Black History Month 2026

Posted on 2 October 2026 by ljones

This October, the Radcliffe Camera History Lending Collection is hosting a display of books for Black History Month. This display encapsulates various experiences by black communities across the world and through different time periods. This year, the display highlights a few resources dedicated to black women’s history in particular. In doing so, it aims to reflect on the diversity and unique experiences of those facing both pervasive anti-blackness and other forms of oppression. In addition to this, a collection of E-Books available from SOLO have been arranged below, please click on the book covers to be taken to the record for each resource. Read about the achievements of daring stunt pilot Bessie (Elizabeth) Coleman or about the career of chemist Alice Ball, whose work was instrumental in the early 20th century for treating leprosy and whom long went uncredited for it and many more.

To browse events and lectures across Oxford University this October for Black History Month, please visit this link. In addition to these, St. John’s college will also be holding a lecture, please see details of this here.

Books on the display, in no particular order:
Black girlhood in the nineteenth century by Nazera Sadiq Wright | Bury my heart in a free land : black women intellectuals in modern U.S. History edited by Hettie V. Williams | Black British migrants in Cuba : race, labor, and empire in the twentieth-century Caribbean, 1898-1948 by Jorge L. Giovannetti-Torres | Maria Baldwin’s worlds : a story of Black New England and the fight for racial justice by Kathleen Weiler | Motherhood, childlessness and the care of children in Atlantic slave societies edited by C. Cowling, M. Helena P. T. Machado, D. Paton and E. West | The politics of reproduction : race, medicine, and fertility in the age of abolition by Katherine Paugh | Black-French women and the struggle for equality, 1848-2016 edited by Félix Germain and Silyane Larcher | Destined for a life of service : Defining African-Jamaican womanhood, 1865-1938 by Henrice Altink | A seat at the table : Black women public intellectuals in US history and culture edited by Hettie V. Williams and Melissa Ziobro | What Britain did to Nigeria : a short history of conquest and rule by Max Siollun | Land of tears : the exploration and exploitation of equatorial Africa by Robert Harms | Mother country : Britain’s black community on the home front, 1939-45 by Stephen Bourne | Harlem nocturne : women artists & progressive politics during World War II by Farah Jasmine Griffin | The heart of the race : Black women’s lives in Britain by Beverley Bryan, Stella Dadzie, and Suzanne Scafe | Voices of the Windrush generation by David Matthews |

These E-books can be accessed via SOLO using a Oxford University SSO login, or alternatively for external readers, using the Bodleian Libraries Wi-fi network or reader PCs within the library.

The Bayeux Tapestry 2026

Posted on 28 August 2026 by ljones

This month, the Bayeux Tapestry returns to England for the first time since is was made, going on display at the British Museum for 10 months. The tapestry depicts the events of 1066, from the death of Edward the Confessor to the defeat of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and the conquest of England by William the Conqueror.

Historians generally believe that the tapestry was commissioned by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux and half-brother of William. Analysis shows it was likely made by English women in Canterbury, before being sent back across the channel. It remained at Bayeux Cathedral, being brought out for one week each year until the 18th Century. In 1797, it was displayed at the Louvre, before being returned to Bayeux 7 years later. It’s current home is a purpose-built museum.

William prepares for battle at Hastings with his half-brothers, Bishop Odo, and Count Robert.

Our display seeks to give you a deeper look into the history of the tapestry itself, as well as biographies of the key figures around 1066. We have also picked some books which look at the broader context of the Norman conquest, and how life changed for Saxons in the decades following 1066.

Did you know?

Historians are unsure whether Harold died from an arrow to the eye, as is widely believed. The earliest source we have for this comes from a few decades after Harold’s death – all earlier sources claim he was hacked apart by a great number of soldiers. Even the Bayeux Tapestry’s depiction is a Victorian restoration; some believe he was originally holding a spear.

