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December 17, 2025
Shiny New Camera Arrives in the DIU
Last week saw the delivery of our brand new camera- the Hasselblad H5D-200MS. This camera is hot off the press with only a few in the country so far. Capable of capturing high quality files up to an astonishing 570MB, this should be fantastic for shooting exhibition images when large format printing is called for. The addition of a second copy unit will also help us to gear up towards increasing the departments output.
More information about the camera can be found at http://www.hasselblad.co.uk/promotions/h5d.aspx
ECA Collection at the Annexe : Dame Blackadder
A series of articles on the relationship between the Library Annexe and the ECA.
One of the gems being stored out at the Annexe amongst the ECA Collection is the below oil panting by Dame Elizabeth Violet Blackadder.
Tuscan Landscape by Elizabeth V. Blackadder, Oil on paper, 51 x 71 cm, Collection: ECA part of University of Edinburgh Fine Art Collection
A Scottish painter and printmaker, in 1962 Blackadder began teaching at Edinburgh College of Art where she continued until her retirement in 1986.
She is the first woman to be elected to both the Royal Scottish Academy and the Royal Academy.
Her work can be seen at the Tate Gallery, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and has appeared on a series of Royal Mail stamps.
If you are interested in the paintings stored out at the Annexe, the BBC have digitised the collection and made it available on the web page ‘Your Paintings’.
Stephanie Farley (Charlie), Library Annexe Assistant
Research Data Management: good news fit to print!
Congratulations to Digital Curation Centre staffer Sarah Jones, who co-authored an article about UK University RDM initiatives with Jisc Programme Manager Simon Hodson in the Guardian Higher Education Network pages today:
“Seven rules of successful research data management in universities: Sound research rests on the ability to evidence, verify and reproduce results – managing your data enables all three.”
Sarah is helping the University develop support for Data Management Planning towards its RDM Roadmap goals as part of the DCC’s 21 institutional engagements providing tailored support to increase research data management capability.
A number of direct and indirect pointers to the University of Edinburgh’s work appear in this concise but well-presented piece, including the Research Data MANTRA online course, the formation of an RDM Steering Group, a roadmap to address EPSRC data sharing requirements, online guidance for staff, and librarian training.
John Calvin – Works and Correspondence now available online
![By Flemish school (Unknown) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. On permanent display in Espace Ami Lullin of the Bibliothèque de Genève.](https://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/newcollegelibrarian/files/2013/07/488px-john_calvin_-_young.jpg)
John Calvin 1509-1564. By Flemish school (Unknown) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.
On permanent display in Espace Ami Lullin of the Bibliothèque de Genève.
Online access for University of Edinburgh users is available via the Past Masters Database – see http://www.ed.ac.uk/is/databases-a-z under ‘P’.
This resource was purchased for the forthcoming Calvin in Context course at the School of Divinity, University of Edinburgh.
The Centre for Research Collections has launched a competition online using DIU Images!
The Centre for Research Collections is trying to find one image from the vast and immensely diverse Collections to stand out and proudly represent it. Some of the highlights captured by the Digital Imaging Unit have been selected and a Facebook competition asking people to help find the Iconic Image of the CRC was launched!
Some of the Treasures nominated for the best and most iconic image are various books from the William Shakespeare Collection, different beautiful medieval and oriental manuscripts, musical instruments and other objects which all deserve to win. However, only the one which receives the most Likes will win the competition!
Please vote for the image you like and think best embodies the Centre and its Collections!
The CRC is looking forward to announcing the winner in the near future, so keep tuned for more updates and follow the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/crc.edinburgh
New books at New College Library – July
New College Library has a regular display of new books at the far end of the Library Hall, close to the door to the stacks.
New in this month is the Oxford handbook of theology and modern European thought edited by Nicholas Adams, George Pattinson and Graham Ward, on the shelf at B803 Oxf.
Also new is Heidegger on death : a critical theological essay by George Pattinson, at B3279.H49 Pat.. This title is also available as an e-book.
These titles were purchased for Theology & Ethics at the School of Divinity, Edinburgh University.
You can see an regularly updated list of new books for New College Library on the Library Catalogue – choose the New Books Search and limit your search to New College Library. Here’s a quick link to new books arriving in the last few weeks. A word of caution – some of the books listed here may still be in transit between the Main Library (where they are catalogued) and New College Library, so not on the shelf just yet.
Online Collections Directory
We have started to publish our online Collections Directory, starting with up to date descriptions of all the main Rare Book Collections.
This is part of a major project to publish a printed A-Z guide to all the University’s heritage collections, from archives and rare books to musical instruments and fine art. There will be further announcements as the project develops.
New exhibition on display on the 6th Floor of the Main Library
Welcome to the Centre for Research Collections’ Display Wall where you can discover some of the hidden treasures from the many different collections we are home to. This short-term exhibition highlights the wonderfully interesting items from museum objects to archives to rare books detailing the relationship between humans and animals.
