like added to the collection please contact rsl-wellbeing@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Photograph of the wellbeing book display showing two rows of books.

Do you prefer to bolster your mental health or read a short story?

Book Display 

Book cover of 'Chivalry' by Neil GaimanGaiman, N. et al. (2022) Chivalry. London: Headline.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark PN6700 GAI 2022 (WBR)

 

Book cover of 'Heartstopper' by Alice Oseman

Oseman, A. (2019) Heartstopper. Volume 5. London: Hodder Children’s Books.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark PN6737.O84 OSE 2023 (WBR)

 

Book cover of 'Love in Colour' by Bolu Babalola

Babalola, B. (2021) Love in Colour. London: Headline.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark PR6102 BAB 2020 (WBR)

Book cover of 'Reasons to Stay Alive' by Matt Haig

Haig, M. (2016) Reasons to Stay Alive. Edinburgh: Canongate.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark WM171.5 HAI 2016 (WBR)

Book cover of 'Rewriting the Rules' by Meg-John Barker

Barker, M.-J. (2018) Rewriting the Rules: An Anti Self-Help Guide to Love, Sex and Relationships. 2nd Edition. Abingdon, Oxon; Routledge.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark BF575.I5.B37 BAR 2018 (WBR)

Book cover of 'Soul Music' by Terry Pratchett

Pratchett, T. (2013) Soul Music. New York: Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark PR6066.R34 PRA 2013 (WBR)

Book cover of 'The Road to Little Dribbling' by Bill Bry

Bryson, B. (2016) The Road to Little Dribbling: More Notes from a Small Island. London: Black Swan.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark DA632 BRY 2016 (WBR)

Book cover of 'The Story' by Victoria Hislop

Hislop, V. (ed.) (2021) The Story: 100 Great Short Stories Written by Women. London: Head of Zeus, an Apollo book.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark PR111 HIS 2021 (WBR)

Book cover of 'The Unbreakable Student' by Nic HooperHooper, N. (2021) The Unbreakable Student: 6 Rules for Staying Sane at University. London: Robinson.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark WM101 HOO 2021 (WBR)

Book cover of 'Unmasking Autism' by Devon Price

Price, D. (2022) Unmasking Autism: The Power of Embracing our Hidden Neurodiversity.
London: Monoray.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark HV1570.23 PRI 2022 (WBR)

 

Book cover of 'We're Not Broken' by Eric Garcia

Garcia, E. (2022) We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism Conversation.
First Harvest paperback edition. New York: Harvest, An Imprint of William Morrow.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark BF637 GAR 2022 (WBR)

 

Book Cover of 'Year of Wonder' by Clemency Burton-Hill

Burton-Hill, C. (2017) Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day.
London: Headline.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark ML160 BUR 2018 (WBR)

Find out more about Artificial Intelligence (AI) with our Book Display

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has captured the imagination of scholars and scientists for decades. The field of AI is now rapidly evolving and its impact on various fields is becoming increasingly evident.

Photograph of Artificial Intelligence book displayWe have curated a small book display that you can view in the break out area at the RSL. These titles offer insights into various facets of AI, from its history to current advancements, and applications in various disciplines, such as chemistry and computational biology. Other titles investigate the intersection of neuroscience and AI or examine the ethical and societal implications of AI technologies. These books are all available in SOLO.

Book Display

Book cover of "The Deep Learning Revolution" by T. J. Sejnowski

Sejnowski, T. J. (2018) The Deep Learning Revolution.
Cambridge: The MIT Press.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark Q325.5 SEJ 2018.

Book cover of "Common Sense, the Turing Test, and the Quest for Real AI" by H. J. Levesque

Levesque, H. J. (2017) Common Sense, the Turing Test, and the Quest for Real AI.
Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press.

Available as a print book from the RSL at shelfmark Q335 LEV 2017.

Book cover of "The Road to Conscious Machines" by Michael Wooldridge

Wooldridge, M. J. (2021) The Road to Conscious Machines: The Story of AI
UK? Pelican, an imprint of Penguin Books.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL.

Book cover of "Natural General Intelligence" by Christopher Summerfield

Summerfield, C. (2023) Natural General Intelligence: How understanding the brain can help us build AI
First edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Book cover of "Women in Artificial Intelligence (AI)" ed: A Valls and K GibertValls, A. & Gibert, K. (2022) Women in Artificial intelligence (AI)
Basel: MDPI – Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Available as an ebook.

Book cover of "Artificial Intelligence Technologies for Computational Biology" ed: R. K. Rout

Rout, R. K. (ed.) (2023) Artificial Intelligence Technologies for Computational Biology
First edition. [Online]. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

Available as an ebook.

