Discovering ProQuest Primary Sources

Looking for primary sources and historical documents for your dissertation or research project? Interested in finding out more about how to search some of the primary source databases you have access to at the Library? Looking to use archive newspapers for your research?

ProQuest are giving our students and staff the opportunity to join their training team for a series of seminars exploring their extensive Primary Source collections, which you have access to from the Library. In each 30-minute tutorial, you will take a deep dive into key ProQuest resources and will learn the best search strategies, tips and tricks for getting the most relevant results for your research projects. This is a really great opportunity to learn from the experts how to use these fantastic resources and find relevant material for you. Continue reading

ProQuest Access 350: 600 years of world history

*Access has now been extended until 31st July 2024*

I’m very pleased to let you know that University of Edinburgh Library has set up a new subscription with ProQuest that gives you access to almost all available ProQuest digital primary source databases until 31st December 2021.

ProQuest Access 350 allows you to explore 600 years of world history online and will help enrich learning, teaching and research at the University across a range of subject areas and topics including History, the Arts, Literature and Social Sciences.

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On trial: State Papers Online Eighteenth Century

Thanks to a request from a PhD student in HCA the Library currently has extended trial access to State Papers Online: Eighteenth Century, 1714-1782 Parts I-IV from Gale. This covers the final section of the State Papers series from the National Archives in the UK before the series was closed and replaced by the Home Office and Foreign Office series in 1782.

You can access State Papers Online: Eighteenth Century via the E-resources trials page.
Access is available on and off-campus.

Trial access ends 30th June 2020.

State Papers Online: Eighteenth Century comes in 4 parts and we have access to all 4 during this trial. Continue reading

On trial: State Papers Online

Thanks to a request from the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) the Library currently has trial access to 3 further collections from the State Papers Online database from Gale. State Papers Online offers original historical materials across the widest range of government concerns, from high level international politics and diplomacy to the charges against a steward for poisoning a dozen or more people.

You can access the 3 collections on trial via the E-resources trials page.
Access is available on and off-campus.

Trial access ends 30th June 2020.

The 3 collections the Library has trial access to are: Continue reading

On trial: Gale Primary Sources (even more content!)

I’m very pleased to let you know that the Library has been given extended trial access to an extensive range of primary source databases and collections from Gale. This is an exciting opportunity to access a wide range of these digital primary sources that wouldn’t normally be available to us but also compliment the wide range of primary source databases we already have access to from Gale.

You can access all of these trial databases via the E-resources trials page.
Access is available on and off campus.

Trial access to these databases ends 30th June 2020. Continue reading

On Trial – The Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative, and International Law, 1600-1926

Thanks to a request from staff in HCA the Library current has extended trial access to The Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative, and International Law, 1600-1926 from Gale. This resource provides you with instant, full-text access to primary source documents previously found only at the largest and oldest repositories.

You can access The Making of Modern Law: Foreign, Comparative, and International Law from the E-resources trials page.
Access is available on and off-campus.

Trial access ends 30th June 2020. Continue reading

British Online Archives – full access until 30th June 2020

*Access has been extended until 30th June 2020*

I’m happy to let you know that British Online Archives (BOA) are providing 30 days free access (starting from 23rd March) to its entire collection of digital primary sources in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

BOA provide students and researchers with access to unique collections of primary source documents. Their website hosts over 3 million records drawn from both private and public archives. These records are organised thematically, covering 1,000 years of world history, from politics and warfare to slavery and medicine. Continue reading

Bloomsbury Digital Resources – full access until June 2020.

I’m pleased to let you know that Bloomsbury Digital Resources are providing us with full access to their online resources until 30th June 2020 in light of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Bloomsbury Digital Resources products cover a range of disciplines in the Humanities, Social Sciences, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts. Their collections include primary documents, critical texts, historical archives and the latest in video and audio resources.

While at the Library we already have access to some of these collections, this current offer from Bloomsbury Digital Resources gives us access to a wide range of further resources including Bloomsbury Medieval Studies, Bloomsbury Cultural History and Arcadian Library Online. Continue reading

On trial: Paris Peace Conference and Beyond, 1919-1939

Thanks to a request from HCA staff the Library currently has trial access to Paris Peace Conference and Beyond, 1919-1939 from British Online Archives (BOA). The Paris Peace Conference was a meeting of Allied diplomats that took place in the aftermath of the First World War. Its purpose was to impose peace terms on the vanquished Central Powers and establish a new international order. This fascinating digital primary source database gives you access to official and personal papers relating to this conference and the treaties that came from it.

You can access this database from the E-resources trials page.
Access is available on and off-campus.

Trial access ends 17th March 2020.

The First World War gave rise to a complex system of alliances and antagonisms. The various treaties imposed by the Allied powers in its aftermath settled conflicts with Germany, Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire (later Turkey), Austria, and Hungary. Paris Peace Conference and Beyond contains documents that cover the treaties of Versailles, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Neuilly-sur-Seine, Trianon, Sèvres, Lausanne, and Locarno, as well as the foundation of the League of Nations. Continue reading

New to the Library: Bayeux Tapestry Digital Edition

Following a successful trial in semester one I am pleased to let you know the Library now has a subscription to the Bayeux Tapestry Digital Edition. This online version allows you to scroll through the entire Tapestry and zoom in on the Tapestry to the level of the actual weave.

You can access the Bayeux Tapestry Digital Edition via the Databases A-Z list and the Digital primary source and archive collections guide. You can also access it via DiscoverEd. Continue reading