Author Archives: rdarcybrown

LGBTQ+ History Hackathon or…How to crowdsource almost 500 web resources!

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On the last Friday of November (29th Nov 2024), the LGBTQ+ History Hackathon was held at the History Faculty. Co-hosted by Faculty academics and the History Faculty Library, over 70 people (students, staff, and members of the public) participated, both in person and online. The aim of the event was to crowdsource resources for a new Oxford resource guide for LGBTQ+ history. It very much followed the model of the Disability History Hackathon, held two years ago, which was a great success and provided resources for the disability history LibGuide.

Opening remarks to participants ahead of event in History Faculty lecture theatre
Welcome to event in lecture theatre – Professor Martin Conway (Chair of the Board of the Faculty of History) and Isabel Holowaty (Deputy Head of Humanities Libraries and Bodleian History Librarian Research).

The event was opened in the Faculty lecture theatre by Prof. Martin Conway, Chair of the Faculty Board. After introductions, an outline of the scope of the proposed LibGuide, and a brief presentation on Bodleian Libraries Academic Library Services’ EDI activities by Helen Worrell, participants were shown useful advanced Google searching techniques by Rachel D’Arcy-Brown, History Librarian (Teaching). Participants then spread out across various rooms in the faculty, and began searching the internet to find relevant resources. In total, almost 500 resources were recommended, covering a wide range of topics and a variety of historical periods. These resources included journal articles, archives, and newspapers. This is a really fantastic result, representing a great effort on the part of all who got involved.

The event closed with a presentation of a snapshot of initial results by Zac Draysey, History Faculty Library Graduate Trainee, and final remarks and thanks by Prof. Matthew Cook, Jonathan Cooper Chair of the History of Sexuality.

The Hackathon provided a fun and inclusive way of amassing quality resources. It enables us to draw on the interests and expertise of a diverse group of people from Oxford but, thanks to technology, also from people across the UK and even North America. This will allow us to add a broad range of resources to the LibGuide.

The next steps will involve assessing and organising the recommended resources collected during the hackathon and create an easy-to-use guide, which places this wealth of high-quality information into a helpful context. This LibGuide will be accessible not only to University students and staff, but to anyone all over the world. In this spirit, the Hackathon focused on publicly available and open access material.

Our current plan is to launch a beta version of the LibGuide by June 2025, in time for pride month. Updates and further information will be posted here on the blog, as well on the Hackathon page itself.

Enormous thanks go to all participants for giving to freely their time and effort. Thanks also go to the History Faculty for hosting the event, sponsoring refreshments, and to their staff for supporting its organisation.

Zac Draysey, Bodleian Libraries Graduate Trainee (History Faculty Library) 2024-25

Radcliffe Camera – early closing 5pm Friday 28th June 2024

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The Radcliffe Camera and Gladstone Link will close at 5pm on Friday 28th June 2024.

University Estates need to conduct essential commissioning procedures related to the new heating system, which replaces the existing infrastructure. We are regretfully unable to offer any access to collections or a staff mediated fetching service after 5pm.

We apologise for any inconvenience these improvement works may cause.

Trial until 16 Nov: ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Le Monde And Global Newsstream

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We are trialling two Proquest products until 16th November 2021.

Global Newsstream contains full text articles from over 3,000 news sources, providing current coverage from many sources as well as archives extending back to the 1980s. Included in it are a number of key UK, US and international titles such as The Guardian, The New York Times, El Mundo and Le Monde (2011 up to the present). This is the second trial this year of this database.

The historical archive of Le Monde – one of the newspapers of record for France – is now available in full-page digital image format from Proquest. We trialled this earlier in the year but the archive was not yet complete. This is the complete archive 1944-2000. It is cross-searchable with Global Newsstream.

The trials are taking place in Weeks 2-5 from Monday 18th October until Tuesday 16th November. Any feedback to nick.hearn@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Face covering and social distancing in Bodleian Libraries – NO CHANGE from 19 July

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The University will maintain its current COVID-19 health guidance from 19 July, including current policies on face coverings and social distancing. This decision has been taken in light of the high level of cases locally, and with due consideration to the government’s guidance that ‘everybody needs to continue to act carefully and remain cautious’. The University is entitled to keep its restrictions in place on University premises.

