Home University of Edinburgh Library Essentials
June 27, 2026
Journal of Computational Biology access now available
The Library now subscribes to the Journal of Computational Biology. It publishes in-depth statistical, mathematical, and computational analysis of methods, as well as their practical impact.
Journal of Computational Biology coverage includes:
- Genomics
- Mathematical modeling and simulation
- Distributed and parallel biological computing
- Designing biological databases
- Pattern matching and pattern detection
- Linking disparate databases and data
- New tools for computational biology
- Relational and object-oriented database technology for bioinformatics
- Biological expert system design and use
- Reasoning by analogy, hypothesis formation, and testing by machine
- Management of biological databases
Further info
This e-journal has been added to DiscoverEd. Access is back to Vol.1 (1994).
E-learning with Employ.ed
Today we hear from Sophie, our first ever Employ.ed student in the conservation studio…
Hi, my name is Sophie Lawson and I am currently the Conservation E-learning intern at the Centre for Research Collections at the University of Edinburgh. During my time of ten weeks here in the Conservation Department I will be creating an electronic learning resource on the subject of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). My internship is part of the Employ.ed programme, which is a University run scheme that supports students’ career development, providing work experience whilst working towards attaining the Edinburgh Award. I am currently going into my third year of my undergraduate degree in History and have an interest in special collections, particularly in digitisation and use of technologies in the heritage sector.
The University’s IPM plan is integral to the storage of rare and unique collections, being a tested method to monitor and control insect pests and mould activity in collections that, if left unmonitored or untreated, could cause irreversible and expensive damage to collection items. As part of a preventive conservation programme, IPM is an effective way to reduce damage and cost, and to minimise intervention with special collection items. An effective IPM plan will enable institutions to have greater control over and knowledge of pest activity in their facility, making pest prevention and treatment much more effective. One of my goals through creating this e-learning resource is to aid this accumulation of knowledge of pest activity throughout the department, with the hope that the resource will be used for internal staff training for a basic overview of our IPM plan, how it works and why it is so important.
Using a microscope to identify pests
So far in my internship I have been able to gain invaluable insight into the field of Conservation, having spent some time in the Historic Environment Scotland’s Conservation Studio, as well as our own in the CRC, and even being able to try my hand at some surface cleaning and making boxes for rehousing books! More specifically I have gained a great deal of knowledge about Preventive Conservation, having researched Integrated Pest Management and the theory behind it for the content of my e-learning resource. In addition to this, I have been able to shadow my supervisor, Katharine Richardson, as she carried out pest trap inspections as part of our IPM Plan – and was even able to get a closer look at the kind of pests we found!
Trap used to monitor for pest activity
For the remainder of my internship I aim to create a user directed, interactive program, and experiment with implementing different types of media such as games and video tutorials to create an engaging and educational resource. I hope that through the completion of this project we are able to generate a broader knowledge of IPM and its importance amongst the University’s Centre for Research Collections staff, as well as introduce new methods of e-learning and training styles to be used in the department in future projects.
Japanese e-books in EBSCOhost eBook Collection
The University Library has for the first time purchased some Japanese e-books which are available to read on the EBSCOhost eBook Collection platform. Once on the platform, click “Choose Databases” at the top of the page, and then select both “Audiobook Collection” and “eBook Collection”, close the “Choose Databases” page, and then search for Japanese titles. Alternatively, just go to the pre-selected Japanese e-books list by clicking here.
At the moment there are 56 Japanese e-books in total but the number will grow.
Why football banned women
In this week’s blog I’m using some of the Library’s online resources to find primary source material relating to the popularity of women’s football during and just after the First World War and the decision by the FA to ban it.
The other night on catch-up I watched the Channel 4 documentary When Football Banned Women, programmed to coincide with the Women’s EURO 2017 (which Channel 4 just happens to be showing, it’s like they thought about their programming or something!) This interesting documentary looked at the rise in popularity of women’s football during the First World War and the subsequent decline after the decision by The Football Association (FA) to ban the women’s game in 1921.
If you’ve not seen it you can watch it on Box of Broadcasts (BoB).
Screenshot from ‘When Football Banned Women’ (Channel 4).
