At the end of October, I had the opportunity to attend the 2024 Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR) conference, which took place in the lovely city of Sheffield. This was my first time attending an AoIR conference and I was grateful to join such a vibrant meeting of Internet researchers from all over the world. As a Curatorial and Policy Research Officer for the Algorithmic Archive Project, currently exploring the ways in which social media and algorithmic data are being used across disciplines, this was a unique opportunity for me to engage with a diverse range of research on the web and social platforms.
This year’s AoIR conference was hosted by the University of Sheffield, with the Student Union building serving as the main venue. This impressive structure spans five floors and includes a cosy lounge area on the third floor, offering attendees a space to relax and network between sessions in a packed 4-day program. The main theme of this year’s AoIR2024 conference was “industry”, inviting the research community to reflect and discuss the relationship between the internet and industry. With over thirteen parallel sessions scheduled for each time block, choosing just one to attend proved to be rather challenging.
A view of the University of Sheffield, Student Union where some of the AoIR2024 conference sessions took place between 30 October – 2 November 2024. Photo taken by B. Cannelli
One aspect that really stood out to me from the conference was the diverse range of research involving information generated on social media platforms, spanning from creators’ economy dynamics, news polarization, AI applied in the context of online communities and content moderation, online pop culture and disinformation across various platforms. There were several panels discussing platform governance – the set of rules, policies and decision-making processes that shape how content is collected, accessed and used within a platform – shedding light on the power dynamics that influence user experience. From an archival perspective, understanding how platforms regulate access to data and the consumption of content is crucial, with significant implications for how this content can be archived by memory institutions.
Among the many sessions exploring virality phenomena and cultures on social media, it is worth mentioning the one reflecting on “mediated memory”. It examined how social platforms like TikTok serve, for instance, as spaces to remember displaced cultures, and how they facilitate the transmission of cultural aspects to younger generations, helping to perpetuate them through time and space. Additionally, the session titled “Times and Transformations” provided some excellent examples of research conducted with web-archived content from research libraries, along with insightful reflections on the epistemology of web archiving.
Firth Court, a Grade II listed Edwardian building that constitutes part of the Western Bank Campus of the University of Sheffield. Photo taken by B. Cannelli
Overall, the conference highlighted the crucial role social media data play in today’s communication landscape and underscored the value of platforms’ user-generated content as a key resource for researchers across a wide range of disciplines. The interplay of light and shadows explored in various panels on platform governance further emphasised the enormous power platforms hold over this user-generated data, as well as the pressing need for support to enable researchers to access and preserve these data over time.
I left the AoIR2024 conference with so much food for thought! It has also been a fantastic opportunity for networking, which will be important for the scoping phase of the Algorithmic Archive project.
Each January, the Archive of the Conservative Party releases files which were previously closed under the 30-year rule. This year, files from 1994 are newly-available to access.
Despite continuing to make a steady economic recovery from the recession that ended in 1993, John Major’s fourth year as Prime Minister was partly overshadowed by internal party conflict over Europe and allegations of scandal following the launching of the Party’s ‘Back to Basics’ campaign. These issues are amongst those covered within the newly-released files, alongside monitoring of opposition parties, including a profile of Gordon Brown written by David Cameron, and an insight into the foundation and meetings of the Commission for the Greater Europe.
Following on from recent years, a large proportion of our new releases are from our collections of CRD files, including subject briefings, directors’ papers, letter books of desk officers, and Conservative Research Department (CRD) files covering topics such as environmental policy, public opinion research on the NHS, and election preparations. Alongside these CRD files we will also be releasing papers, correspondence and memoranda from the Organisation Department of Conservative Central Office (CCO), Conservatives in the European Parliament, and Conservative Party think tanks, amongst other material.
This blog post will explore a number of highlights of the newly-available files, demonstrating their value for researchers and historians interested in the Conservative Party and/or British political history in general.