You must wear a face covering properly in our libraries including when sitting at a desk. If you are medically exempt, we request you display an exemption card or sunflower during your visit. Alternatively you can confirm to a staff member on arrival that you are exempt to avoid being disturbed during your visit. We will not ask for details of the reasons for this exemption.

Please stay alert when using our buildings:

  • Keep your 2 metre distance
  • Wash your hands
  • Wear a face covering (or display an exemption card)
  • Have symptoms? Stay at home and get a test
  • Contacted by track and trace? Stay at home

Readers that compromise our practices will be asked to leave. Thank you for working with us to protect our community.

If you are travelling from outside of the UK, please make sure you follow the current government rules for entering England before you access our libraries.

More details about visiting our libraries.

Keep wearing your face covering please.

Keep wearing your face covering please.

Trial – The Middle East Online: Iraq, 1914-1974 (GALE Archives Unbound) until 30 April 2021

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The Middle East Online: Iraq, 1914-1974 (GALE Archives Unbound)

Trial until 30 April 2021 – accessible via Databases A-Z  Please send feedback to lydia.wright@bodleian.ox.ac.uk and marialuisa.langella@sant.ox.ac.uk

Map showing the distribution of Kurds in the Middle East, 1963, The National Archives

Iraq 1914-1974 offers the widest range of original source material from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office, War Office and Cabinet Papers from the Anglo-Indian landing in Basra in 1914 through the British Mandate in Iraq of 1920-32 to the rise of Saddam Hussein in 1974. Here major policy statements are set out in their fullest context, the minor documents and marginalia revealing the workings of the mandate administration, diplomacy, treaties, oil and arms dealing. Topics covered include: The Siege of Kut-al-Amara, The War in Mesapotamia and the capture of Baghdad in 1917, Introduction of the British Mandate, and the installation of King Faisal in 1921, The British administration in Baghdad, Gertrude Bell, advisor to the British administration, in both reports and memos, The Arab Uprising of 1920, Independence, and Iraq’s membership of the League of Nations in 1932, Coups d’etat in the 1930s and 1940s, The Baghdad Pact of 1955 and the military coup of 1958 leading to the establishment of a republic, The Cold War and Soviet intervention in Iraq, Kurdish unrest and the war in Kurdistan, Oil concessions and oil exploration, The Rise of Ba’athism and Saddam Hussein, The USSR-Iraq Treaty of Friendship in 1972, Iran-Iraq relations.

Great Britain’s intimate involvement with the foundation of the state of Iraq and with the early direction of its government makes the National Archives at Kew the single major source for understanding the processes which formed the modern state and its politics. It is through the documents filed here that the reader can form an accurate impression of the British administrators, their concerns, their views of Iraq and the Iraqis and their reasons for devising policies that were to have a marked effect on the course of Iraqi political history long after British influence had come to an end.

The files reproduced in this collection have been selected on the basis of the light they can throw on routine policy-making, as well as on key episodes and developments in the political history of Iraq and its relationship with Great Britain. The editorial role has been confined to the selection of subject files which together form a comprehensive and multi-faceted picture of Iraq’s political history. The files themselves are reproduced in their entirety, including all the comments, annotations and revisions made by the officials through whose hands they passed, giving the reader the opportunity to assess how British policy was made and often revised to deal with changing circumstances.

From the National Archives at Kew, UK. Selected by Dr. Charles Tripp, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, these documents cover the political and administrative history of the modern state which has emerged from the ancient civilization of Mesopotamia. This database offers conference reports, ministerial memos and diplomatic dispatches, as well as official letters of correspondence from regional leaders, press releases and arms deal reports. This collection will also appeal to those with an interest in economics, politics and peace studies.

[taken from the introduction by Professor Charles Tripp, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

Gale Ambassador Scheme

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Fancy paid business experience with a global publisher? Become a Gale Ambassador and help raise awareness of the digital resources available at Oxford!

Gale is a global publisher of digital archives and other library resources such as eBooks.

