Home University of Edinburgh Library Essentials
June 11, 2026
Observing the EU with the EUobserver
The Library has been given trial access to the independent online newspaper EUobserver. Launched in 2000 their aim is to support European democracy by giving people the information they need to hold the European Union (EU) establishment to account.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page.
Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends on 7th April 2017.
EUobserver is an independent, not-for-profit news organisation established in Brussels in 2000. Their team of journalists file daily news reports from the EU capital and beyond and do in-depth investigations on topics of special interest. EUobserver is the only independent news media covering EU affairs in Brussels and all 28 member states. They are not funded by the EU institutions.
The database can be accessed for the duration of the trial period via e-resources trials.
Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends 7th April 2017.
Feedback welcome.
ProQuest Congressional on trial
*The Library currently has access to ProQuest Congressional through the ProQuest Access 350 subscription until 31st July 2024. Access via the Databases A-Z list.*
The Library currently has trial access to the full range of digital collections for ProQuest Congressional. In addition to our existing Congressional Record access this provides access to the ‘Congressional Research Digital Collection’, or CRDC a collection of research materials – CRS Reports and Committee Prints – created for Congress. It also gives access to the ‘Congressional Hearings Digital Collection’, a collection of published and unpublished hearings held by Congress.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page.
Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends on 1st April 2017.
Listen very carefully!
I’m happy to let you know that thanks to an agreement with JISC the Library has been given extended trial access to the primary source database BBC Listener Research Department, 1937-c.1950 from British Online Archives.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page (listed as British Online Archive – BBC Listener Research Department, 1937-c.1950).
For off-campus access you will need to use the VPN.
Trial access ends 31st December 2017.
Founded in 1936 the BBC’s pioneering Listener Research Department (LRD) examined wireless listening in Britain nationwide and at a regional level. This database reproduces the entire available collection of weekly Audience Summaries, together with the weekly then daily Listening Barometers. Also included are the Audience Reaction Reports on specific programmes and Special Reports on particular themes or issues for the period, as well as some key policy documents produced by the LRD during these years, tracing the early development of what has come to be known as market research within the BBC. Read More
Trial access: Socialism on Film
And finally…Adam Matthew have given the Library trial access to their just released resource Socialism on Film. This impressive collection of documentaries, newsreels and features reveals the world as seen by Soviet, Chinese, Vietnamese, East European, British and Latin American film makers. Documenting the communist world from the Russian Revolution until the 1980s and covering all aspects of socialist life.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends 5th April 2017.
Trial access: Race Relations in America
The Library has been given access to another exciting new primary source database from Adam Matthew, Race Relations in America. So for a limited time only you can use this resource to explore three pivotal decades in the struggle for civil rights in America through the eyes and work of sociologists, activists, psychologists, teachers, ministers, students and housewives.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends 5th April 2017.
**Trial access has now been extended until 23rd May 2017**
Annual Review of Cancer Biology – now available
Annual Review of Cancer Biology has now been added to DiscoverEd. This e-journal is a new start for 2017 and will review a range of subjects in cancer research that represent important and emerging areas in the field. The Annual Review of Cancer Biology will be divided into three broad themes: Cancer Cell Biology, Tumorigenesis and Cancer Progression, and Translational Cancer Science.
Further info
We subscribe to the Annual Reviews Sciences Collection – this provide access to 44 titles. A list can be viewed here.
Trial access: East India Company
I’m very pleased to let you know that the Library has been given trial access to the brand new primary source database East India Company from Adam Matthew. This unique digital resource allows students and researchers to access a vast and remarkable collection of primary source documents from the India Office Records held by the British Library, the single most important archive for the study of the East India Company.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends 5th April 2017.