Opposition Monitoring, 1991-1992
This year’s releases contain a number of files relating to opposition monitoring, including profiles of the Labour Party shadow cabinet in the early 1990s. Carried out by the political section of the CRD, opposition monitoring involved creating profiles on opposition candidates and monitoring their media statements to provide the Conservative Party with crucial information and ammunition. They should be a useful resource for researchers, providing examples of the inside workings of the Research Department in the lead up to a general election and the processes involved in dealing with the opposition.
Some of the profiles in this year’s releases include Tony Blair, Neil Kinnock, John Smith, Bryan Gould and Gordon Brown, all of who played a key role in the Labour Party’s 1992 General Election team, and several in the later 1997 General Election, indicating that the Conservative Party was beginning to look ahead to the 1997 General Election. Of particular interest, is the file CRD 5/11/1/19 which contains a profile on Gordon Brown by David Cameron from March 1991. Written in the lead up to the 1992 General Election and during Cameron’s early political career as the head of the Political Section of CRD, this file provides us with an interesting insight into two future Prime Ministers. Firstly, the file sheds light on Browns’ position as an emerging figure in the Labour Party in the early 1990s, when he held the position of Shadow Trade and Industry Spokesman (1989-1992), and an insight into the Conservative Party’s perception of him. Furthermore, Cameron’s analysis demonstrates his abilities as a political strategist and researcher of opponents from his early career, setting the stage for the pairs battle for leadership at the 2010 General Election almost 20 years later.
A profile of Dr Gordon Brown MP – CPA CRD 5/11/1/19
Labour Party leadership election, 1994
In addition to the opposition profiles discussed above, an important part of the operations of CRD opposition monitoring was gathering information on the Labour Party leader. This was particularly important in 1994, as the death of the Labour Party leader John Smith triggered a Labour leadership contest. After a brief interregnum leadership by Margaret Beckett, Tony Blair won the leadership election on 21 July 1994, defeating John Prescott and Margaret Beckett.
Being released this year is CRD 5/11/1/34, which contains correspondence and research related to the leadership election, shedding light on the Research Department’s strategic approach to the change in Labour Leadership. One notable example is a memorandum from Rachel Whetstone titled ‘Ways of opening up Labours leadership contest’. In the memoranda, Whetstone highlights the minimum wage as a “weak point for Tony Blair”, stating that “Blair argues that youth unemployment is a major cause of crime”, yet he “supports policies that would increase unemployment among young people”. This provides insight into how the Research Department aimed to exploit perceived weaknesses in the candidate’s characters and their positioning on key policy areas, in order to undermine the change in leadership.
Ways of opening up Labour’s leadership contest – CPA CRD 5/11/1/34
Additionally, CRD 5/11/1/34 provides an interesting indication to broader trends in British political strategy, particularly in regards to the increasing emphasis on ‘spin’ in political communication. Throughout the 1990s, the use of spin by politicians and parties in the UK accelerated. The emergence of 24-hour news and the growing influence of the tabloids and television increased the pressure placed on journalists to provide non-stop content. This led to a marked decline in the quality of British media content, especially surrounding political commentary, prompting political parties to employ spin doctors to craft messaging, shape narrative, and manage crises. For example, the image below shows a memorandum from Andrew Lansley outlining the Conservative Party’s line toward the leadership election result. Lansley recognised the need to “brief independent spin doctors on our line to take” and specified a number of individuals to contact, such as Harvey Thomas, former Press and Public Relations Director, and Brendan Bruce, former communications director, to assist in shaping the party’s messaging on the leadership result, highlighting the growing emphasis on spin in the operations of CRD opposition strategy and political communication.
Labour leadership results: Lines to take – CPA CRD 5/11/1/34.
Commission for the Greater Europe, 1993-1996
Among this year’s releases from the papers of the Conservative Overseas Bureau, is COB 7/3/1, a file on the Commission for the Greater Europe. The Commission for the Greater Europe was an international, non-governmental organisation established on 28 May 1993, under the direction of Jacques Chirac. Formed in the wake of the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Commission aimed to bring together members of the European Democratic Union and the Liberal International with members of the Russian reformist movement with a view to ‘seeking new ways towards a united Europe’.
