Home University of Edinburgh Library Essentials
December 19, 2025
E-Journals – at risk period
Our e-journal links are at risk during the period Sunday 12th October 3am – 11am due to some maintenance and a server re-boot. Going directly to the journal’s website while on campus or using the VPN is a workaround if you encounter any issues.
Trial – BBC Monitoring Library
We have trial access to the BBC Monitoring Library until 17th November. Please see the SPS librarian blog post for full info.
Freshers, Festival, Football: The Student, 11 Oct 1984
Hot off the press (and a day early!), the 11 October 1984 edition of The Student is now available to read online https://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/thestudent/.
Featuring the surprising success of Big Country, a review of Freshers’ Week 1984 and a shock win for Hearts, this week’s paper comes with the intriguing headline “Fur coat and no knickers”.
Read more at https://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/thestudent/ .
What’s on 13th-17th October
#LibraryPop
Drop in sessions -1st Floor Main Library
13th October- 17th October
| AM | PM | |
| Monday | Digital Footprint – managing your digital footprint | Pebblepad for reflection (2-3pm only) |
| Tuesday | Musical Instrument Museum Collections | Meet Laura Shanahan (Head of Collections Development and Access) |
| Wednesday | Smart Searching with Searcher | Be in charge of the Library for the day! |
| Thursday | Box of Broadcasts (BoB) – what is it? How to use it? | Volunteering and Development with the Library |
| Friday | Your references: get it right first time | Survey: Course Collections Review |
Trial access to BBC Monitoring Library now available
The Library has set up trial access to BBC Monitoring Library and you can access this resource on the Databases trials page at www.ed.ac.uk/is/databases-trials
BBC Monitoring was created in 1939 to assess the use being made of radio by the Axis powers during WWII.
A number of its unique capabilities are still valued, such as its focus on open sources – specifically a wide range of broadcasts and news agency transmissions; its ability to provide “the words as spoken” – accurate and impartial translations of what happened, plus understanding how the media reported an event.
Managing your digital footprint (13 Oct)
Managing your digital footprint will be at the Pop-Up Library on 13 October 2014 
(10:00-12:00)
Do you want to find out how to manage your online presence (digital footprint); how social media can be useful; using social media for research & impact; networking and more? If so, then come along to the first floor, reception desk at the Main Library on 13 October (10:00-12:00).
What can you expect from the session?
- Advice
- Demos
- Information
- Activities
- Freebies
Find us on:
- Website: www.ed.ac.uk/iad/digitalfootprint
- Blog: http://uoedigitalfootprint.wordpress.com/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/UoEDigitalFoot #UoEDF
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/uoedigitalfootprint
Sage E-books – access issue
We have lost access to a number of e-books published by Sage. This has been reported to the publisher and we hope to have access restored as soon as possible.
Update – Access has been restored.
RANDOMS
I wanted to share some fantastic images that have come through the Digital Imaging Unit via general random digitization requests. This material is bound for individual researchers and would normally pass under the radar. We have enough amazing material passing through DIU to make this a monthly blog feature. First up is from “Zoology of Egypt, Reptilia and Batrachia” by John Anderson Shelfmark : L*.17.93. The whole book is packed with outstanding images and worthy of digitisation in its entirety.
Rare Books De-mystified
If you have ever fancied using old or rare books as the basis of a project, or come upon the location “Main Library – Special Collections” in the catalogue, for something you wanted, and not known what to do next, the Library Pop-Up session on Thursday 9th October, 2 – 4pm is for you.
The library has about 400,000 rare books, ranging in date from manuscript books from the eleventh century through early printing from all parts of the world, to modern limited 
editions and books with notes and annotations by scholars and scientists.
Come and see a small selection, showing the sort of thing we have, discover how to find out about them and get access to them. There will be a few you can handle, and Beth and Fiona, our Rare Books Cataloguing Interns will be running tutorials on how to handle them properly.
Trial – Oxford Scholarly Editions – Early Seventeenth-Century Prose
We have trial access to Oxford Scholarly Editions – Early Seventeenth-Century Prose until the 6th November. Access on campus or off campus via the VPN.
Oxford Scholarly Editions provides access to important writings from across the humanities, in editions which are the foundation of humanities scholarship—the primary sources upon which scholars rely for research and teaching. This trial access to the Early Seventeenth-Century Prose module includes the Minutes and Papers of the Westminster Assembly, the Royal Proclamations of King James I 1603–1625, the diaries of Samuel Pepys and John Evelynand the prose works of Thomas Hobbes, John Donne and Francis Bacon.
These links will show only the content we have access to:
Browse works – http://www.oxfordscholarlyeditions.com/search?onlySubscription=true
Browse editions – http://www.oxfordscholarlyeditions.com/search?onlySubscription=true&view=edition
Feedback and further info
We are interested to know what you think of this e-book package and platform as your comments influence purchase decisions so please do fill out our feedback form.
A list of all trials currently available to University of Edinburgh staff and students can be found on our trials webpage.
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....