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June 11, 2026
Textiles and threads – samples and catalogue
ANOTHER SPLASH OF COLOUR FOR THE COLLECTIONS – FROM EUROPE, CHINA AND JAPAN
Towards the end of the 2015-2016 financial period, CRC acquired a small number of items relating to textiles and the textile trade, bringing another small splash of colour to the collections.
Threads from Kwangtung (Guangdong), China, in Coll-1766.
The items reflect both English and French textile production and the textile production of the Far East (Japan and China). The items in question are samples of textiles and threads.
Wrapper from a sample of threads from Guangdong, China, in Coll-1766.
We acquired a collection of silk thread samples from Kwangtung (Guangdong), China, a city in which which silk production is an important sector of the economy, and which began the export of silk during the Han dynasty.
Catalogue of silk samples from Kyoto, Japan, in Coll-1762.
The collection of 15 wrappers offers silk threads in various colours, all housed in paper with ties. The name of the producers are on the upper covers, which state that the silk is produced by natural colours and washed in clear water. They were produced by Shun Shing Ho and Tian Da Lao Dien.
From the catalogue of silk samples from Kyoto, Japan, in Coll-1762.
We also acquired a catalogue of a silk manufacturer or kimono maker based in Kyoto, which in the 1900s was the centre of the Japanese textile trade. The catalogue has board covers in purple soft fabric with Japanese script which may once have been gilded.
‘Cocksey’ trademark on bookplate in album of textile samples, in Coll-1769.
The album contains 198 mounted and different silk samples in various colours or shades.
Textile sample from album, Coll-1769.
Finally, we now have the remains from two albums which contained mounted textile samples… English (possibly Lancashire) and French. These are mainly printed cottons pasted on stiff paper with numbers and annotations in ink.
Textile samples from album, Coll-1769.
Some have annotations in French and are dated 1862. Some have the book-plate ‘Cocksey’, a registered trademark.
Wrapper from a sample of threads from Guangdong, China, in Coll-1766.
On our archives and manuscripts catalogue these collections are known as: Coll-1762 Catalogue presenting 198 different mounted fabric silk samples, Kyoto, Japan; Coll-1766 Collection of samples of Chinese silk threads for embroidery, Kwangtung; and, Coll-1769 Collection of British / French textile samples and designs on printed cotton.
Dr. Graeme D. Eddie, Assistant Librarian Archives & Manuscripts, Centre for Research Collections
Destructive scanning of duplicate theses
Hello, I’m Pete Marsden one of the digitisation assistants working out at the Gyle in West Edinburgh, and this is what I get up to……..
Here is a sneak peek behind the scenes at the library annexe where the thesis digitising team are hard at work. We have over 15,000 theses, most of which are duplicates, to scan over the next 18 months.
The theses are double checked on our spreadsheet to ensure that they are indeed duplicates and haven’t previously been scanned, when we are happy with this, the thesis has its boards removed with a sharp knife.
![_DSC0008[1]](https://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/phddigitisation/files/2016/09/DSC00081-300x199.jpg)
Removing the boards with a Stanley knife
The next stage is to remove the binding using a manual guillotine and a bit of elbow grease. The thesis is now ready to move on to the scanning stage.
![_DSC0013[1]](https://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/phddigitisation/files/2016/09/DSC00131-300x199.jpg)
Removing the binding with a manual guillotine
![_DSC0017[1]](https://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/phddigitisation/files/2016/09/DSC00171-300x199.jpg)
Kodak i4250 document scanner
Next time we will look at the image processing using Limb software.
Evening Floor Closures
As part of the ongoing electrical enabling works to accommodate the new study desks as part of the library refurbishment works, our contractors have scheduled a series of essential power shut downs from Monday 5th September 2016. The shut downs will be taking place from 21:00 to minimise disruption to library users. On these dates, the following floors will be closed to both staff and library users whilst the works are being carried out:
Mon 5th September: 4th and 3rd floors closed from 21:00 (to 06:00 Tues 6th)
Tues 6th September: 2nd floor closed from 21:00 (to 06:00 Weds 7th)
Weds 7th September: 1st floor and Lower Ground Floor closed from 21:00 (to 06:00 Thurs 8th)
There will be no access to the closed floors from 21:00 until the library opens the following morning. Please be advised to collect items in advance of or after the dates and times above. Staff have been advised of any preparation required in advance of the power shut downs.
Apologies for the disruption caused – thank you for your patience while work is underway.
Global journals for World Christianity
The University of Edinburgh subscribes to a wide range of academic journals for the School of Divinity, but we’re also active in making the most of open access journals that are freely available on the web. Anabaptist Witness is one of these, and has recently been added to DiscoverEd. This journal aims to provide global Anabaptist and Mennonite dialogue on key issues facing the church in mission.
Korea Presbyterian Journal of Theology has also recently been added to DiscoverEd. Available in Korean and English, this journal aims to create academic discourse for theology that is evangelical and Biblical, is Reformed and ecumenical, and focuses on the Korean, Asian and global contexts in theological discourse.
Christine Love-Rodgers, Academic Support Librarian – Divinity
New Digital Collections for Divinity in 2016
We’ve been able to purchase several new digital collections to support the School of Divinity in 2016. All of the below are accessible via http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/databases-a-z and via the Divinity subject guide http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/subject-guides-divinity
Brepols Database of Latin Dictionaries
Database comprising a large number of Latin dictionaries to assist translation from Latin into modern languages and to provide semantic and etymological explanations.