COB 7/3/1 contains foundational material, meeting papers, general correspondence, and reports on the state of Russian politics, economy, and security in late 1993, providing insight into the sensitive situation in Russia following the Russian constitutional crisis of October 1993. COB 7/3/1 should be a useful resource for researchers, providing examples of how European Leaders made efforts to bridge the divide between Eastern and Western Europe in the aftermath of the Cold War.
Of particular interest in this file, is a letter from Geoffrey Pattie to Jacques Chirac from December 1993. In this letter, Pattie expressed anger at Chirac’s decision to cancel the Commissions planned meeting in Moscow due to Boris Yeltsin’s inability to attend, stating that he was “disappointed and upset that you [Chirac] could have taken a decision so far remove from your usual sound political judgement”. Patties frustration at Chirac reveals the differing perspectives within European Leadership on how to navigate the potential integration of Russia into Europe, and reflects British concern for the need to address the post-Cold War situation in Europe through diplomatic cooperation and dialogue.
Correspondence from Sir Geoffrey Pattie to Jacques Chirac – CPA COB 7/3/1, folder 1
Back to Basics campaign, 1993-1994
‘Back to Basics’ – CPA CRD 5/35/12
Lastly, among the significant portion of CRD files being released this year, are files that concern Conservative Party tactics and strategy. One example is CRD 5/35/12, which offers insight into the planning and strategy of the Conservative Party’s ‘Back to Basics’ campaign, a campaign which sought to “reassert traditional values, common sense and concern for the citizen”. The image below shows a page from the background briefing for the ‘Back to Basics’ campaign from January 1994, outlining what exactly John Major meant by back to basics in social policy, economic policy, in all policy, and in the country at large. In the document, Major justifies the campaign, arguing that “we need to foster and encourage some of the traditional British values- neighbourliness, self-discipline, courtesy and decency, and taking responsibility for yourself and not shuffling it off on others”.
However, the campaign became infamous when a succession of Conservative Party politicians became emmeshed in allegations of scandal. The contradiction between the campaign’s messaging and the actions of some of the Party’s MPs highlights the challenges the Conservative Party faced in maintaining credibility and public support during the 1990s.
All the material featured in this blog post will be made available from 2 Jan 2025.
John le Carré at the ‘Zeit Forum Kultur’ in Hamburg, 10 November 2008 (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
The archive of David Cornwell (1931-2020), better known by his pen name John le Carré, has been expanded to include drafts of his later novels (post-2010) and non-fiction work, correspondence and research relating to almost all of his novels, and scripts for both realised and unrealised film and television adaptations. Cornwell was best known for his espionage novels, inspired by his years working in both MI5 and MI6 in the 1950s and 1960s, many following the fictional intelligence officer George Smiley. These include The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1963), Tinker Tailor Solider Spy (1974) and Smiley’s People (1979). He also used his work to explore wider global issues such as pharmaceutical corruption, in The Constant Gardener (2001), and the War on Terror, in A Most Wanted Man (2008). His 26th novel, Silverview, was published posthumously in 2021, whilst many of his novels have been adapted into successful films and television series.
Over 300 new boxes of material have been added to the existing John le Carré archive, previously comprising only manuscript and typescript novel drafts, offering a much greater insight into Cornwell’s research and writing processes. The newly catalogued material includes hundreds of handwritten novel drafts, notebooks full of character, plot and research notes, correspondence regarding edits, research trips and publicity, and scripts for film, radio and television adaptations. In addition to further demonstrating the meticulous technique that went into the creation of each of his novels, this expanded archive uncovers drafts of the novel Cornwell was writing when he died in December 2020, The George Smiley Years, as well as scripts of an array of both unrealised adaptations and entirely new (non-adaptation) plays and television shows. Readers can explore the countless iterations of Cornwell’s novel drafts, the depth with which he researched the people and places he brought to life, and a wealth of previously unseen stories and characters.
