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December 14, 2025
50 Years of Sociology at Edinburgh: Professor Tom Burns
In 1964 the Sociology department at University of Edinburgh was founded by Tom Burns. A prominent sociologist and one of the first sociologists to be elected to a Fellowship of the British Academy, Professor Burns worked at the University until his retirement in 1981.
The Centre for Research Collections at the University Library holds Professor Burns papers. Although these are currently uncatalogued and require some extensive conservation work, I was allowed a sneak peak at a box of offprints that is part of his collection of papers (Tom Burns offprints: Accession no. E2002.6).
The City as Looking Glass by Tom Burns in Prospect (1960)
Happy Graduation Day!
Today we have lots of celebrations as a number of alumni, colleagues and friends celebrate graduations.
Among them are Graham Dey who was Welfare Officer and music guru at Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) for over 20 years and helped many students. Graham is a great supporter of the ECA archive and provided much advice on events and people at ECA during from the 1980s to the 2000s. Here is a caricature of him from the ECA Student Handbook 1993! (With thanks to the artist, Neil Kempsell).
I also met jeweller Sheila Fleet O.B.E. and her family. Sheila is receiving an honorary degree today and we had a great chat over items in the archive, including photographs where we spotted her and members of the family when at the College. Within the group eight of the family had graduated from the College. Here is Sheila and her sisters Connie, Dorothy and Leila, who studied at ECA, on the staircase in the main building.
Sheila also brought along her College scarf. I had never seen one, so was very excited when she brought it out of her bag!
And last but not least our own Emma Smith, who works as Exhibitions Assistant within the Centre For Research Collections. She graduated today with First Class Honours. We’re so proud!!
Congratulations to all! We hope you’ve had a fantastic day!
Rachel Hosker, ECA Archivist
Presentation skills
Lecture notes by Geoffrey Beale illustrating crossing over in Neurospora, 1940s (Coll-1255)
Giving lectures is a prominent aspect of working life for many academics, as the animal genetics archives here at Edinburgh University Library Special Collections show. Most of the collections of scientists’ personal papers contain information relating to academic and public lectures given, and frequently also include copies of the lectures themselves, some dating back as far as the 1940s. This material gives a fascinating insight into how genetics teaching has changed and evolved over the decades, but we don’t always hear about the experience of lecturing from the point of view of the listening students. Anecdotes occasionally survive about teachers who were particularly memorable (for both good and bad reasons!). James Cossar Ewart, Professor of Natural History at the University from 1882-1927, was instrumental in establishing genetics as an academic subject at the University of Edinburgh in the early twentieth century, but his reputation as a lecturer is not quite as gilded. One of his students, Maurice Yonge, remembered that Ewart’s lectures were ‘conducted amid scenes of riot and general pandemonium, Ewart…being unable to control the class. Indeed, at times…so chaotic were the proceedings, that only the movement of Ewart’s large walrus moustache indicated he was still lecturing.’ On the other hand, the first director of the Institute of Animal Genetics, F.A.E. Crew, was a charismatic and inspiring teacher, as his friend and colleague Lancelot Hogben recalled: Read More
A Case for Sensorship
Preventive conservation, and environmental monitoring in particular, is an important part of my job as Conservation Officer at the University. It was for this reason, therefore, that I found myself heading into our storage and exhibition spaces within the Centre for Research Collections, and beyond, to collect up our Hanwell environmental monitoring sensors (all 37 of them) and prepare them for their annual calibration. Although small, these sensors are invaluable in helping us to monitor temperature and relative humidity conditions, and their calibration ensures that the readings are as accurate as possible.
It is impossible to halt the aging process of a material completely. However, environmental conditions during storage and display can greatly affect the rate of aging and the extent of damage, and, therefore, a well-controlled environment can dramatically improve the condition of a collection, and reduce the need for more interventive treatment in the future. Our Hanwell environmental monitoring system provides regular readings, and helps to ensure that the conditions stay within the recommended limits as set out by the British Standard Institution’s document PD 5454:2012 (Guide for the storage and exhibition of archival material) – namely 13°C-20°C and 35%-60% relativity humidity with emphasis placed on stability within these parameters.
Having successfully undergone their yearly check-up, it was just left to place them all back again….
Hanwell Environmental Monitoring Sensors
Employ.Ed Hidden Collections Intern – Weeks 2 to 4
Halfway through the internship, so here comes another update from the Annexe.
These few weeks have been a lot more eventful than I would have expected.
Let me try and get things in chronological order. In week two I made a list of (hopefully) everything in our House of Lords collection (or everything in our collection that is to do with the House of Lords to be more precise) for the National Library of Scotland, who are aiming to digitise their collection and wanted to know what we can offer as back-up.
Important lessons were learned from this trailblazing work, for example:
- Wear a dust mask when you are spending hours surrounded by 160 shelves of really old books.
- Take regular breaks for fresh air.