Physical resources from top left to bottom right: Edward the confessor : last of the royal blood by Tom Licence ; Conquered : the last children of Anglo-Saxon England by Catherine Eleanor Parker ; Authority, gender and space in the Anglo-Norman world, 900-1200 by Katherine Weikert ; Anglo-Saxon propaganda in the Bayeux tapestry by Meredith Clermont-Ferrand ; The Bayeux tapestry by Lucien Musset ; The Bayeux tapestry : the complete tapestry in colour by David M. Wilson ; Harold II : The Doomed Saxon King by Peter Rex ; The Battle of Hastings, 1066 by M.K. Lawson ; William the Conqueror by David Bates ; The moral economy of the countryside : Anglo-Saxon to Anglo-Norman England by Rosamond Faith ; The Bayeux tapestry and its contexts : a reassessment by Elizabeth Carson Paston, Stephen D. Whiten with Kate Gilbert ; The Normans : power, conquest and culture in 11th-century Europe by Judith A. Green ; King Harold II and the Bayeux Tapestry by Gale R. Owen-Crocker.

*The Design of the Bayeux Tapestry* by Gale R. Owen-Crocker

*An Archaeological Study of the Bayeux Tapestry* by Trevor Rowley

*The Queenship of Mathilda of Flanders c.1031-1083* by Laura L. Gathagan

*The Invention of Norman Visual Culture* by Lisa Reilly

*Conquests in Eleventh-Century England: 1016, 1066*, edited by Laura Ashe and Emily Joan Ward

*The Cambridge Companion to: the Age of William the Conqueror*, edited by Benjamin Pohl

*The Archaeology of the 11th Century*, edited by Dawn M Hadley and Christopher Dyer

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2026

Posted on 31 July 2026 by ljones

The 9th of August celebrates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. First announced by the UN General Assembly in 1994, the day aims to raise awareness of the needs of indigenous communities worldwide, celebrate indigenous contributions to culture and the environment, and mark the anniversary of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations in 1982.

We have selected a range of books to display in the Upper Gladstone Link of the Radcliffe Camera which cover indigenous communities from across the world and showcase the variety of cultures, languages, food, religion, and literature they have produced. From first hand accounts to collections of local legends and stories, we hope our display inspires interest and appreciation for the rich and varied indigenous cultures from across the world.

For further information and upcoming events, please visit the UN and UNESCO websites.

Resources from top left to bottom right: A revolution for our rights : indigenous struggles for land and justice in Bolivia, 1880-1952 by Laura Gotkowitz | With our labor and sweat : indigenous women and the formation of colonial society in Peru, 1550-1700 by Karen B. Graubart | We people here : Nahuatl accounts of the conquest of Mexico translated and edited by James Lockhart | Possessions : indigenous art, colonial culture by Nicholas Thomas | On our own ground : the complete writings of William Apess, a Pequot edited by Barry O’Connell | Bury my heart at Wounded Knee : an Indian history of the American West by Dee Brown | The heartbeat of Wounded Knee : native America from 1890 to the present by David Treuer | Indigenous citizens : Native Americans’ fight for sovereignty, 1776-2025 by Paul C. Rosier | The rediscovery of America : native peoples and the unmaking of U.S. history by Ned Blackhawk | Native nations : a millennium in North America by Kathleen DuVal | The Shona & Zimbabwe 900-1850 : an outline of Shona history by D. N. Beach | The Shona and their neighbours by D. N. Beach | Indigenous continent : a new history of America by Pekka Hämäläinen | A history of the peoples of Siberia : Russia’s north Asian colony, 1581-1990 by James Forsyth | The coming of the Maori by Peter Henry Buck (Te Rangi Hiroa) | The Maori : yesterday and to-day by James Cowan

Accessing these e-resource materials will require a Single Sign On (SSO) login for Oxford University members. External readers will need to log in with their Bodleian accounts while using the Bodleian libraries network (either the Bodleian Libraries Wi-fi network or using the reader PCs within the library).

The Festival of Archaeology 2026

Posted on 2 July 2026 by ljones

The Festival of Archaeology, held annually by the Council for British Archaeology, is an event that invites the public to participate in and learn about archaeological practices and discoveries in the UK.