Book cover of "Machine Learning in Chemistry" ed: Hugh CartwrightCartwright, H. M. (ed.) (2020) Machine Learning in Chemistry: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence London: Royal Society of Chemistry.

Available as an ebook.

Book cover of "AI: Its nature and future, by Margaret A. Boden

Boden, M. A. (2016) AI: Its nature and future
Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Book cover of "Can We Trust AI?" by Rama ChellappaChellappa, R. & Niiler, E. (2022) Can We Trust AI?
Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Available soon as a print book from the RSL or as an ebook.

Book cover of "Sex and Gender Bias in Technology and Artificial Intelligence, ed: D. Cirillo et al

Cirillo, D. et al. (eds.) (2022) Sex and Gender Bias in Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Biomedicine and Healthcare Applications
First edition. London: Academic Press.

Available as an ebook.

Photograph of Artificial Intelligence book display

Find the book display in the break out area in the lower ground floor.

LGBTQ+ History Month

As LGBTQ+ History month kicks off there is a range of informative and enriching events happening throughout the University.

We’d like to take this time to highlight two scientists from the LGBTQ+ community who are represented in the portraiture around the RSL.

Christopher Strachey was a computer scientist, leader in the field of programming languages and pioneer of early video games. See his portrait in the RSL and read more about this amazing figure on our blog.

Our colleagues in the archives have an amazing collection of his working papers and lectures that can also be consulted.

Oliver Sacks is one of the few scientists whose work became well-known through his published accounts of neurological case stories, particularly the adaptation of his book ‘Awakenings’ into a film starring famous American actors. He was also a man who lived at a time when he had to hide his homosexuality for fear of imprisonment or chemical castration. We are grateful to his foundation for allowing us to include this eminent Oxford alumnus in our portraiture. Read more about him on our blog.

Book Display 

We have also put together a small book display that you can view in the break out area. The collection highlights the great work of LGBTQ+ scientists and their allies in history such as combatting AIDS or representing the LGBTQ+ community in data. Other titles provide advice for LGBTQ+ scientists or are interesting reads about the lives and experiences of the community.

Photograph of a book case displaying a selection of LGBT+ related books.Beyond our small display, Bodleian Libraries has created a reading list of LGBT+ resources. There are many great books and websites there that you may find useful to learn more about LGBTQ+ issues and history.

 Books

Book cover of "How to Survive a Plague: the story of how activists and scientists tamed AIDS" by 'David France.France, D. (2017) How to survive a plague : the story of how activists and scientists tamed AIDS. First Vintage books edition. New York: Vintage Books.

Print Book available in the RSL – WC503.7 FRA 2016. Find it in SOLO.

Book cover of "Succeeding in academic medicine: a roadmap for diverse medical students and residents" by John P SanchezSánchez, J. P. (ed.) (2020) Succeeding in academic medicine : a roadmap for diverse medical students and residents. Cham, Switzerland: Springer.

Print Book available in the RSL – W21 SAN 2020. Find it in SOLO.

Book cover of "Heart, Brain and Mental Health Disparities for LGBT People of Color" by James J GarciaGarcía, J. J. (2021) Heart, brain and mental health disparities for LGBTQ people of color. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Print book available in the RSL – WA305 HEA 2021. Find it in SOLO.

Book cover of "The Emergence of Trans: Culture, politics and everyday lives" by Ruth Pearce. Pearce, R. (2020) The emergence of trans : cultures, politics and everyday lives. Igi Moon et al. (eds.). Abingdon, Oxon ; Routledge.

Available as an ebook.

Book Cover of "Pride Parades: how a parade changed the world" by Katherine McFarland Bruce.

Bruce, K. M. (2017) Pride parades : how a parade changed the world. New York: New York University Press.

Available as an ebook.

Book Cover of "Black On Both Sides: a racial history of trans identity" by CR Snorton. Snorton, C. R. (2018) Black on both sides : a racial history of trans identity. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Available as an ebook.

Book cover of "Sexuality: A graphic guide" by MJ Barker.

Illustrated by Jules Scheele.

Barker, M.-J. (2021) Sexuality : a graphic guide. London: Icon.
Print Book, RSL Wellbeing Room – HQ21 BAR 2021 (WBR).

Find it on SOLO.

Book cover of "Queer" by David Getsby.Getsy, D. (ed.) (2016) Queer. London: Whitechapel Gallery.

Print Book available from our Offsite Storage. Find it in SOLO.

Book cover of "Queer Data: Using gender, sex and sexuality data for action" by Kevin Guyan.

Guyan, K. (2022) Queer data : using gender, sex and sexuality data for action. London: Bloomsbury Academic.

Print Book available in the RSL, HQ73 GUY 2022. Find it in SOLO.