From 16th-century origins as a trading venture to the East Indies, through to its rise as the world’s most powerful company and de facto ruler of India, to its demise amid allegations of greed and corruption, the East India Company was an extraordinary force in global history for three centuries. Read More
Window to a Sixth-Century Scriptorium
A post from guest curator Elijah Hixson, PhD student, School of Divinity
This month’s student led display at New College Library features the facsimile Codex Purpureus Petropolitanus, which is on display at the entrance to New College Library. This Codex is one of the three manuscripts to be discussed in the next Biblical Studies seminar “Window to a Sixth-Century Scriptorium: Three Luxury Gospel Manuscripts and the Scribes Who Made Them” on Friday 10 March.
Codex Purpureus Petropolitanus (N 022) [facsimile] Four Gospels; Sixth century (Possibly Syria?).
[Facsimile] Athens: Miletos, 2002
New College Library (Special Collections):
Ho Porphyrous Kōdix tōn euangeliōn Patmou kai Petroupoleōs; Folio Z.142
These four letters are abbreviations for the words “God” and “Son” in the text: αληθως θ(εο)υ υ(ιο)ς ει (“Truly, you are the Son of God”).
The facsimile is open to Matthew 14:26–36. This opening is an excellent example of how much the conditions in which a book is kept can affect its appearance. These two folios remained together for around 1,300 years. They were numbered consecutively, relatively recently in their history (see the numbers 82 and 83 written in the centre of the top margins). At some point after they were numbered (probably around the year 1896, but not before 1820), the folio on the left was separated from the rest of the codex.
Codex Purpureus – left folio
When the folio resurfaced in Athens in the 1950s, its purple dye had faded, its silver ink had tarnished, and the folio had crease marks because it had been folded up. The folio on the right remained protected within the majority of the codex, and only the silver letters around the edges of the page were exposed to air and tarnished. which was sold to Russia in 1896, and it remains in St. Petersburg to this day.
Codex Purpureus Petropolitanus is cited as N in most modern critical editions of the Greek New Testament. Its text is an early form of the Byzantine textform found in the majority of Greek New Testament manuscripts. Most scholars think it was made in Syria (possibly Antioch).
Elijah Hixson, PhD candidate, School of Divinity
IIIF Technical Workshop and Showcase March 2017
Improving Access to Image Collections
On 16th and 17th March the University of Edinburgh and National Library of Scotland will be hosting two International Image Interoperability Framework events.
IIIF Showcase
The IIIF Showcase brings together developers and early adopters to explain the background and value of IIIF, its growing community, and the potential of the Framework and the innovative ways in which it can be used to present digital image collections. There will be presentations from Edinburgh University Library, National Library of Scotland, National Library of Wales, Durham University, University College Dublin, The Bodleian Library, Digirati, Cogapp and others.
Logistics
- Registration: Registration is free but capacity is limited.
- Date: Friday, March 17, 2017
- Location: National Library of Scotland (NLS) Boardroom on George IV Bridge (see map)
- Audience: Individuals and institutional representatives interested in learning more about IIIF
- Code of Conduct: The IIIF Code of Conduct applies to all IIIF events and related activities.
- Social Media: Tweets about the event should use #iiif and @iiif_io.
IIIF Technical Workshop
The IIIF Technical Workshop unconference, hosted by the University of Edinburgh at Argyle House, will bring together colleagues who have implemented IIIF services, are developing the Framework and associated tools, and working on community initiatives. The workshop will provide opportunities to discuss implementations, issues, initiatives and developments and the forthcoming Annual IIIF conference in June.
Logistics
- Registration: Registration is free but capacity is limited.
- Date: Thursday, March 16, 2017
- Location: University of Edinburgh Argyle House (see map)
- Audience: Developers already working with IIIF or considering an implementation
- Code of Conduct: The IIIF Code of Conduct applies to all IIIF events and related activities.
- Social Media: Tweets about the event should use #iiif and @iiif_io.
Trial access: China: Trade, Politics and Culture
The Library has been given trial access to the primary source database China: Trade, Politics & Culture from Adam Matthew. So for a limited time only you have access to this fantastic digital collection of English-language primary sources relating to China and the West from 1793 to 1980.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends 5th April 2017.
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....