The Gale Ambassador Scheme might be of interest to graduates using Cengage / Gale resources (Times Digital Archive, ECCO, State Paper Online, etc) and who are in Oxford 2020-21. It offers paid business experience with a global publisher.

Gale Ambassadors are paid £250 for a 6 month period of set activities, plus the role is also great for your CV…

  • Business experience – work directly with staff at a global publisher
  • Get published on our company blog – creating great, shareable evidence of your work
  • Run your own marketing activities – refine copy and post placement to make successful use of social media
  • Speak at subject society events and lectures – public speaking experience is always great for a CV
  • Discover more primary sources for your own essays – potentially improving your grades
  • Opportunities for in-house work experience with a global publisher

The deadline for applications is Sunday 6th December 2020.

Applications are made online at the Gale Ambassadors site. Full training will be provided in January 2021 for successful applicants ahead of the participating in the scheme.

Example blog posts from previous Gale Ambassadors are at:

NEW: Browse and Borrow service (and other updates…)

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Browse and Borrow – 30 minute session 

From Monday 12th October, the History Faculty Library will be offering bookable “Browse and Borrow” sessions:

  • You can remain in the library for up to 30 minutes
  • You are free to browse the shelves in all reading rooms
  • You can use the PCAS machines to copy or scan material
  • Books can be issued using the self-issue machine or at the staff desk
  • You may not sit at any desks to study during a Browse & Borrow slots as seating capacity cannot be increased to accommodate this.

For further information see: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/using/browse-and-borrow

To book a session go to the booking page for the Radcliffe Camera https://tickets.ox.ac.uk/webstore/shop/viewItems.aspx?cg=BODBL&c=RRHFLBL

Click and Collect – withdrawn for History Faculty Library 

This service was introduced in early July to facilitate access to the collections when libraries were still closed to readers. It will no longer be possible to place a request via SOLO for this service for History Faculty Library items, as we are not able to offer this service on a wider scale to cope with term-time lending demand. As we have increased the number of slots to access the collections, this will offer more opportunity to our readers to have non-mediated access to collections.

We will continue to offer Click and Collect via email where appropriate (e.g. proxy collection for self-isolating or vulnerable readers).

Seating in reading rooms – more slots available!

We are increasing the number of slots available, as we extended our opening hours and introduce additional seating in the Gladstone Link and Duke Humfrey’s Library. Please be mindful that seating capacity is reduced, so we encourage you to only book the number of slots you need to access print collections or electronic Legal Deposit material. Please also let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel slot – we are working on improving the process for cancelling a slot.

We appreciate that the Lower Camera is very popular but this reading room has the fewest number of seats available. If you can’t get a seat in the Lower Camera then do consider booking a seat in one of the other reading rooms – from Monday 12th October access via the Gladstone Link tunnel will be reinstated so you can fetch material from any reading room on site and return to your desk.

Returning books on loan 

  • You do NOT need to book a slot to return books.
  • Avoid arriving at the following times at the Radcliffe Camera as there are more likely to be queues of readers with seat booking.
    Monday to Friday = 9:30 / 13:30 / 17:00
    Saturday = 10:00 / 13:00
    Sunday = 12:00 / 15:00
  • We have temporarily increased renewals for standard loan items so that you don’t have to return books on Monday 12th October
  • There is currently a grace period in operation for fines, so if you can’t return or renew then don’t panic and get in touch with us.
  • We are still offering FREE postal return including international courier service. Email borrow@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for more information

Services for self-isolating students

Do get in touch to discuss your individual needs and with library contacts. All of our services are dependent on staffing levels but we will do our best to help you where possible.​

Tips

  • Take advantage of access to online resources via SOLO
  • Be organised and book a visit to the library in advance
  • Book a Browse and Borrow slot of you only need to access something quickly
  • Don’t book multiple slots unless you need extended access to print/eLD collections
  • Cancel a slot if you don’t need it via reader.services@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Due to government guidelines, we are required to strictly manage access to our libraries to ensure that we are operating according to social distancing guidelines including NHS Test and Trace. We have introduced new services and adapted existing services in response to unprecedented circumstances and have planned our Michaelmas Term services, as best as we can but there will be inevitable teething issues. We fully anticipated that term time will be challenging and we will be closely monitoring the demand on our services and making changes where required.

