Category Archives: History

Stephen Hawking 1942-2018

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Visionary scientist Stephen Hawking has died aged 76.

Famed for his study of black holes and relativity, he wrote several best-selling science books including most notably A Brief History of Time, which sold over ten million copies worldwide.

At the age of 22 he was given only a few years to live after being diagnosed with a rare form of motor neurone disease, which left him confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak except through a voice synthesiser, but he defied the odds and overcame his disability to become the scientist widely regarded as the greatest since Albert Einstein.

He gained immense popularity outside the academic world, including appearances in popular TV shows including The Simpsons and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In 2014, he was portrayed by Oscar-winning actor Eddie Redmayne in The Theory of Everything, a dramatic reconstruction of his early life and struggles.

We have several works by and about Stephen Hawking in the Library, including A Brief History of Time – you can find them here – http://bit.ly/2p8Nfqi

Database Trial – Oxford Art Online/Grove Art Online

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Art students and art lovers alike will find our latest database trial of great interest, as we take a trip through the archives of Oxford Art Online’s Grove Art Online.

This trial provides access to the foremost scholarly art encyclopedia, covering both Western and non-Western art. First published as the landmark 34-volume Dictionary of Art, edited by Jane Turner, the content of Grove Art encompasses all aspects of visual culture.

To begin searching go to: www.oxfordartonline.com/groveart

No need to sign in as access is via IP address.The trial is available until 21st March 2018

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn – s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk – with your comments.

Database Trial – Harper’s Weekly 1857-1912

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We’re trialling another venerable and much respected news resource for the start of Semester 2.

The Harper’s Weekly collection gathers the definitive newspaper of record for the latter part of the 19th and early 20th century into a convenient online resource. The carefully indexed and rekeyed database provides a convenient, user-friendly way to access the full content of this quintessential historical publication.

  • For more information about the content included in this collection, click HERE.
  • For general help, including navigation instructions and search tips, click HERE.

To begin searching go to http://harp.alexanderstreet.com – access is via IP address and the trial runs to 3rd March 2018.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn – s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk – with your comments.

Database Trial – The Stationers’ Company Archive

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We dip into the history of publishing with our latest database trial courtesy of Adam Matthew Digital.

The Stationers’ Company Archive is one of the most important resources for understanding the workings of the early book trade, the printing and publishing community, the establishment of legal requirements for copyright provisions and the history of bookbinding. Explore extremely rare documents dating from 1554 to the 21st century in this invaluable resource of research material for historians and literary scholars.

To begin searching go to:

www.literaryprintculture.amdigital.co.uk

Access is via IP address and the trial runs to 2nd January 2018. Please note that PDF download options are not available during this  trial.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk with your comments.

Database Trial – 17th and 18th Century Nichols Newspapers Collection

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We’re dipping into the past again for our latest database trial courtesy of the Gale Company.

17th and 18th Century Nichols Newspapers Collection features London newspapers and pamphlets gathered by antiquarian and printer John Nichols. This collection, sourced from the Bodleian Library, spans the years 1672 to 1737 and complements the titles and issues found in 17th and 18th Century Burney Collection Newspapers.

To begin searching go to http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/loughuni?db=NICN

Access is via IP address and the trial runs to 2nd January 2018.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk with your comments.

Database Trial – CEEOL (Central and Eastern European Online Library)

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Our latest database trial is likely to be of great interest to social science, politics and world history students, the Central and Eastern European Online Library.

CEEOL is a leading provider of academic e-journals and e-books in the Humanities and Social Sciences from and about Central and Eastern Europe. In the rapidly changing digital sphere CEEOL is a reliable source of adjusting expertise trusted by scholars, publishers and librarians. Currently, over 600 publishers entrust CEEOL with their high-quality journals and e-books. CEEOL provides scholars, researchers and students with access to a wide range of academic content in a constantly growing, dynamic repository. Currently, CEEOL covers more than 1.100 journals and 350.000 articles.