China, Culture & Society
Digital collection of rare pamphlets (c. 1750-1929) from Cornell University Library creating a very rich source for research on China, addressing Chinese history, religion, culture, and everyday life. Read More
Desk Top Power Modules
Part of the refurbishment works to create new study areas will also involve an upgrade to the existing desk top power modules on a number of new and existing desks. We are confident that these new desk top power modules will help address the many issues that users have been experiencing, each desk will be fitted with a single socket and double USB charging point.
Additional electrical enabling works have been planned to accommodate these new desk top power modules which will see a number of areas affected, these works have been scheduled in order to minimise disruption to users. These areas will be cordoned off to users whilst the work is taking place.
Please see below for details
4th Floor: from 6pm to 6am on Monday 29th August – Tuesday 30th August 2016 electrical enabling work will take place throughout the floor to prepare for the installation of additional desk top power supply units.
3rd Floor: from 6pm to 6am on Tuesday 29th August – Wednesday 31st August 2016 electrical enabling work will take place throughout the floor to prepare for the installation of additional desk top power supply units.
2nd Floor: from 6pm to 6am on Wednesday 31st August, Thursday 1st & Friday 2nd September 2016 electrical enabling work will take place throughout the floor to prepare for the installation of additional desk top power supply units.
1st Floor: from 6pm to 6am on Thursday 1st September – Friday 2nd September 2016 electrical enabling work will take place throughout the floor to prepare for the installation of additional desk top power supply units.
Around the World in 90 years- the Story of Historic Leith Improvement Scheme Photographs
When Fraser Parkinson first contacted us about the collection of historic photographs of Leith that he had been entrusted with, my colleagues and I at the Centre for Research Collections were very excited. The photographs were taken to show the slums of Leith prior to the ‘Edinburgh (Leith) Improvement Scheme of 1924’, where large areas were to be cleared and rebuilt. Fraser tells us that:
‘The Town Council Minutes of 3rd April 1924 propose the demolition or reconstruction of ‘certain houses, courts, and alleys unfit for human habitation’.
The concerns of William Robertson, Medical Officer of health for the City and Royal Burgh of Edinburgh, were that the
‘narrowness, closeness and bad arrangement, or the bad condition of the streets and houses, or the want of light, air, ventilation or proper conveniences or other sanitary defects are dangerous or injurious to the health of the inhabitants of the buildings in the said Areas, or of the neighbouring buildings.’
The scheme involved large-scale demolition in this area of Leith, and the re-housing of most displaced residents out-with the areas covered by the scheme.
These photographs were taken as a record of the area at this time by the City Council. They provided the photographic evidence of the conditions that presented significant risk to public health at this time.’
Data Carpentry & Software Carpentry workshops
The Research Data Service hosted back to back 2-day workshops in the Main Library this week, run by the Software Sustainability Institute (SSI) to train University of Edinburgh researchers in basic data science and research computing skills.
Learners at Data Carpentry workshop
Software Carpentry (SC) is a popular global initiative originating in the US, aimed at training researchers in good practice in writing, storing and sharing code. Both SC and its newer offshoot, Data Carpentry, teaches methods and tools that helps researchers makes their science reproducible. The SSI, based at Edinburgh Parallel Computing Centre (EPCC), organises workshops for both throughout the UK.
Martin Callaghan, University of Leeds, introduces goals of Data Carpentry workshop.
Each workshop is taught by trainers trained by the SC organisation, using proven methods of delivery, to learners using their own laptops, and with plenty of support by knowledgeable helpers. Instructors at our workshops were from Leeds and EPCC. Comments from the learners – staff and postgraduate students from a range of schools, included, ‘Variety of needs and academic activities/disciplines catered for. Useful exercies and explanations,’ and ‘Very powerful tools.’
Lessons can vary between different workshops, depending on the level of the learners and their requirements, as determined by a pre-workshop survey. The Data Carpentry workshop on Monday and Tuesday included:
- Using spreadsheets effectively
- OpenRefine
- Introduction to R
- R and visualisation
- Databases and SQL
- Using R with SQLite
- Managing Research & Data Management Plans
The Software Carpentry workshop was aimed at researchers who write their own code, and covered the following topics:
- Introduction to the Shell
- Version Control
- Introduction to Python
- Using the Shell (scripts)
- Version Control (with Github)
- Open Science and Open Research
Software Carpentry learners
Clearly the workshops were valued by learners and very worthwhile. The team will consider how it can offer similar workshops in the future at a similarly low cost; your ideas welcome!
Robin Rice
EDINA and Data Library
A Passage to India – Part 2
In this week’s blog, Special Collections Conservator, Emily Hick, describes the next stage of conserving a collection of Indian paintings, and explains how she used a rigid gel to remove old tissue papers that were adhered to the front. You can read part one of this blog here.
After completing a condition report and putting together a treatment proposal, we began interventive treatment. The first step was to surface clean the paintings. This removes all loose surface dirt, which can be harmful to paper documents, and prevents the dirt from sinking further into the paper fibres during the later aqueous treatments, making it difficult to remove. To do this we used a soft goat hair brush on the painted areas and smoke sponge on the borders. We cut the smoke sponge into small pieces and used a dabbing motion to avoid removing any of the gold leaf sprinkled on the surface. A good quality Mars Staedler™ rubber was cut into thin slithers and used to remove areas of ingrained dirt on the edges of the painting.
Ingrained dirt at the corner of a painting
Dawsonera downtime
E-Books on the Dawsonera website will be unavailable for up to half an hour between 7:30am and 8:00am on Thursday 25th August 2016 while they undertake essential work on the platform. Dawsonera will be offline during this time and students should ensure they have downloaded and opened any e-books they need access to before this outage occurs. It will also not be possible to read titles which have been downloaded but not opened before the outage period.
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