As I am always looking for an excuse to use some of the University Library’s fantastic online primary source collections, I decided this was a perfect story to try and find out more about from our online archives.
While I primarily used some of the online newspaper archives the Library has access to for that period, I did do some searching in some other primary source collections that covered the period in question. You can find a list of the specific databases I used at the end of the post.
Women’s football in the First World War
With 1000s of men being called up to fight in the First World War, women were expected to take on roles as never before in the workplace and with this came other opportunities. Women’s football teams began to form, often put together or sponsored by the industries and companies now employing the vast female workforce. These teams began to play matches with the primary aim of raising money for charity and while spectators may have originally attended to help raise money and to watch what they thought of as a novelty, they continued to attend as the matches were good and the teams had skill. Read More
Introducing ‘Body Language’
‘Body Language: movement, dance and physical education in Scotland, 1890-1990’ is a new Wellcome Trust Research Resources-funded project between Edinburgh University Library Special Collections and the Fergusson Gallery, Perth with the support of Moray House School of Education, Margaret Morris Movement International and Scottish Gymnastics. I am the archivist on this project and over the next two years I will be cataloguing, preserving and making available these three significant collections relating to movement, dance, physical education and gymnastics in Scotland:
- The archives of Margaret Morris Movement International
Margaret Morris (1891-1980) established her own system for dance training, Margaret Morris Movement, which focuses on breathing techniques, posture and strength training with co-ordinated movements. Margaret Morris Movement International works today with mentally and physically disabled persons using Morris’s systems and techniques. The archives contain costume designs, music scores, choreography notes, scripts, sketchbooks, diaries, teaching and publicity materials, photographs and around 8,000 items of correspondence from individuals including Edward Elgar, Stanley Baldwin and Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
- The records of Dunfermline College of Physical Education
Dunfermline College of Physical Education, founded in 1905, was one of the first training colleges for women students of physical education and had an important influence on developing the role of movement and the body in educational practice. The records comprise governance, staff and student records, teaching materials, artefacts
including costumes and uniforms, photographs, and a collection of performance and
educational films. It also incorporates the records of DCPE’s Old Student Association.
- The archives of Scottish Gymnastics
Scottish Gymnastics was founded in 1890 as a voluntary organisation representing a number of Scottish gymnastic and athletic clubs. Broadening its initial focus from military fitness to general health and wellbeing, it was significant for promoting and supporting gymnastics in Scotland and abroad. The archives contain minute books, correspondence, instructional material, photographs, rare books, journals and other printed material.
We are fortunate to have the support and collaboration of a number of academics on our Project Board who will be using the collections for research and raising awareness of this material to wider academic and public groups.
I’m looking forward to getting started working with these collections and sharing what I find in this blog!
Clare Button
Project Archivist
New Springer Nature E-Journals Available
We now subscribe to 5 newly published e-journals from Springer Nature:
Nature Astronomy is a truly multidisciplinary journal for the field, representing — and fostering closer interaction between — all of the key astronomy-relevant disciplines, by publishing the most significant research, review and comment at the cutting edge of astronomy, astrophysics and planetary science.
Nature Biomedical Engineering publishes original research, reviews and commentary of high significance to the biomedical engineering community, including bench scientists interested in devising materials, methods, technologies or therapies to understand or combat disease; engineers designing or optimizing medical devices and procedures; and clinicians leveraging research outputs in biomedical engineering to assess patient health or deliver therapy across a variety of clinical settings and healthcare contexts.
Nature Ecology & Evolution is interested in the full spectrum of ecological and evolutionary biology, encompassing approaches at the molecular, organismal, population, community and ecosystem levels, as well as relevant parts of the social sciences. Nature Ecology & Evolution provides a place where all researchers and policymakers interested in all aspects of life’s diversity can come together to learn about the most accomplished and significant advances in the field and to discuss topical issues.
Nature Human Behaviour will publish research of outstanding significance into any aspect of human behaviour, its psychological, biological, and social bases. Nature Human Behaviour will feature a broad range of topics, including (but not limited to) perception, action, memory, learning, reward, judgment, decision-making, language, communication, emotion, personality, social cognition, social behaviour, neuropsychiatric/neurodevelopmental/neurological disorders, economic & political behaviour, belief systems, social networks, social norms, social structures, behaviour change, collective cognition and behaviour, culture, public policy.
