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:

Gain Valuable Experience and Get Paid as a Gale Student Ambassador!

Posted on 12 May 2025 by iholowaty

Are you looking to enhance your CV with paid business experience at a global publisher? Gale, an international leader in digital archives and library resources, is offering an exciting opportunity for students to become Gale Student Ambassadors for the 2025-26 academic year.

As a Gale Student Ambassador, you will help raise awareness about Gale’s fascinating archives, which include full collections of newspapers like The Times, The Telegraph, the Daily Mail, and The Economist, as well as specialised archives like Eighteenth Century Collections Online and the Archives of Sexuality and Gender.

Why Apply?

Paid Business Experience: Earn £750 while working directly with a global publisher.
Marketing Skills: Run your own marketing campaigns, refining copy and images for successful social media use.
Public Speaking: Gain valuable public speaking experience by conducting presentations and training sessions for your peers.
Published Work: Feature your work on Gale’s company blog, providing shareable evidence of your contributions.
Networking: Connect with university staff, fellow students, and professionals at Gale, both locally and internationally.
Research Skills: Enhance your research abilities and discover primary sources to improve your essays and grades.

Application Deadline: 1 July 2025

Don’t miss this chance to boost your career prospects and gain unique experiences. Interested? Click the link below for more information and to apply.

Apply now at https://www.gale.com/intl/gale-ambassadors/application

History Thesis Fair for undergraduates on Wed 30 April

Posted on 23 April 2025 by mendonckw

We are delighted to run the History Thesis Fair for second-year undergraduates this year on Wednesday 30 April, 3-5pm at the Examination Schools (North Writing School).

All info can be found here: History Thesis Fair for Undergraduates

The Fair is aimed at 2nd year history undergraduates embarking on their thesis research and who are looking to explore the wealth of research source material available for their field of study.

It is the ideal opportunity to learn about resources you may not yet have considered for your undergraduate thesis, and to connect with librarians, archivists, researchers, and collection curators who can guide you towards relevant material or useful finding tools. You can also speak to other students who have previously written dissertations and learn about their TOP 10 TIPS.

30 stalls will cover many areas:

Topical stalls, e.g.

Biography
Disability History
Legal History
LGBTQ+, Gender and Sexuality
History of Science & Medicine
Maps and Mapping
Medieval History
Oral History
Visual Culture
and more

Special Collections, libraries and archives, e.g.

Archives and Manuscripts 1500-1800
Archives and Modern Manuscripts 1800-
College Libraries (Special Collections)
College Archives
Digital primary source providers: Gale Primary Sources, AM – Adam Matthew Digital
Early Printed Books
Oxford Brookes University Special Collections & Archives
Oxfordshire History Centre
Printed Ephemera (John Johnson Collection)
UK Government and International Intergovernmental Publications

Geographical stalls, e.g.

Africa & Commonwealth
East Asia & South Asia
Eastern Europe and Russia
Great Britain & Western Europe
Middle East, Hebrew & Judaica, Caucasus & Central Asia
Latin America
United States

Plus, at our Information Skills stall, learn what courses are laid on to help you develop the research and referencing skills you will need.

The format of the Fair encourages you to explore and discover new materials at your own pace, to be curious, to network and to make connections to experts and your peers.

Accessibility

The main entrance to the Examination Schools is stepped. There is a ramped entrance immediately to the left of the main entrance. There is lift access throughout the building, two wheelchair accessible toilets and hearing support systems that can be deployed where needed throughout the building. Most areas of the building have level access.

The accessible toilet is gender neutral and is at the bottom of the staircase opp. Room 8.

If you have any queries, please email library.history@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Research skills training

Working on your thesis means that you will need to learn new or improve existing research skills, including:

Effective searching for information;
Awareness of the rich sources available in Oxford (and beyond) and how to access them;
Ability to correctly handle physical source material, such as archives;
Correct citation practices, ethical research practice, etc.;
Awareness of the relevant experts in Oxford libraries and archives.

The Bodleian Libraries have many classes and workshops set up to help you learn the skills you need – check out the research training page on this Libguide:

Research Training for Historians

We hope to see you at the Fair!

Easter Vacation Loans

Posted on 10 March 2025 by scloudesley

We are almost at the end of Hilary Term and so the History Faculty Library will be moving into the vacation loan period. From today – Monday 10th March (8th week), all books issued from the library won’t need to be returned until Tuesday 29th April (1st week, Trinity).

This also applies to any online renewals of current loans that take place from Monday 10th onwards. However, if there is a hold request on a book you have, it will need to be brought back by the original due date.

As always, you can check due dates and renew books through your SOLO account. And if you have any questions please come and speak to staff in the Radcliffe Camera or drop us an email at library.history@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.