Cataloguing work of Cornwell’s correspondence files, interviews, speeches and personal papers is ongoing, and the archive will be further expanded in 2025.
At the end of August, members of the Archives and Records Association gathered in Birmingham for conference, and I was grateful to be among them for a day. I chose to attend the first day, partially for that early-days energy, but mostly because one of the themes was ‘Digital Recordkeeping and the Cloud’. As a trainee in digital archiving, this seemed too on-the-nose to miss.
The venue was as practical as the location, but the sun shone in on a cosy array of sponsor stands and bleary-eyed delegates as we shuffled to find our preferred caffeinated medium. Then took our seats for the keynote. Alistair Brown shared with us his observations on the archive – and wider heritage sector – from the perspective of a funder. He touched on key challenges ahead, particularly climate change and ecosystem concerns which intersect with issues of digitalisation and data use; as well as giving us an overview of the National Lottery’s Heritage 2033 strategy.
The views of Birmingham were quite striking, as can be seen here in this evening view of the Birmingham skyline – featuring a statue of Queen Victoria. Photo taken by E.Morris
Alistair’s keynote foreshadowed the themes of the day: Climate Advocacy and Education, Conservation, Passive and Sustainable Storage, and, of course, Digital Recordkeeping and the Cloud. The last of these proved much more popular than perhaps even the organisers were anticipating and a full lecture room meant that for the first session I instead dipped into a talk focussed on converting existing buildings into suitable archives. A thought-provoking offering from Oberlanders Architects, and an attractive option for those with buildings of note to make use of, potentially the only option for those of limited means, and potentially a greener solution that pleases the local planning committee.
I left lunch early to get a spot in the Digital theme for the afternoon and left the tea-break even earlier so I might get a spot on a chair rather than the floor for the second afternoon session! Across these, six speakers brought their take on topics such as: the carbon footprint of our data, the tension between what to keep and what to delete, encouraging better data storage practise, and of course what methods we might use to achieve these aims.
Anne Grzybowski (Heriot-Watt University) reminded us all of the carbon-footprint incurred by the ROT – the redundant, obsolete, or transitory documents and records we haphazardly accumulate unless management is routine and effective. ROT has always been a challenge for record managers, but are we more tempted to seek ways to simply increase our data budget than sort it out? The digital sphere has the potential to be “out of sight, out of mind” in a way that physical records cannot hope to be, but those charged with managing those records need to have a holistic view of the costs of storage, above and beyond the financial. Laura Peaurt took this further, looking at the options considered by the University of Nottingham for digital storage and how sustainable these were.
Buzzing in my mind as I stretched my legs around Birmingham’s canals between the talks and supper were a couple of thoughts: forefront of these is the trust organisations, particularly archives, must now place in external commercial organisations for the safe-keeping of their records and materials. Very few speakers started from a position other than a subscription to Microsoft 365. We spoke at length about the Cloud – a storage reality that means remote infrastructure, potentially residing in entirely different nations. While the available options are not entirely within our control, it would be naive to think that recordkeeping or archiving will be exempt from issues such as the mass outage Microsoft saw at the end of July. I was surprised that rather than being discussed at all, it seemed taken for granted that we would pin our digital preservation hopes on commerical cloud servers (and such like).
Not far behind this thought was “how will we sort it all out?!” We know that we are creating veritable digi-tonnes of data every day, both as individuals and organisations. Across the speakers I had heard, many attested to the truth we all suspect: many of us are poor at organising our digital lives, wasteful with the space we use, irresponsible with what we keep and what we don’t. So, what will the archivists of the future inherit? As I have discovered in my own work, the best intentions of archivists-past can leave archivists-present scratching their heads (or worse, shaking their fists).
Supper was served in the Banqueting Suite of Birmingham’s Council Chambers. A gorgeous space to reflect and network, or just stare up at the ceiling! Photo taken by E.Morris
If nothing else the ARA conference has inspired me to keep thinking big, and encourage those around me to do so as well. To forge future-oriented solutions, not simply plug the gaps now. With half an eye on what AI might do in this sphere, the time is ripe for us to build systems that just might cause Archivists of the future to say “I’m glad they thought of that”.