The History Faculty Library is using this opportunity to highlight our collections focusing on archaeological discoveries in the UK, as well as British archaeological practices abroad. Please feel free to browse the display in the Upper Gladstone Link at the Radcliffe Camera, as well as the e-book display listed further below. Explore the realities of commercial archaeology in the UK with Paul Everill’s book here or read about the discovery of roundhouses built on slits over a river that collapsed in a catastrophic fire around 950 BCE in modern day Cambridgeshire here.

The books present on the physical display are as follows :

In Search of Cult: Archaeological Investigations in Honour of Philip Rahtz edited by M. Carver | Appropriated Pasts: Indigenous Peoples and the Colonial Culture of Archaeology by I. J McNiven | The Making of England: Anglo-Saxon Art and Culture, AD 600-900 edited by L. Webster and J. Backhouse | The Archaeology of Celtic Britain and Ireland, c.AD 400-1200 by L. Laing | Oxford Before the University: The Saxon and Norman Archaeology of the Thames Crossing, Defences and the Town by A. Dodd | The Staffordshire Hoard: An Anglo-Saxon Treasure by C. Fern | Archaeology in British Towns: From the Emperor Claudius to the Black Death by P. Ottoway | Gold, Gilt, Pots and Pins: Possessions and People in Medieval Britain by D. A. Hinton | An Archaeology of the Early Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms by C. J. Arnold | The Archaeology of Medieval England and Wales by J. Steane | Excavating Women: A History of Women in European Archaeology edited by M. Díaz-Andreu García and M. L. S. Sørenson | A Smith in Lindsey: The Anglo-Saxon Grave and Tattersall Thrope, Lincolnshire by D. A. Hinton | The Archaeology of Early Medieval Ireland by N. Edwards | Vikings in Scotland: An Archaeological Survey by J. Graham-Campbell and C. E. Batey | The Bretons by P. Galliou and J. Michael | Blood Red Roses: The Archaeology of a Mass Grave from the Battle of Towton AD 1461 edited by C. Knüsel, V. Fiorato, A. Boylston, A. W. Boardman

Trial until 30 May: South Asia Commons

Posted on 23 April 2026 by iholowaty

We are currently trialling South Asia Commons, an online resource comprising two modules, South Asia Archive and South Asian History and Culture.

The landing page of South Asia Commons, showing a search box with suggested topics e.g. Art history, Literature, Government, etc. — (C) Coherent Digital

South Asia Archive, the first module, is a collection of 4.5 million pages of documents and published material from across the Indian subcontinent from 1700 to 1953. The collection was originally amassed by the South Asian Research Foundation in Kolkata and contains material relating to economics, politics, law, Indology, gender, archaeology, anthropology, culture, history and education. The content is mostly English, with 15% in South Asian languages, primarily Bengali and Sanskrit.

The second module, South Asian History and Culture, is a comprehensive, full-text repository providing centralised access to millions of pages of South Asian primary source materials from across the internet.

The trial will run until 30^th May 2026 and can be accessed via the New/Trial Databases section on Databases A-Z. Please send any comments and feedback to emma.mathieson@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Trial until 8 May 2026: Mass Observation Project, 1981-2019

Posted on 14 April 2026 by iholowaty

We are pleased to invite Oxford researchers to trial Mass Observation Project, 1981-2019.

An image from the home page of the resource showing a collage of various images: photo of an anti-Brexit demonstration, 1997 General Election poster showing Tony Blair and John Major, photo of a house, and handwritten response about voting intentions.

This major resource provides digital access to a remarkable life-writing archive, offering a rare window into the everyday lives, thoughts and emotions of ordinary people living through the turbulent final decades of the twentieth century and the early twenty-first.

At its heart are the voices of hundreds of Mass Observers: individuals who responded to open-ended questionnaires (“directives”), reflecting on their experiences, opinions and personal lives. Their writing captures moments that are rarely recorded elsewhere: private reflections on relationships, family life and identity, alongside candid accounts of work, health, routines and the small details of daily life. It is precisely this combination of the intimate and the everyday that makes the archive so distinctive and valuable.