Thank you for your patience and please get in touch if you have questions or feedback: library.history@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

Radcliffe Square – Pavement improvement works Long Vacation 2018

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From Monday 9th July to Friday 31st August 2018, the section of pavement in Catte Street on the south east corner of the Radcliffe Camera will be widened in order to improve the route to the building for readers who require level access.

Access to the Radcliffe Camera via the South Gate will be maintained during the majority of the project and alternative access arrangements will be advertised in advance if required.

Some disruption and noise will unfortunately be inevitable and the work has therefore been scheduled during the Long Vacation. The work will take place between 07:30-16:30hrs and where possible, exceptionally noisy work will be undertaken before library opening hours. Alternative seating is available in the Gladstone Link or the Old Library and we apologise for any inconvenience caused by these essential improvement works.

Please contact us with any questions or feedback at library.history@bodleian.ox.ac.uk

How the new improved pavement should look once the project is complete – bicycles will of course still be welcome but please be considerate not to block the pavement!

Study tips for the Long Vacation

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As students leave for their summer break, we thought it might be useful to give some tips on continuing your studies and research while away from Oxford.

From http://www.wildemedia.co.uk/blog/

1. Remote access: Using your SSO (Single Sign On) login, you can access all our ebook, ejournal and database subscriptions while away from Oxford.

Scans for courses (eSet Texts) are of course also still available on the HFL WebLearn site.

2. Using a university library near your home: Under the SCONUL Vacation Access scheme, you can use the university library near your home during that university’s vacation time. You won’t be able to borrow (just as students from other universities can’t borrow from Oxford), but you can use their printed collections. Access to databases will probably not be possible but it’s worth asking. You will need to prove you are a student at Oxford so make sure you have your University Card with you and possibly a letter from your tutor as a reference. The latter is always needed if you need to access archives. We strongly recommend that you check the library’s opening hours, admission rules, etc. in advance. Libraries often schedule building work in summer so save yourself a wasted trip by checking first!

3. Finding collections in other UK university and research libraries: search COPAC to locate collections in other UK libraries. It also includes the British Library. This is a really useful search tool. Depending on your subject, you may find specialist libraries (e.g. SOAS for Oriental, Asian and African history) particularly useful.

british-library-313197_1280

4. Entering the Ivory Tower: though often applied to Cambridge University Library, the British Library is infinitely more forbidding. However, staff are friendly and welcoming so I encourage students to consider using their fantastic collections. As well as being even bigger than the Bodleian, the BL has many excellent History databases which are not available in Oxford. Check out our blog post about using the BL, how to get a reader’s card and so on. The recommendation is to register early in the morning or take a(nother) book as queues can be long.

5. Remote support: We have quite a lot of online guides: guides for sources, help using RefWorks, and much more.

The HFL and RadCam will of course remain open throughout summer, excepting August Bank Holiday. Just get in touch if you need help. If you need specialist help on British & Western European history, please feel free to email the History Librarian, Isabel Holowaty. There are subject librarians for other areas also.

Have a really great summer and see you all back in October!

USEFUL LINKS

HFL open 9-5pm on Tues 18 to Thurs 20 July 2017

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The Radcliffe Camera and Gladstone Link will be open from 9am-5pm only on Tuesday 18th to Thursday 20th July inclusive. This is a change to our advertised opening hours – the Old Bodleian Library is open until 7pm as normal.

This is to facilitate the installation of new contactless card readers at the entrance/exit gates in the Bodleian Library as part of essential maintenance works. If work finishes ahead of schedule we will resume normal access arrangments/opening hours.

Access to the Camera and Gladstone Link will be via the main entrance to the Old Bodleian Library and the tunnel. From 9am to 4:45pm we aim to offer a normal service but there will be no access to collections after 5pm. Readers can take books and continue to work in the Old Bodleian Library until 7pm.

The card readers are the same style as the ones in the Weston Library (see image above) and we hope that they will be easier to use than the current swipe card readers. Thank you for your patience and apologies for any inconvenience the work may cause.