- Do not cough your lungs out due to not following the aforementioned guidelines.
Since then I have mostly been working on the New Zealand periodicals collection, which seems to be going at quite a good pace (I am almost certain I will be able to finish the pre-cataloguing work while I am here, with luck maybe get to cataloguing as well). There were occasional patches of very interesting things, chief among them The Journal of the Polynesian society. While it is unlikely to get a spot in the Main Library, it is available as an on-line resource, and I thoroughly recommend leafing through it to anyone interested in linguistics, anthropology, geography or history. The covers of National Educations with their pictures of Maori (and Pakeha) kids from the 80’s strongly intensified my sentimental state of mind around Wednesday, week 3. Bad puns in old advertisements made me groan (XYZ Pens and Markers – Always write for you!). Oh, and I found pages from a pamphlet or book from the 1906-07 international fair in New Zealand featuring pictures of towns and landscapes, advertisements (Hotel Central with its new Pneumatic Elevator!), and similar. Another thing I ran into was “A Souvenir of the Empire Coronation Contingents at the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth”.
Their majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Crowned in Westminster Abbey May 12th 1937
A Souvenir of the Empire Coronation Contingents at the Coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth
Of course, there are also patches of extremely chaotic and messy stuff. And then there are the 27 shelves of Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives of New Zealand – a truly electrifying read. No pictures here. You’ll have to come and see that I am not overstating for yourself.
How to do baking (Cherry Fairy Cakes)
Our Thomas Nelson collection however is probably soon to become available, and that contains a number of lovely and interesting books, from the pretty Nelsons Classics books to French textbooks for Swedish students. Also, a lot of bibles. Also, “How to do baking.”
And here’s what I am most looking forward to – I have been asked to take a look at some of our special collections. Yay, old books! Papyrus bindings! Weird drawings! A History of Serpents and other liuing creatures! Let us see if will manage to get my hands of some incunabula. More on that story as it unfolds.
The colleagues, as we’ve now established through thought experiments with Scott and Iraklis, are almost certainly all real. This is a good thing to keep in mind, because hearing someone starting to speak on the radio when you’ve forgotten you have one and you know you are working alone in the store can be a terrifying experience.
In addition, Iraklis said that they won’t let me go when my contract expires (possibly under the influence of fudge and baked goods). Let’s see how that works out. In all fairness – I’d be quite happy to stay.
Nik Slavov, Hidden Collections intern.
The Thomas Nelson Archive contains, “a number of lovely and interesting books.”
The National Library of Scotland
Edinburgh University Health and Safety Department
June E-Book News
The following multidisciplinary e-book collections are now available with the individual titles added to the library catalogue.
Oxford Handbooks Online
We have extended our existing Oxford Handbooks Online collection with purchases in: Business & Management, Criminology, Linguistics, Literature, Philosophy & Political Science.
These can be browsed by selecting the show full text results only option.
Palgrave Connect
Access over 4900 e-books on the Palgrave Connect platform in subject areas Business & Management, Economics & Finance, Education, History, Language & Linguistics, Literature, Media & Culture, Political Science Collection, International Relations & Development, Religion & Philosophy, Social Sciences and Theatre & Performance.
Sage Knowledge
Access over 2700 e-books on the Sage Knowledge platform covering subject areas Business & Management, Counselling, Criminology, Education, Geography, Health & Social Care, Media & Communication, Politics & International Relations, Psychology and Sociology.
Select the “available to me” option to browse our content.
Further information about our e-books is available from http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/information-services/library-museum-gallery/finding-resources/resource-types/ebooks
Open Access in the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine
My name is Anna Krzak, and I am an Open Access Research Publications Administrator for the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. I have been in this role since March this year. Previously, I worked as an Open Access Publications Assistant (also for MVM) so I am not entirely new to the University and its Open Access (OA) project. I have been assisting academics within the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine with the RCUK OA policy implementation since April last year but, since I used to work mostly from home, I should introduce myself properly now.
The main purpose of my new role is to gather Open Access full text versions of research papers and the accepted peer-reviewed manuscripts and to upload the files to the Institutional Repository. As part of that, I ensure that the licensing terms and conditions are adhered to, including any embargo periods, and that any licenses or set phrases are acknowledged in PURE. In addition, I often advise academic staff on research funders’ Open Access policies and relevant Open Access options. If necessary, I consult the publishers in regard to their often unclear self-archiving policies (this is probably my least favourite bit..). As such, my role combines both theoretical and practical aspects of the OA implementation project that’s currently being undertaken throughout the University.
As the RCUK OA policy has been in force since April 2013, I thought it would be a good idea to evaluate the progress of its implementation in my College:
Please note that the collected evidence refers only to peer-reviewed research articles (including review articles) and conference proceedings that were submitted for publication after 1 April 2013 and that acknowledge the RCUK funding (as per the RCUK OA policy).