Nature Reviews Chemistry aims to cover both the traditional core subjects of the field — organic, inorganic, physical and analytical chemistry — while also providing insight to non-specialists where chemistry is a significant component of interdisciplinary research. These topics may include but are not limited to: chemical biology, chemical physics, materials science and nanotechnology. The journal also aims to bring to the attention of its readers topics beyond academic research with particular focus on chemistry education and research outside the academic environment.
Further info
Access to these new e-journals is now available via DiscoverEd:
New i2S CopiBook V-Shape Scanner in the DIU
Last week the i2S CopiBook V-Shape arrived in the Digital Imaging Unit where it was installed and demoed by Pascale Thuilliez from i2S. This high-quality bookscanner was bought with the view to being used for the next phase of the Session Papers Project (read my previous blog here for more information on the project itself).
New College Library is open throughout the Edinburgh Festival 2017
Edinburgh Festival time is coming, and the Assembly Hall on the Mound will once again be a Festival venue. As well as the Assembly Hall, the Rainy Hall and various other rooms at New College will be used during this year’s Festival Fringe from Friday 21st July to Friday 1st September 2017.The Quad will also be in use as a bar and the box office will be located on Mound Place.
New College Library remains open throughout the Festival season. Should you see any sign at the gates saying ‘This Venue is Closed’, this will apply only to the Festival Fringe venues and will not restrict your own access to the Library, which you can enter as usual. During Fringe performance times, access to the Quad will be controlled by Fringe staff and you are advised to carry your staff or student card, to facilitate your entry and to minimise any inconvenience.
If you are visiting Edinburgh, you are welcome to register for visitor reference access to New College Library. Please bring two forms of identity with you. We require photographic proof of identity, confirmation of current address, and a passport size/style colour photograph to register for a reference card.
New! The Encyclopedia of Political Thought
I’m happy to let you know that following requests from staff in Politics & International Relations the Library has purchased access to The Encyclopedia of Political Thought online from Wiley Blackwell. The Encyclopedia examines the history of political thought, contemporary political theory, and political philosophy.
You can access The Encyclopedia of Political Thought via DiscoverEd.
The Encyclopedia offers over 900 A-Z entries, including shorter definitions and biographies as well as extended treatments of major topics, from over 700 contributors from around the world. Examining the history of political thought from antiquity to contemporary political theory and political philosophy, the Encyclopedia also reflects diverse traditions in the evolution of political theory and political science. Read More
New to the Library: Presidential Recordings Digital Edition
The Library now has access to the fascinating Presidential Recordings Digital Edition. This rich resource includes transcripts and corresponding audio of secretly recorded conversations in the Oval Office from Presidents John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard M. Nixon.
You can access Presidential Recordings Digital Edition via the Databases A-Z list and relevant Databases by Subject lists e.g. Primary Sources, Politics, etc. and you can access it via DiscoverEd.
Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt through to Richard M. Nixon all secretly recorded many of their conversations in the Oval Office. The resulting 5,000 hours of telephone and meeting tape recorded during their time in the White House capture some of the most significant moments in modern American political history. From Birmingham to Berlin, from Medicare to My Lai, from Selma to SALT, and from Watts to Watergate, the presidential recordings offer a unique window into the shaping of U.S. domestic and foreign policy. Read More
Collections
Hill and Adamson Collection: an insight into Edinburgh’s past
My name is Phoebe Kirkland, I am an MSc East Asian Studies student, and for...
Cataloguing the private papers of Archibald Hunter Campbell: A Journey Through Correspondence
My name is Pauline Vincent, I am a student in my last year of a...
Projects
Cataloguing the private papers of Archibald Hunter Campbell: A Journey Through Correspondence
My name is Pauline Vincent, I am a student in my last year of a...
Archival Provenance Research Project: Lishan’s Experience
Presentation My name is Lishan Zou, I am a fourth year History and Politics student....