The exhibition will be on until 26th July, so hurry up and come have a look at the Ceramic model of Sir Walter Scott’s favourite deerhound dog Maida and an image of James Cossar Ewart who is well-known for his cross-breeding experiments with horses and zebras. On display are also a series of folklore items, including a milking song, a charm against foxes, and a protection charm for cattle, a few very interesting animal skulls and a folding anatomical model of a dog.
Here is more information about some of the highlights currently on display:
Leighton, Robert. Cassell’s New Book of the Dog. London, n.d. [c.1915?] Vol.1
This handsomely-illustrated set of books on the dog is dedicated to Queen Alexandra, “who has ever been a true friend of dogs”. It includes numerous coloured and photographic plates of different breeds of dog, and a folding anatomical model at the start of volume 1. This copy is part of the historic War Memorial Library of the Veterinary School, which was transferred to Special Collections in 2011.
Ceramic model by Teviotdale Craft & Design Company of Sir Walter Scott’s much-portrayed favourite dog Maida. Maida (1816-1824) was a (male) deerhound presented as a gift to Scott by Alexander Macdonell of Glengarry. Maida is also portrayed on the statue of Scott in the Scott Monument on Princes St. I’m not sure of the exact date but it would be early 20th century.
This case note relates to Kasyan, one of two Samoyed dogs owned by the surgeon and described by Dott as ‘a canine member of my family’. Dott was a life-long lover of animals, and this correspondence and report demonstrate his determination to know that he could not have done more to save his ailing companion, for both his own piece of mind and the ‘veterinary interests’ involved in Kasyan’s treatment. Kasyan is probably pictured in this photograph from Dott’s biography, guarding young Jean Dott.
James Cossar Ewart (1851-1933) was Professor of Natural History at the University of Edinburgh from 1882 to 1927. Ewart is perhaps best known for his cross-breeding experiments with horses and zebras. This research was published as the book The Penycuik Experiments (1899) and was instrumental in finally disproving the long-held theory of telegony (ie that a sire can influence the offspring of subsequent males). Ewart was also influential in the establishment of a Lectureship in Genetics at the University in 1911, and his reputation ensured that Edinburgh was regarded as a key centre for animal breeding and genetics research.
MANTRA shortlisted
Research Data MANTRA (http://datalib.edina.ac.uk/mantra/) is a free, non-credit course designed for postgraduate students and early career researchers which provides guidelines for good practice in research data management.
(Flickr Image by Soilse – CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
In recognition of the work done by Edinburgh University Data Library in developing this open educational resource, MANTRA has been evaluated and shortlisted in a report by the Research Information Literacy and Digital Scholarship (RILADS) project as one of 15 good practice examples designed to enhance information literacy skills of postgraduate students and early career researchers in UK Higher Education
RILADS aims to investigate and report on support available to students, staff and researchers to enhance digital literacy. There are two strands to the project. One is co-ordinated by Research Information Network (RIN) on behalf of Research Information and Digital Literacies Coalition (RIDLs), the other by SCONUL under the JISC Developing Digital Literacies (DDL) programme.
The RIN strand focuses on the identification and promotion of good practice in information handling and data management training and development across the HE and research sectors. The SCONUL strand aims to identify, harvest, and use materials to progress the development of digital professional expertise.
The full report and shortlist are available on the RILADS website: http://rilads.wordpress.com/2013/06/10/rilads-report/
MANTRA, the sole resource on the shortlist that is dedicated to research data management skills, has also been upgraded to Version 2 of the Xerte Online Toolkit, the e-learning development environment used by MANTRA to create the learning materials. This has the ability to deliver content using HTML5 rather than the Flash Player. This has a number of advantages in that you can deliver content to a much wider range of devices, and specifically you can deliver content to devices that do not support Flash.
Watch out for further MANTRA enhancements!
Stuart Macdonald
EDINA & Data Library
New RDM tools and services: awareness raising sessions
The University is investing in a new research driven research data management (RDM) service to cover all the Schools/Research Institutes and Centres in three Colleges. This will allow researchers to comply with funding councils’ requirements for the preservation and dissemination of research data, help them with grant application process, make their research visible and boost citations.
We have already begun talking to research staff in Schools and Research Institutes / Centres to explain these tools and services and how they can benefit from them.
The first School who invited us for a talk was the School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences. The talk was followed by a lively discussion with some helpful comments and suggestions from them.
We are looking forward to talking to research staff in all Schools and Research Institutes / Centres. If you would like us to introduce you to these new tools and services please get in touch with Cuna Ekmekcioglu at cekmekci@staffmail.ed.ac.uk
Cuna Ekmekcioglu
Research Computing Support
Information Services
Collections
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