Home University of Edinburgh Library Essentials
June 3, 2026
First World War: through our Library resources
This weekend, Sunday 11th November, marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. In this week’s blog post I have pulled together just a small selection of Library resources, digital and physical, that will help you explore the First World War, the events leading up to it and the aftermath.
“Armistice Day: The Scene outside Buckingham Palace after the End of the Fighting Had Been Announced.” Illustrated London News [London, England] 16 Nov. 1918: n.p. Available from Illustrated London News Historical Archive.
What did the papers say?
Screenshot of front page from The Daily Mirror, Wednesday, August 5, 1914. Available from UK Press Online.
During the war the British Government tried to strictly control reporting on events, particularly from the front line. Legislation was passed in 1914 which allowed the War Office to censor the press and at first journalists had to go undercover to try and report on what was happening. Even when the Government relented and agreed to send accredited British war correspondents to the front line their reports were still heavily censored and were often overt propaganda, with actual facts about events never being reported (see reporting or non-reporting on the Battle of the Somme as an example).
The Library subscribes to a large number of digitised newspaper archives that will allow you to see what events were being reported on at the time and how they were being reported. Read full text articles, compare how different newspapers were covering the same issues and stories and track coverage of the First World War from the escalating hostilities prior to the outbreak to its conclusion and aftermath. Read More
uCreate Studio – open for making!
uCreate Studio is the University of Edinburgh’s community makerspace and located in Room 1.12 of the Main Library, and offers equipment, advice, trainng and support to help you make just about anything.
Free to use 8am – 1am 7 days a week!
Read More
“Archiving Your Data” – new videos from the Research Data Service
In three new videos released today, researchers from the University of Edinburgh talk about why and how they archive their research data, and the ways in which they make their data openly available using the support, tools and resources provided by the University’s Research Data Service.
Professor Richard Baldock from the MRC Human Genetics Unit explains how he’s been able to preserve important research data relating to developmental biology – and make it available for the long term using Edinburgh DataShare – in a way that was not possible by other means owing to the large amount of histology data produced.
Dr Marc Metzger from the School of GeoSciences tells how he saves himself time by making his climate mapping research data openly available so that others can download it for themselves, rather than him having to send out copies in response to requests. This approach represents best practice – making the data openly available is also more convenient for users, removing a potential barrier to the re-use of the data.
Professor Miles Glendinning from Edinburgh College of Art talks about how his architectural photographs of social housing are becoming more discoverable as a result of being shared on Edinburgh DataShare. And Robin Rice, the University’s Data Librarian, discusses the difference between the open (DataShare) and restricted (DataVault) archiving options provided by the Research Data Service.
For more details about Edinburgh’s Research Data Service, including the DataShare and DataVault systems, see:
https://www.ed.ac.uk/is/research-data-service
Pauline Ward
Research Data Service Assistant
Library and University Collections
University of Edinburgh
On trial: African American Newspapers and Times-Picayune
*The Library now has now purchased access to ‘African American Newspapers, Series 1 and 2’. See New to the Library: African American Newspapers.*
Thanks to a request from a student in HCA the Library currently has trial access to two newspaper databases from Readex, African American Newspapers, Series 1, 1827-1998 and New Orleans Times-Picayune (1837-1922). Between them giving you access to around 170 years of newspaper archives and useful if you’re looking at African American history, American history, the Antebellum South, the Civil Rights movement and more.
You can access both databases via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends 30th November 2018. Read More
LLC related database trials
There are several database trials running at the moment for the next few weeks which are relevant for the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, in particular for English Literature, Asian Studies, and Film Studies. All these trials can be accessed via the Library’s E-Resources Trials website. These resources are: Read More
5 recommended library resources for Africa Week
Today, 25th October, is the start of Africa Week 2018 at the University. A chance to celebrate the University’s engagement across the African continent. There are a number of events taking place to mark Africa Week but I wanted to highlight just some of the library resources available to staff and students of the University that will allow you to study and research Africa and Africa related subjects further.
1. C.A.S. collection on 4th floor, Main Library
Have you ever been searching DiscoverEd for a book or journal related to Africa and come across shelfmarks starting C.A.S.?
C.A.S. simply stands for the Centre of African Studies and there is a substantial collection of books and journals, separate to the general lending collections on the 2nd and 3rd floor of Main Library, that were purchased on behalf of the Centre over many years. The C.A.S. collection can be found on the 4th floor of the Main Library on the South-East side of the floor. This is a really interesting collection of material, mostly published in the 20th century, and includes material published by commercial and academic publishers, government agencies, Unesco, the Centre of African Studies, etc.
The C.A.S. collection is now a closed collection i.e. no newly purchased books are added to this collection, but it’s not the only place you will find books on Africa or African related subjects in the Main Library. There are a large range of books throughout the general lending collections on 2nd and 3rd floor and the HUB area, you will find books relating to Africa at a number of the site libraries as well and there are a considerable number of e-books, e-journals (and print journals) available relating to Africa. Just search DiscoverEd to discover more.