On Tuesday 31st July 1894 the American-born inventor and engineer Hiram Maxim (1840-1916) was testing the latest version of his flying machine at his home, Baldwyn’s Park near Bexley in Kent. He had laid out a steel track, 1800 feet in length, in order to run the machine in a straight line between the trees of the Park.
Hiram Maxim’s flying machine in the grounds of Baldwyn’s Park, c.1894. MS. 21798, file 4. Click to enlarge.
On the final attempt of the day, having increased the pressure of the machine’s steam boiler, the wheels rose from the track and it flew for eight seconds at a speed of 45 miles per hour before crashing to the ground. The flying machine weighed more than three tons. Maxim was on board along with two mechanics, Arthur Guthrie and Thomas Jackson.
Should this be recognised as the first heavier-than-air flight, nine and a half years before the Wright brothers’ flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on 17 December 1903?
The flying machine after crash landing, 31 July 1894. MS. 21798, file 4.
William McGregor Ross (1876-1940), a young admirer of Maxim who also became an engineer, thought that Maxim’s achievement had not received the recognition it deserved. He used every opportunity to correct this and a collection of papers and photographs, recently donated to the Bodleian by his grandson, records the efforts he made until the end of his life. William was educated at Southport Grammar School and began keeping a diary from an early age, recording in meticulous detail and tiny handwriting the events of his daily life. His diary of 1892, when he was 16 years old, reveals his interest in flying machines and in August he wrote to Hiram Maxim asking for advice on screw propellers.
William McGregor Ross’s diary, 30 August 1892, MSS. Afr. s. 2305, box 1, item 3
Maxim replied (sending ‘several wrinkles’, i.e. tips or hints) and a lifelong friendship developed between them with Maxim and his wife Sarah supporting William’s interest in engineering, which he went on to study at Liverpool and Dublin Universities. In September 1892 William was invited to visit Baldwyn’s Park where he saw the development of the flying machine which Maxim had been working on for a year, eventually testing the thrust of over 200 types of propeller before the flight in 1894.
William McGregor Ross’s diary, 5 September 1892. MSS. Afr. s. 2305, box 1, item 3
William’s diary entry for 15 September 1892 records the running of the machine on the track through the Park, reaching a speed of 27.5 miles an hour. He notes that photographs were taken after the experiments and the donation to the Bodleian includes one of the photographs of young William together with Hiram Maxim on board the flying machine.
William McGregor Ross’s diary, 15 September 1892. MSS. Afr. s. 2305, box 1, item 3
William McGregor Ross and Hiram Maxim on the flying machine, 15 Sep 1892. MS. 21798, file 4.
William did not witness the short flight in 1894 – his diary records that he was in Southport on the day – however his interest in flying machines continued as evidenced by a letter full of questions to Mrs Maxim in February 1899.
First page of letter from William McGregor Ross to Mrs Maxim, 9 Feb 1899. MS. 21798, file 2.
Second page of letter from William McGregor Ross to Mrs Maxim, 9 Feb 1899. MS. 21798, file 2.
Third page of letter from William McGregor Ross to Mrs Maxim, 9 Feb 1899. MS. 21798, file 2.
Letter from William McGregor Ross to Mrs Maxim, 9 Feb 1899. MS. 21798, file 2, click images to enlarge
Maxim continued to develop his machine but came to realise that powering it by steam, requiring boilers and water, added excessive weight and his experiments came to an end.
Following Hiram Maxim’s death in 1916 William continued to correspond with Sarah Maxim and in 1934 made particular efforts to have the 40th anniversary of the flight recognised, writing to the national press, scientific journals, the BBC and film companies. He repeatedly argued that any history of aviation excluding Maxim’s role in the development of heavier-than-air flight was incomplete and pointed out that he held the altitude and duration records for 9 years and 139 days and the weight record for even longer. The newly available papers present William’s observations on the remarkable events at Baldwyn’s Park on their 130th anniversary.
