New College Library welcomes Undergraduate Freshers today

Posted on September 10, 2013 by cloverodgers

As the New College Librarian, my role is to help students get the most out of using the Library. Freshers Week is a good opportunity to take a little time to get to know the Library – do this now and you’ll be paid back later on in your studies.

Here’s my top three tips for Undergraduate Freshers:

1. Come to the Library

Bring your University card to get into New College Library
From next week the Library is open 9am-6pm-10 Mon-Thurs, 9am-5pm Fridays, 12noon – 5pm on Saturdays. Remember that you can also use the Main Library which is open longer at weekends

2. Take a tour

Library tours are running in Week 1 on 16, 18 and 19 September – just turn up
You should have received a New College Library Guide leaflet in your welcome pack – it’s also available online.

3. Check out what’s online

The online catalogue is your key to finding what’s in the Library
Explore specialist resources for Divinity in the Divinity Subject Guide

And don’t be afraid to ask us for help !

Get Connected with University of Edinburgh Information Services

Posted on September 9, 2013 by cloverodgers

Get Connected drop in sessions for Freshers Week are running in the Main Library mezzanine (above the entrance gates) on 9th-13th September between 10am-4pm. No appointments necessary, just turn up.

Take the opportunity to connect up your own personal devices e.g. laptops, phones and tablets/pads to the University network. Staff will be on hand to help and guide you – I’ll be there myself 1-2pm.

You can also find out more at : www.ed.ac.uk/is/new-students

Welcome to New College Library

Posted on September 9, 2013 by cloverodgers

A big welcome to all students starting and returning to the University of Edinburgh today, at the beginning of Freshers week 2013. We’re looking forward to meeting you. To help you get started at University, check out this guide for new students to Library & IT services.

If you want to get ahead with using New College Library, you could start with the Virtual Tour.

There will be a programme of tours for students at New College Library – students please watch your email for details. There will also be events happening all over the University Library to help you get connected with your IT and Library services.

New books at New College Library – September

Posted on September 4, 2013 by cloverodgers

New College Library has a regular display of new books at the far end of the Library Hall, close to the door to the stacks.

New in this month is For and against David : story and history in the books of Samuel / edited by A. Graeme Auld and Erik Eynikel, available at BS1325.52 For.

Also new is the 3rd edition of Mark as story : an introduction to the narrative of a gospel by David Rhoads, Joanna Dewey and Donald Michie, at BS2585.2 Mar.

These titles were purchased for Biblical Studies at the School of Divinity, Edinburgh University.

You can see an regularly updated list of new books for New College Library on the Library Catalogue – choose the New Books Search and limit your search to New College Library. Here’s a quick link to new books arriving in the last few weeks. A word of caution – some of the books listed here may still be in transit between the Main Library (where they are catalogued) and New College Library, so not on the shelf just yet.

New Buddhism e-book collection now available

Posted on August 29, 2013 by cloverodgers

Last spring, we were successful in bidding for a range of new online resources for Divinity. I’m pleased to announce that one of these, 47 titles from the Routledge Critical Studies in Buddhism series, is now available. University of Edinburgh users can find and access the titles via the online library catalogue, such as Buddhist and Christian? : an exploration of dual belonging by Rose Drew.

Piping treasure on display in ‘The Piper’s Whim’ Exhibition

Posted on August 26, 2013 by cloverodgers

A collection of piobaireachd, or pipe tunes : as verbally taught by the M’Crummen pipers in the Isle of Skye to their apprentices / now published, as taken from John M’Crummen … [by Neil MacLeod, Gesto]. Edinburgh : Printed by Alex. Lawrie & Co., 1828. New College Library Gaelic Collections 137

Currently on display at St Cecilia’s Hall, Cowgate, Edinburgh is an instruction book on the bagpipe (in Gaelic Pibroch, or, Ceol mor, or, literally, Big music) from New College Library’s Gaelic Collection. Entitled “A collection of piobaireachd, or pipe tunes” it includes ” Canntaireachd notation” which was a way of teaching pibroch using verbal sounds. At first sight this looks like a collection of texts, but is actually music in the traditional ‘verbal notation’ that pipers used. It was published by Captain Niel MacLeod of Gesto, in Skye.

