The Library currently has trial access to a video resource called the Institute of Art and Ideas. The Institute of Art and Ideas aims to change how the world thinks by hosting debates and talks on the big issues of our day. The online platform contains videos of these talks in a variety of subject […]
Author: helen

ProQuest maintenance: Sunday 10 August
We have been informed that ProQuest will be carrying out maintenance on their products on Sunday 10 August, starting at 3 am and lasting up to 8 hours (until 11 am). The following resources will be temporarily unavailable: Databases on the ProQuest platformo Advanced Technologies and Computer Science Collectiono British Periodicals Onlineo Coronavirus Research Databaseo […]

Changes to Historic Environment Scotland web services, including SCRAN
We have just learned that several Historic Environment Scotland (HES) web services will be retired on 24th June 2025. This includes the following resources: SCRAN Canmore Scotland’s Places The good news is that content is being transferred to a new website trove.scot. The website is live now, though content is still being transferred from the […]

ESTC is back!
Anyone interested in book history will be glad to know that the ESTC (English Short Title Catalogue) is available again. The catalogue hosted by the British Library had been unavailable since the cyber attack in October 2023. The ESTC is now being hosted by CERL (Consortium of European Research Libraries). The ESTC is a bibliography […]

Local and Community History Month
May is Local and Community History Month, a month dedicated to promoting interest in local history. We have put together a book display in the library, which features some books about the history of the local area. There is also an online reading list. You might have been wondering how the University came to occupy […]

Library support for Open Access ebook publishing
The Library is keen to support open access publishing where possible. One of the ways we do this is by contributing to a publisher’s open access book publishing programme, so that book titles can be made freely available to everyone. MIT Press Direct to Open We have participated in the MIT Press Direct to Open […]

Box of Broadcasts now available offshore
The Library subscribes to Box of Broadcasts (BoB), which is an archive of TV and radio broadcasts going back to the 1990s. We have recently started participating in a pilot programme to provide BoB access to our students based outside the UK. Previously access was not possible outside the UK due to licencing restrictions. However […]

Wintery Reads
To accompany the wintery weather, we have a display of Wintery Reads in the Library. In our curated selection of winter-themed books, you’ll find novels to enjoy whilst you stay warm and cosy inside. If you enjoy being outdoors in winter, check out our books on winter sport, as well as the useful guides to […]

New Library Exhibition: Scotland in 1824
The latest exhibition in the Library takes inspiration from 200 years ago. In the display cases outside the Archives Reading Room you can see a number of books and other items from our collections published in Scotland in 1824. This was the era of Sir Walter Scott, James Hogg and John Galt. Scotland was becoming […]

Goodbye Historical Texts, Hello EEBO and ECCO
At the end of July, JISC ended its support for the Historical Texts database. I am happy to report that we continue to have access to much of the content of Historical Texts in two new subscriptions: Early English Books Online (EEBO) Provided by Proquest, EEBO includes digital facsimile page images of virtually every work […]