Have a lovely break!

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

Posted on 19 December 2024 by rdarcybrown

On the last Friday of November (29^th 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

Michaelmas Term Welcome Tours

Posted on 7 October 2024 by scloudesley

Welcome to 0th Week, Michaelmas Term 2024!

The Radcliffe Camera (incl. History Faculty Library) will be holding welcome tours for new students during 0th Week and 1st Week. The tours will introduce you to the library spaces and services, and talk in a little more detail about the collections in the Camera and Gladstone Link, particularly the collections of the History Faculty Library.

The tours will take place at the times below. No booking is required and the meeting point will be in the Lower Camera reading room on the ground floor. Just ask staff to direct you should you need help.

0^th week: Wed to Fri: 10:30 / 11:30 / 12:30 / 2:30 / 3:30 /4:30

1^st week – Mon to Fri: 11:30 / 3:30

Information about all the welcome tours taking place across the Bodleian Libraries can be found here:

https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ask/getting-started/under-post-graduates

We look forward to welcoming you to the library!

Christmas Vacation Loans

Posted on 23 November 2023 by scloudesley

As we come to the end of Michaelmas Term, the History Faculty Library will be moving into the vacation loan period. From Monday 27th November (8th week), all books issued from the library won’t need to be returned until Tuesday 16th January (1st week, Hilary).

This also applies to any renewals of current loans that take place from Monday 27th onwards. However, if there is a hold request on a book you have, it will need to be brought back by the original due date.

Happy Christmas reading!

Summer Vacation Loans start 21 June 2023

Posted on 8 June 2023 by ljones

With the end of term fast approaching, readers are advised that HFL borrowing for the summer will begin on Wednesday 21st June. Please note, this is in 9th Week due to the History of the British Isles assessment that takes place during the preceding week. From this date onwards HFL borrowing limits will increase to 30 items (short loans inclusive), with a due date of Monday 9th October. Wishing you all the best of luck in the coming weeks!

Disability History Hackathon, or…How to crowdsource over 200 websites!

Posted on 8 December 2022 by iholowaty

To mark Disability History month, 24 volunteers assembled in the History Faculty on a cold and grey last day of term with an additional 12 joining the event via Teams. The mission? To find quality websites for a Bodleian Libraries’ guide on disability history resources. Prof Rob Iliffe opened the event by thanking all for contributing to the Faculty’s commitment to foster teaching and research in disability history.

Photo shows a tiered lecture theatre with participants looking towards the speaker.

Photo by Rachel D’Arcy Brown

After lunch and a handy crash course on advanced Google searching by Bethan Jenkins, students, researchers, librarians, and staff from the University’s Disability Advisory Service (DAS) settled down with their laptops to surf the web. Individuals were given broad topics to focus on. In just under two hours, an astonishing 226 resources were recorded, covering all periods and forms of disability. This is a fantastic achievement by the volunteer hackers and more than we could have hoped for.

The History Faculty Library trainee, Alice Shepherd, will next design a user-friendly version of the guide and add helpful contextual information. When completed at some point in 2023, the guide will be open to anybody in the world who is interested in disability history and looking for research resources. Watch this space!

Photo shows a laptop on a table in the History Fculty Common Room

Photo by Helen Young

As an event format, this jointly organised hybrid hackathon was a great success and will be a template for similar initiatives in the future. It used an inclusive, accessible, and collaborative approach to crowdsource quality resources for research and the public good. And it was fun! There may have been cake in between and drinks at the end for the survivors….

The effort to collate quality resources has not stopped. Individuals wishing to nominate a resource for the disability history guide are warmly invited to do so, using the input form at https://oxford.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/disability-history-hackathon-input-form.

Our thanks and gratitude also go to the History Faculty and their staff for supporting the event in many ways, and to all the library and DAS staff who helped with the organisation and delivery of the event.

Dr Sloan Mahone, History Faculty & Isabel Holowaty, Bodleian Libraries

Undergraduate and Taught Postgraduate Welcome Tours 2022

Posted on 29 September 2022 by gevans

Welcome tours to the Radcliffe Camera (including the History Faculty Library) are now available for undergraduates and taught postgraduate students to book.

You can book a place on one of our tours here:

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

Tours last approximately 30 minutes and will run on the following dates and times in 0th and 1st weeks of Michaelmas Term:

Wednesday 5th to Friday 7th October – 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm

Monday 10th to Friday 14th October – 11am, 3pm

We look forward to welcoming you to the library and introducing you to our collections and services.

Bodleian History Faculty Library at Oxford

A Bodleian Libraries blog

Category Archives: News