At the same time, these personal testimonies are deeply connected to wider historical events. Contributors record their reactions as events unfold, offering immediate, unfiltered perspectives on major social and political developments. The archive therefore allows researchers to trace how national and global events were experienced, understood and felt at the level of individual lives.

The directives span an extraordinary range of topics, including: 9/11, AIDS, climate change, the Criminal Justice Act, the death of Princess Diana, disability, education, the EU referendum and Brexit, the Falklands War, the First Gulf War, general elections, the rise of the internet and social media, the Iraq War, the Millennium, natural disasters, the NHS, railway strikes, security and crime, and university life.

Together, these materials create a uniquely rich and textured record of modern life—one that brings history closer to lived experience and gives voice to perspectives that are so often absent from the historical record.

A snippet from this directive reads:
The emphasis this quarter falls on services both public and private, that is those that you pay for indirectly by rates and taxes etc and those that you pay for directly..

1. Public Services: we want to hear about changes in the quality and efficiency in the health service, education, public transport etc. What have been the effect of cuts in local government spending on you, and your neighbourhood? — (C) Mass Observation Archive Trustees. Mass Observation Project. 1982 Summer directivem (p1): Public and private services, the Budget, gas and electricity bills, royalty, inflation, currency, food, EEC

Individual responses also capture basic demographic information, such as marital status, employment status and occupation. This makes it possible to identify and analyse the views of specific cohorts in different circumstances.

Handwritten Text Recognition (HTR) and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) has been applied to all documents to allow full text searchability. The resource offers automatically-generated transcript for download for this document but please note that during the trial, the downloading function has been disabled.

The trial ends 8 May 2026. Feedback should be sent to isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk or jo.gardner@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

While you are here, check out some other related resources:

Earth Day 2026

Posted on 2 April 2026 by ljones

To raise awareness of the impact of anthropogenic climate change, Earth day will be held on the 22nd of April. This campaign spotlights the many challenges faced throughout the world due to the mounting effects of ecological changes as well as championing the work being done to limit this, acknowledging especially how this will disproportionately affect impoverished and marginalised communities. In accordance with this, the History Faculty Library has arranged a display in the Upper Gladstone Link of the Radcliffe Camera exploring the history of human impact and research on the environment, as well as current social and political issues surrounding climate change. This also includes a spotlight for our E-book collections, which you can browse further down this post. Please click on the book covers to be directed to the SOLO catalogue record for each entry.

Photograph of the book display in the Gladstone Link of the Radcliffe Camera.

Books on the display above, from the top left:
“The Chimney of the World: A History of Smoke Pollution in Victorian and Edwardian Manchester“ by Stephen Mosley | “A Cultural History of Climate“ by Wolfgang Behringer | “Rummage: a History of the Things We Have Reused, Recycled and Refused to Let Go“ by Emily Cockayne | “Dark Laboratory: on Columbus, the Caribbean, and the Origins of the Climate Crisis“ by Tao Leigh Goffe | “Empire of Things: How We Became a World of Consumers, from the Fifteenth Century to the Twenty-First“ by Frank Trentmann | “Climate, History and the Modern World“ by H. H. Lamb | “Footprints: in Search of Future Fossils“ by David Farrier | “Mosquito Empires: Ecology and War in the Greater Caribbean, 1620-1914“ by John Robert McNeil | “The Afterlife of Used Things: Recycling in the Long Eighteenth Century“ edited by A. Fennetaux, A. Junqua, and S. Vasset. | “An Environmental History of Britain Since the Industrial Revolution“ by B.W. Clapp | “Science and Nature: Essays in the History of of the Environmental Sciences“ edited by Michael Shortland | “An Environmental History of the Middle Ages: The Crucible of Nature“ by John Aberth | “Losing Earth: The Decade We Could Have Stopped Climate Change“ by Nathaniel Rich |

banner reading "E-Books", white text on a green background with line illustrations of roses in a darker green.