To begin searching go to www.ceeol.com – access is via IP address and the trial runs to 17th November 2017.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn – s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk  – with your comments.

Database Trial – Victorian Popular Culture

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Take a trip back in time to the smoky world of music halls and circus tents with our latest database trial courtesy of Adam Matthew Digital.

Victorian Popular Culture is a portal comprised of four modules, inviting users into the darkened halls, small backrooms, big tops and travelling venues that hosted everything from spectacular shows and bawdy burlesque, to the world of magic, spiritualist séances, optical entertainments and the first moving pictures…

To begin searching go to www.victorianpopularculture.amdigital.co.uk

Access is via IP address and the trial runs to 15th December 2017. Please note that PDF download options are not available during this  trial.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn – s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk  – with your comments.

Database Trial – ProQuest Historical Newspapers

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Our latest online resource trial is courtesy of Proquest’s Historical Newspaper platform and features the archives of the venerable New York Tribune / Herald Tribune.

Horace Greeley, founder, of the New York Tribune, was arguably one of the most colorful and powerful publishers of his time. His editorials influenced the abolishment of slavery, plagued presidents and politicians, and encouraged the settlement of the West. His newspaper featured revolutionary thinkers such as Margaret Fuller, Karl Marx, and Friedrich Engels. Reform-minded Greeley, whose newspaper had a circulation of more than a quarter of a million by the 1860s, helped form the Republican Party and ran for president in 1872.

Today’s knowledge seekers will find ProQuest’s coverage of the New York Tribune ideal for researching key events of the 19th and 20th centuries, from pre-Civil War tensions and U.S. internationalism to the fight for women’s rights and the completion of the Panama Canal. In addition to politics and reform, this newspaper also reports on the arts, New York society, sports, business and finance, and much more, making it a valuable resource for scholars in many fields.

To begin searching go to:

https://search.proquest.com/hnpnewyorktribunefull/advanced/?accountid=12152

Access is via IP address (or use the VPN from off-campus) and the trial runs to 28th September 2017.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk with your comments.

Database Trial – The Cold War

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Revisit one of the most turbulent periods of the 20th century with our latest database trial, as we explore the history of the Cold War.

From the end of World War II to the early 1990s, the Cold War was the central driving force in global politics. In addition to nuclear arms races and shifting military alliances, the Cold War years had a critical impact on many of today’s most intriguing research topics, from technology to terrorism, immigration to international politics. No other resource but The Cold War: Global Perspectives on East-West Tensions, 1945-1991, brings together primary source documents from around the world to shed new light on this crucial period in world history.

To begin searching go to http://infoweb.newsbank.com – access is via IP address and the trial runs to 21st July 2017.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk with your comments.

Database Trial – British Online Archives

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Our latest online trial dips into some of the historical resources of the renowned British Online Archives.

Home to over seventy digitised primary source collections, BOA continues to dedicate itself to teaching and research within the Humanities and Social Sciences. Their globally-related collections, ranging from colonial, missionary and transatlantic relations to twentieth century political and social development, cover four-hundred years of world history. Their dedication to academic excellence through collaboration with the United Kingdom’s leading libraries, archive repositories and academic experts ensure that BOA remains at the forefront of Higher Education teaching and research.

We are trialling several components from their Political History and Slavery resources collection. Please follow these links to the content you need:

Political History

Independent Labour Party: Formation and Development

British Labour Party Papers: 1906 – 1969

British Labour Party Papers: 1968-69 1993-94 Scottish Nationalist Leaflets – 1844 – 1973

British women trade unionists on strike at Bryant & May, 1888

Slavery

Slavery in Jamaica, records from a family of slave owners, 1750 – 1860.

Slavery: Its supporters and abolitionists, 1675, 1865

Slave trade records from Liverpool 1754, 1792

Slave trading records from William Davenport & Co, 1745 – 1797

Access is via IP address and the trial runs to 10th July 2017.

We welcome feedback – good or bad – on this trial, please contact Steve Corn s.c.corn@lboro.ac.uk with your comments