The volume is on display as part of THE PIPER’S WHIM: Exhibition of Historic Bagpipes from Scotland, England and Ireland, a special exhibition showing the full variety of bagpipes played in Britain from the past 250 years. These include Lowland and Border pipes, the more familiar Highland bagpipe, Northumberland smallpipes and Irish union or uillean pipes. The exhibition explores the traditions of piping, pipemaking and bagpipe ownership.

New books at New College Library – August

Posted on August 5, 2013 by cloverodgers

New College Library has a regular display of new books at the far end of the Library Hall, close to the door to the stacks.

New in this month is Caesar and the Lamb : early Christian attitudes on war and military service by George Kalantzis, on the shelf at BT736.2 Kal.

Also new is Migrations of the holy : God, state, and the political meaning of the church by William Cavanaugh, at BV630.3 Cav.

These titles were purchased for Theology & Ethics at the School of Divinity, Edinburgh University.

From slave trader to ‘Amazing Grace’ – John Newton

Posted on July 24, 2013 by cloverodgers

[Newton, John] / An authentic narrative of some remarkable and interesting particularas in the life of ********* … London, 1786. New College Library Z.1188

Today marks the anniversary of the birth of John Newton, Anglican clergyman and hymn writer. This volume from New College Library’s Special Collections tells his remarkable story. The Authentic narrative of some remarkable and interesting particulars in the life of Mr. Newton describes Newton’s early career as a seaman on a slave trading ship. He experienced a profound religious conversion, which when he finally took up life on shore led him to become active in evangelical revival. He pursued private studies in Divinity and taught himself Greek, Hebrew and Syriac.

In 1764, the year he was ordained as an Anglican priest, his Authentic Narrative appeared and quickly became a bestseller. Newton’s early life as a seaman slave trader coloured his experiences in later life, when he wrote and campaigned against slavery and is known to have met and advised William Wilberforce. He was a prominent hymn writer, and his legacy lives on today in the well known hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ .

New College Library has this sixth edition, at Z.1188, published in 1786, but it went through ten British and eight American editions before the end of the century. It was quickly translated into several other languages – New College Library also holds a Gaelic edition at Gaelic Coll. 137.

Sources

D. Bruce Hindmarsh, ‘Newton, John (1725–1807)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2010 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/20062, accessed 18 July 2013]

John Calvin – Works and Correspondence now available online

Posted on July 11, 2013 by cloverodgers

By Flemish school (Unknown) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. On permanent display in Espace Ami Lullin of the Bibliothèque de Genève.

John Calvin 1509-1564. By Flemish school (Unknown) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
On permanent display in Espace Ami Lullin of the Bibliothèque de Genève.

Newly available to University of Edinburgh users is the online version of the Works of John Calvin, including the Institutes of the Christian Religion. This is the edition of the Institutes translated by Ford Lewis Battles and published by Westminster Press in 1960. Also included are Calvin’s Tracts and Treatises (3 vols.), translated by Henry Beveridge, originally published by the Calvin Translation Society (Edinburgh) in 1851,and Letters of John Calvin (4 vols.), edited by Dr. Jules Bonnet, translated by David Constable, originally published in 1855-57. This online version complements the many printed editions of Calvin’s works which are available at New College Library.

Online access for University of Edinburgh users is available via the Past Masters Database – see http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/databases-a-z under ‘P’.

This resource was purchased for the forthcoming Calvin in Context course at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh.

New books at New College Library – July

Posted on July 10, 2013 by cloverodgers

New College Library has a regular display of new books at the far end of the Library Hall, close to the door to the stacks.

New in this month is the Oxford handbook of theology and modern European thought edited by Nicholas Adams, George Pattinson and Graham Ward, on the shelf at B803 Oxf.

Also new is Heidegger on death : a critical theological essay by George Pattinson, at B3279.H49 Pat.. This title is also available as an e-book.

These titles were purchased for Theology & Ethics at the School of Divinity, Edinburgh University.