Accessing these e-resource materials will require a Single-Sign-On Login for Oxford University members. External readers will need to log in with their Bodleian accounts while using the Bodleian libraries network (either the Bodleian Libraries Wi-fi network or using the reader PCs within the library.) Please note that one of the entries below: “Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse” by Dave Goulson is an Electronic Legal Deposit item, and will need to be consulted on a reader PC within the Bodleian Libraries using the ELD browser.

Book cover for "Silent Earth: Averting the Insect Apocalypse" by Dave Goulson. An illustration of various moths, butterflies and beetles in a circular pattern on a black background.

book cover for "At Nature's Edge: The Global Present and Long-Term History" by Gunnel Cederlof and Mahesh Rangarajan. White text on black borders with a photograph in the middle of a woman walking across sand with a water container in her hand.

banner reading "More Resources", white text on a green background with line illustrations of roses in a darker green.

If you would like to get involved in making a difference, please check out these links:

Volunteering in Oxfordshire
Lifestyle and consumer choices in Oxford (And further to that, have a look at: SHARE Oxford to borrow instead of buying, or Ethical Consumer to consider your options.)
Read up on Oxford University’s Environmental Sustainability Strategy, and check out the Climate and Environment page
Talk to a Student Union representative

Trial until 4 April 2026: Notable Individuals of British Communism, 1886–1997

Posted on 5 March 2026 by iholowaty

Oxford researchers are warmly invited to trial Notable Individuals of British Communism, 1886-1997. The trial ends on 4 April 2026.

Black & white photo of a group of ten men and one woman. — © Archive Trust of the Communist Party; images © Microform Academic Publishers, 2020. All rights reserved.

This collection is drawn from the personal papers of a multitude of Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) activists throughout the twentieth century. This includes those at the heart of party (such as full-time “national organisers”), “full-time” CPGB activists such as Mariam Ramelson and Jack Dunman, and peripheral figures who supported the communist cause (such as Labour MP Dennis Nowell Pritt).

The works of trade unionists are featured extensively, and the papers of Peter Kerrigan and Arthur Horner shed light on the activities and campaigns of the Amalgamated Engineering Union and the Welsh Miners Federation, respectively.

The collection houses material from regions ranging from colonial Africa to war-torn Northeast Asia. The collection also hosts material related to militant activism, with biographical material concerning British volunteers in the Spanish Civil War, as well as accounts of those who fought against fascism in the Second World War.

The collection is accompanied by three contextual essays written by Kevin Morgan.

The trial ends on 4 April 2026. Please send feedback to isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Other political resources:

Trial until 28/2/26: Sex & Sexuality

Posted on 30 January 2026 by iholowaty

The 2026 theme for LGBT+ History Month aims to highlight the contributions of LGBT+ people, both historically and today, and to raise awareness of the individuals behind them.

Just in time for LGBT+ History month, we warmly invite Oxford researchers to explore and give feedback on two databases Sex & Sexuality and LGBTQ+ Life in America (see the VHL Blog post for more information).

Sex & Sexuality is an online resource providing access to key archival material related to human sexuality from leading archives across the world. It will be useful to students and researchers in gender / sexuality studies, history, sociology, anthropology, and medicine.

Please be aware that this resource contains material of a sexually explicit nature. Content includes, but is not limited to, descriptions and imagery of sexual violence; non-consensual sexual activity; sexual activity including minors; surgery and suicide.

The trial ends on 28 February 2026.

(c) AM Digital / Institute for Sex Research

From papers of leading sexologists to LGBTQI+ personal histories, Sex & Sexuality allows researchers to explore changing attitudes to human sexuality, gender and sexual behaviour. Geographic coverage is primarily in the United States, but also includes archival material from the UK and Australia.

Module I is sourced solely from the Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections, making available the papers of the first three institute directors (including Dr Alfred C. Kinsey), papers and research files of sexologists and researchers, publications and ephemera from the Institute and other organisations and advocacy groups, as well as correspondence and queries from members of the American public.

