I’m happy to let you know that over the summer the Library purchased two digital archive collections that will be of interest to students and staff looking at gender and sexuality studies, Archives of Sexuality and Gender: International Perspectives on LGBTQ Activism and Culture and Sex and Sexuality: Research Collections from The Kinsey Insitute Library and Special Collections.

You can access both databases via the Digital Primary Source and Archives Collection guide and the Databases A-Z list.

Images are from various sources in Archives of Sexuality and Gender: International Perspectives on LGBTQ Activism and Culture.

Archives of Sexuality and Gender: International Perspectives on LGBTQ Activism and Culture examines diversity in underrepresented areas of the world such as southern Africa and Australia, highlighting cultural and social histories, struggles for rights and freedoms, explorations of sexuality, and organizations and key figures in LGBTQ history. It insures LGBTQ stories and experiences are preserved. Among many diverse and historical 20th century collections, materials include: the Papers of Simon Nkoli, a prominent South African anti-apartheid, gay and lesbian rights, and HIV/AIDS activist; Exit newspaper (formerly Link/Skakel), South Africa’s longest running monthly LGBTQ publication; Geographic Files, also known as “Lesbians in…” with coverage from Albania to Zimbabwe; and the largest available collection of digitized Australian LGBTQ periodicals.

Due to the purchase of this archive the Library now has access to all 4 collections from Archives of Sexuality and Gender, with LGBTQ History and Culture since 1940, Part I and II, and Sex and Sexuality: Sixteenth to Twentieth Century having been previously purchased. These can also be accessed via the Digital Primary Source and Archives Collection guide and the Databases A-Z list.

Sex and Sexuality provides unprecedented access to a wealth of essential primary sources collated by prominent sex researchers and sexologists, community activists, official organizations, social reformers, and individuals. This resource aims to provide an insight into the wide-ranging breadth and experience of human sexuality from all angles, for example scientific, historical attitudes, sexuality, and sexual behaviours.

The Library has purchased module 1, the Research Collections from The Kinsey Institute Library & Special Collections. This is a unique collaboration with the Kinsey Institute Library and Special Collections presenting correspondence, research papers and records spanning the tenures of the first three Institute directors; Dr Alfred C. Kinsey (1947-1956), Dr Paul H. Gebhard (1956-1982) and Dr June Reinisch (1982-1993).

Trace key Institutional developments, the research agendas of leading specialists in diverse fields such as criminology, medicine, anthropology and sexology and discover the evolving public interest in human sexuality and identity.

You can access both databases via the Digital Primary Source and Archives Collection guide and the Databases A-Z list.

You can use our Digital Primary Source and Archives Collection guide to find and access all digital archive collections and databases, covering 800 years of world history, available to you at the Library.

Access is only available to current students and staff at the University of Edinburgh.

Caroline Stirling – Academic Support Librarian for History, Classics and Archaeology