NOTE: This post discusses themes of death and racism.
The artist Tom Phillips (1937-2022) pursued numerous interests throughout his lifetime, one of which was his extensive collection of photographic postcards. The Bodleian has acquired this collection, which ranges from the late 1890s into the 1960s, and it is now catalogued and available to readers at the Weston Library. Further background to this collection was covered in a previous post [part 1], which also highlighted the postcards’ often humorous nature.
However, the collection is intended to present a holistic view of our collective human nature, and human nature isn’t always so light-hearted. The postcards are as broad in scope as they are in number, encapsulating the events and trends of the wider world in which their subjects lived. This postcard, for example, seems innocuous enough until you turn it around and read the message, and the scene is retrospectively contextualised in a darker light.
Figure 1 MS. 19966/88
War is a pervasive theme within the collection, with numerous boxes dedicated to depictions of the service of both men and women. Its impact is also clearly seen, both through the box labelled ‘War Wounded’ and the individual stories which some postcards tell.
This postcard depicts Harold, and his wife Allie, shortly before the outbreak of World War I. Turning the card over, a bleak picture of the impact of war is immediately visible, as we learn of Harold’s death. The author dates this tragedy to 1914. However, it is likely that Harold Oxford actually died on the 10th August 1915, as the Dardanelles Campaign did not begin until February 1915. This image was likely originally taken for cheerful posterity, but, over the course of a few years, the impact of world events turned the postcard into a memorial instead.
Figure 2 MS. 19966/11
This postcard depicts a different Harold, serving as a leading aircraftsman in the RAF during World War II. Unfortunately, his postcard represents the majority within this collection, with little or no further information available to link the subjects to their personal stories. In the case of this Harold, we have little insight as to who he was, where he served, or if he survived the war.
Around 28 million military personnel died in World War I and World War II. Several hundred service men and women are depicted within this collection, therefore it is likely that many of them were killed during the same conflicts which their postcards were intended to commemorate.
Figure 3 MS. 19966/16
Even without the presence of corresponding messages, the images of the postcards themselves often convey a damning reality, as is the case for the numerous examples of racism and othering portrayed within this collection.
Just over 15% of the boxes contain at least one instance of racist imagery. In most cases this is in the form of blackface. In one box, a racial slur is used, followed by postcards which depict people ‘dressed up’ as both a Ku Klux Klan member and Hitler. Amongst the images of new puppies, manicured gardens and proud shopkeepers, a parallel side of society emerges.
The starkness with which these attitudes and portrayals are represented is confronting.
Tom Phillips perhaps aimed to acknowledge this, as he compiled a collection which showcases the multi-faceted nature of the world we live in – both the good and the bad.
Tom Phillips (1937-2022) studied at St. Catherine’s College before undertaking a varied career, teaching art, including a stint as the Slade Professor of Fine Art at Oxford University; creating art, including portraits, tapestries, sculptures and art books; writing operas, such as Irma (1970); and serving on several committees for cultural bodies, including the British Museum.
Another personal passion, however, was his collection of photographic postcards. Phillips collected around 50,000 of them throughout a lifetime of scouring flea markets and collectors’ fairs, which the Bodleian has now acquired.
Tom Phillips authored a book on the subject,The Postcard Century(2000), and curated a National Portrait Gallery exhibition,We are the People (2004), but perhaps his view on the legacy of the format is best seen through the postcards themselves.
The collection has been maintained in the original order and categories which Tom Phillips himself arranged them in. The scope of content ranges across the whole spectrum of human life, from ‘Babies’ to ‘Workers’ to ‘Weddings’ to ‘Family Groups’ to ‘Funeral’. It stops off at expected places in-between, such as ‘Sport’, ‘Gardens’, ‘Toys’ and ‘Animals’, as well as the unexpected, with ‘Fantasy transport’ perhaps a highlight on that front.
Ranging from the late 1890s into the 1960s, the collection presents a rich visual resource for historians and researchers, while also showcasing one of our most ubiquitous human characteristics: a desire to be remembered.