Module II is sourced from US, UK and Australian archives, and focus on personal experiences and self-expression. It includes personal histories, as well as accounts of grass-roots organisations and activism from the late 19^th Century to the present day. Resources include official records of pressure groups and community organisations, diaries and correspondence, photographs, objects, erotic fiction, papers of noted sexologists and more.

Feedback should be sent to bethan.davies@bodleian.ox.ac.uk and isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

While you are here, check out…

Archives of Sexuality and Gender: Sex and Sexuality, Sixteenth to Twentieth Century
Defining Gender, 1450-1910
LGBT Magazine Archive Collection 1
LGBTQ+ Life in America [on trial until 28 Feb 2026]
And more databases on Gender, LGBTQ+ and women’s history

Trials until 24/2/26: 3 databases on British mercantile & shipping records C17-C20

Posted on 28 January 2026 by iholowaty

Oxford historians are now warmly invited to trial three databases which are useful for research into British trade, economy and shipping of the late 17th century to the early 20th century. The trials end on 24 February 2026.

The resources provide historical insight into the colonial, economic, and maritime dimensions of British history throughout this period. It should also interest those exploring broader themes, such as the escalation of global trade and the development of the fiscal-military state.

Throughout this pivotal period of British and global trade expansion, these resources shine a light on Britain’s increasing naval capabilities and the expansion of lucrative maritime trade networks fuelled significant economic growth. Frequently built upon exploitation and enslaved labour, the establishment of British trading outposts and plantations throughout Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Caribbean laid the foundations for a worldwide empire and secured access to sought after commodities, such as sugar, tobacco, and textiles.

British Mercantile Trade Statistics, 1662-1809

A collection of trade ledgers, registers and indexes that supply detailed statistical data on trade throughout the Long Eighteenth Century. It also includes official registers of “Mediterranean passes” which include information on which vessels were issued passes, their port of embarkation and destinations, as well as additional information on their size, crew, and defences.

An image of Customs ledger Imports and Exports, September 1698 to December 1698 (CUSTOMS 3/2). A handwritten table shows the important and export figures to a list of countries (Africa, Canaries, Denmark & Norway, etc). — (c) British Online Archives (Microform Academic Publishers). CUSTOMS 3/2: Imports and Exports, September 1698 to December 1698. Ref: 73808-A03

Bristol Shipping Records: Imports and Exports, 1770-1917

A significant collection of digitized primary source documents, primarily Bristol Presentments (bills of entry), offering insights into nearly 150 years of maritime trade for Bristol, detailing ship arrivals, departures, goods traded (like sugar, tobacco, coffee), and key merchants, crucial for maritime history, economic, and social research, accessible via libraries and archives.

Snippet from Exports 49, nos. I (4 January) - XLIX (27 December), showing in print tnames names of traders and their produce which was shipped from Bristol on 30 Dec 1772. — (c) 2014 Microform Academic Publishers, scanned & published with the permission of Bristol Central Library. Bristol Shipping Records: Exports 49, nos. I (4 January) – XLIX (27 December).

Liverpool Shipping Records: Imports and Exports, 1820-1900

Provides access to over 85,000 digitized bills of entry, manifests, and related documents. It offers insights into 19th-century Liverpool’s trade via bills of entry, detailing cargo, ships, dates, people, and routes, crucial for understanding the city’s rise as a global port, its links to colonial goods (cotton, sugar, tobacco), the slave trade, and evolving international commerce,

Snippet from Bills of Entry for the year 1820. The printed page lists the ships and their cargo which was imported on 1 Jan 1820 at Liverpool. — (c) 2013 Microform Academic Publishers, scanned & published with the permission of Liverpool City Council and the National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside. Bills of Entry for the year 1820

Email isabel.holowaty@bodleian.ox.ac.uk for any feedback by 24 February 2026.

While you are here, check out other historical statistical resources which are available electronically.

Bodleian History Faculty Library at Oxford

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Category Archives: Electronic resources