RCUK Compliance for the reporting period 1/04/13 – 4/06/14:
Approximately 224 research outputs have been identified, of which 192 have open access documents available to the general public. This means an 85% open access compliance rate (as of 4th June 2014).
| All outputs | All Open Access | Gold/Gratis OA | Green OA |
| 223 | 191 | 164 | 27 |
However, a more detailed analysis of the RCUK requirements for OA has revealed few secondary problems:
- Licensing: Although the majority of all OA articles have been published under the CC-BY and CC-BY-NC licence (as required by the RCUK), in approximately 18 cases the articles were published under the CC-BY-NC-SA or CC-BY-NC-ND licences
- Length of embargo periods: In 18 out of 27 cases the embargo periods were 12 months and longer
- Self-archiving issues: In several cases journals didn’t offer any green options
If we take these points into consideration, the compliance rate for the specified period stands at approximately 67%, as compared to the required 45%. Overall, it’s quite a good result for MVM.
I’m afraid that my introduction has come across all too serious. However, in a face-to-face conversation you may find out that I am not really that bad 😉
-Anna Krzak, Open Access Research Publications Administrator, MVM
Building History
As part of our role here, Malcolm and I have taken many photographs of the Main Library. Over the years this has built up an archive of born digital images that show the life of the Library. Before and after shots of the Main Library Redevelopment Project, seasonal shots of the building and campus environs, students using the facilities and CRC events- such as exhibition openings, have all been documented.
Occasionally, one of us has to play a cameo role in the photo’s on those days we just can’t seem to get a student in the right spot, Malcolm stars in this one…
Dealing with Data – Call For Papers
Dealing with Data Conference 2014
Call for Papers
Date:
Tuesday 26th August 2014, 9am – 1pm
Including a formal launch of University RDM service by the Principal at 11:30am
Location:
University of Edinburgh (room to be confirmed)
Themes:
Data creation
Data management planning
Data visualisation
Data archiving and sharing
Open Data
Data re-use
Electronic lab books
Data preservation
Software preservation
Non-traditional data types
Data analysis
New requirements for Research Data Management
Data infrastructure
Linked Data
Format:
Presentations will be 20 minutes long, with 10 minutes for questions. Depending on numbers, thematic parallel strands may be used. Presentations to be aimed at an academic audience, but from a wide range of disciplines.
Call for papers:
A half day conference on the subject of ‘Dealing with Data’ is being run to coincide with the launch of the University of Edinburgh’s Research Data Management support service that consists of tools and services to deal with the whole lifecycle of research data, from planning and storage, to sharing and archiving.
The conference invites proposals for presentations on any aspect of the challenges and advances in working with data, particularly research data with novel methods of creating, using, storing, visualising or sharing data. A list of themes is given above, although proposals that cover any aspect of working with research data are welcome.
Please send proposals (2 sides of A4 max) to Stuart Lewis (stuart.lewis@ed.ac.uk) before Friday 25th July 2014. Papers will be reviewed and the programme compiled by the 8th August.
Dealing with Data – Call For Papers
Dealing with Data Conference 2014
Call for Papers
Date:
Tuesday 26th August 2014, 9am – 1pm
Including a formal launch of the University Research Data Management services by the Principal at 11:30am
Location:
University of Edinburgh (room to be confirmed)
Themes:
Data creation
Data management planning
Data visualisation
Data archiving and sharing
Open Data
Data re-use
Electronic lab books
Data preservation
Software preservation
Non-traditional data types
Data analysis
New requirements for Research Data Management
Data infrastructure
Linked Data
Format:
Presentations will be 20 minutes long, with 10 minutes for questions. Depending on numbers, thematic parallel strands may be used. Presentations to be aimed at an academic audience, but from a wide range of disciplines.
Call for papers:
A half day conference on the subject of ‘Dealing with Data’ is being run to coincide with the launch of the University of Edinburgh’s Research Data Management services that consists of tools and support to deal with the whole lifecycle of research data, from planning and storage, to sharing and archiving.
The conference invites proposals for presentations from University of Edinburgh researchers on any aspect of the challenges and advances in working with data, particularly research data with novel methods of creating, using, storing, visualising or sharing data. A list of themes is given above, although proposals that cover any aspect of working with research data are welcome.
Please send proposals (2 sides of A4 max) to Stuart Lewis (stuart.lewis@ed.ac.uk) before Friday 25th July 2014. Papers will be reviewed and the programme compiled by the 8th August. A PDF version of this Call for Papers is available for printing: DealingwithDataConference2014-cfp
Collections
Hill and Adamson Collection: an insight into Edinburgh’s past
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Cataloguing the private papers of Archibald Hunter Campbell: A Journey Through Correspondence
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Projects
Cataloguing the private papers of Archibald Hunter Campbell: A Journey Through Correspondence
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Archival Provenance Research Project: Lishan’s Experience
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