What follows are a selection of some of the department’s favourite postcards, to offer an idea of the breadth (and humour) of the collection.
Figure 1 (Toys, MS. 19966/41)
Abigail Spokes –
‘When she’s out of oat milk’
Figure 2 (Knitting, MS. 19966/88)
Amanda Sykes –
‘Waiting for someone to say “I like your outfit” so you can say “thanks I made it myself!”’
Figure 3 (Cats, Birds, Pets etc., MS. 19966/68)
Bethany Goodman –
‘Typical weekend plans’
Figure 4 (Readers & Writers, MS. 19966/18)
Charlotte McKillop-Mash –
‘Oscar Wilde cosplay?’
Figure 5 (Rural / Agriculture, MS. 19966/28)
Evie Morris – ‘Growing up, we didn’t have a farm but my dad wished we did and kept loads of crazy animals. I desperately wanted geese and one year we tried to hatch a dozen, and got one. I named her Sandy and loved her dearly until my parents gave her away. The look in this lady’s eye says she is suspicious that her fowl might also be taken away. She looks wise to the game, and mischievous’
Figure 6 (Cats, Birds, Pets etc., MS. 19966/68)
Francesca Miller –
‘The life of a cat owner – once again forced to stand because your cat has stolen your chair!’
Figure 7 (Horse & Donkey, MS. 19966/14)
Hannah Jordan –
‘She is too small for that horse’
Figure 8 (Figures in a landscape, MS. 19966/46)
Marion Lowman –
‘Best foot forward’
Figure 9 (Dogs, MS. 19966/42)
Miranda Scarlata –
‘Nobody sent me the memo that we were wearing monochrome today! – said from the perspective of the dog’
To commemorate the centenary of Franz Kafka’s death on 3 June 1924, the University of Oxford’s summer-long cultural festival Kafka24, inspired by Kafka’s life and work, features theatre, music, cabaret, exhibitions, lectures, talks, and free family activities including the spectacular Jitterbug Tent which will land in University Parks on South Parks Road from Friday 31st May to Sunday 2nd June, and insect activities at the Museum of Natural History on the evening of 5th June.
On the evening of 3rd June, the Bodleian Libraries will host Oxford Reads Kafka in the historic Sheldonian Theatre, a public reading of Kafka’s story ‘Metamorphosis’ in which the hapless Gregor Samsa wakes up to find he’s transformed into a bug, with readers including authors Lemn Sissay, Ben Okri, and Lisa Appignanesi (tickets available online).
And on 30 May the major exhibition Kafka: Making of an Icon, featuring manuscripts from the Bodleian Library’s Kafka archive, opens in the ST Lee Gallery of the Weston Library (free admission).
For readers who need to apply for a reader’s card, please note that the Admissions Office will be closed on Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 May 2024 due to a system upgrade.
For any applicant who has pre-ordered material two staff members of the Admissions team will be stationed in Blackwell Hall (in front of the big screen). They will check your application form and ID documents and provide you with an official letter advising library staff to allow you access on both dates.
We will not be able to issue any permits for University card holders to take guests to the Duke Humfrey’s either on the 15th or 16th of May.
This weekend, the city of Oxford is celebrating the anniversary of Roger Bannister’s historic sub-four-minute mile, a world record that the former Oxford (Exeter College) student broke at Oxford’s Iffley Road athletic track, 70 years ago on 6 May 1954.
In the Weston Library’s Blackwell Hall, from now until 5pm on 6 May, you will find a small display from his archive, which is now housed at the Bodleian, featuring the event programme for his world record race, original photographs, objects from his athletic career, and letters and papers that reveal his meticulous training.
Meanwhile runners across the city are invited to join the Bannister Community Mile on Monday 6 May, running from St Aldate’s to the Iffley Road Track where they will be able to enjoy the Mile Fair with more historic displays, and throughout the day, Bannister Track Mile races from invited athletes of all ages, which from 6pm will feature elite racers attempting to break the current mile records.