2. University’s archives – Centre for Research Collections
The University of Edinburgh holds world class collections, including rare books, archives and manuscripts, art, historical musical instruments and museum objects. And it is the Centre for Research Collections (CRC) on the 6th floor of the Main Library that is your gateway into these unique collections. Read More
On trial: State Papers Online, Part III
Thanks to a request from staff members in both HCA and ECA the Library currently has trial access to State Papers Online, Part III: The Stuarts: James I to Anne, 1603-1714: State Papers Domestic from Gale Cengage. This database is a digital collection of English government documents originating primarily from the seventeenth century that allow you to take an in-depth view of some of the issues dominating England at that time.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page. Access is available both on and off-campus.
Trial access ends 21st November 2018.
State Papers Online, Part III documents one of the most compelling and turbulent eras in Britain’s social, political and religious history. The era’s internal struggles come to life through a wealth of primary source documents including: royal and diplomatic correspondence, reports and parliamentary drafts from civil servants and provincial administrators. Read More
Open Access Week at the University of Edinburgh
Every week is open access week at the University of Edinburgh. From April 2016 – June 2018 the University of Edinburgh has made 11,793 research outputs open access. This represents 89% of the research published that could be submitted to the REF2020 exercise.
During the period Sept-2017 to Sept-2018 over 774,535 research outputs were downloaded from the Edinburgh Research Explorer. This equates to nearly 65,000 downloads per month.
The five most popular papers written by University of Edinburgh authors are listed below:
| Title | Author(s) | ItemURL | Total downloads |
| Personality Structure in the Domestic Cat , Scottish Wildcat , Clouded Leopard, Snow Leopard and African Lion: A Comparative Study | Gartner, Marieke Cassia; Powell, David M.; Weiss, Alexander | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11820/fd973849-7ae1-48a8-833c-d4da8a7c9de3 | 27,846 |
| Tubby’s dub style :The live art of record production | Williams, Sean | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11820/510f47ca-8881-4691-a6a6-23dd5fcea473 | 10,782 |
| Predicting loss given default (LGD) for residential mortgage loans:A two-stage model and empirical evidence for UK bank data | Leow, M.; Mues, C. | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11820/485b5935-f0cc-4944-ab93-4abb2511e7fc | 5,673 |
| There’s no madness in my method: Explaining how your research findings are built on firm foundations | Saunders, Mark N. K.; Rojon, Celine | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11820/43a5d933-01fb-46f7-a2ec-a6691f157c6b | 5,585 |
| The past, present and future of China’s automotive industry: a value chain perspective | Oliver, N.; Holweg, Matthias; Luo, Jianxi | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11820/26a252cc-4c3d-437f-a645-a086f5e70303 | 4,958 |
On trial: Governing Africa
I’m happy to let you know that thanks to a request from a student in HCA the Library currently has trial access to a series of digital collections from British Online Archives, called Governing Africa: British records from African countries under colonial rule. The series includes 13 collections that between them have over 2,500 primary source documents, covering nearly 30 countries including Malawi, South Africa, Gambia, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria and have documents dating from 1808-1995.
As we’re currently in Black History Month and with the University’s Africa Week 2018 starting later this week it seemed an appropriate series for the Library to get on trial for staff and students.
You can access the database via the E-resources trials page.
Trial access ends 21st November 2018. Read More
Icky Sticky Tape
This week’s blog has been written by Lisa Behrens, a book and paper conservation student from Stuttgart in Germany, who spent four weeks at CRC’s conservation studio earlier this summer. In this post, Lisa describes a treatment she carried out on a bound volume in the Margaret Morris collection from the Fergusson Gallery in Perth. This collection is being catalogued and conserved at the CRC as a part of a collaborative Wellcome Trust-funded project entitled ‘Body Language’
If you don’t know the first thing about paper conservation, let me help you out: Do not, under any circumstances, use sticky tape. There you go, you now know the first thing.
I understand it’s tempting. When you first put it on, it looks neat. It mends that tear, it is easy to use and readily available. The problems start when it begins to age. Even if stored in optimal conditions, certain chemical reactions will inevitably take place. These will lead to discolouration of the adhesive, making the tape brittle and, worst of all, damaging and discolouring the object itself. Adhesive can also sink into the paper matrix and become so hardened that it’s almost impossible to remove.
During my three years of working and studying in this field I have come across a lot of adhesive tape, mostly used for tear repairs by well-meaning individuals over the last few decades. For example, this volume of sheet music from the Margaret Morris Collection, namely a ballet called The Forsaken Mermaid, had been repaired at least twice before, which is apparent from the use of different types of adhesive tape and kinds of thread for resewing.
The Forsaken Mermaid, before treatment
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Projects
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