Disruption to stack requests from VHL stack

The printer which produces our stack request slips (which tell us when a reader has requested a book from the VHL stack) has stopped working today. We have reported it to IT support and hope it will be fixed soon, but until then we will not get notified if anyone places a request for a book from our stack.  If you would like to call up books, we can still do so manually - please come into the library and ask at the desk.

New York Times Historical Archive online - now with index

Our subscription to the electronic version of the New York Times Historical Archive now includes the New York Times Index. This is the digitised version of the print index volumes (which we have in the reference section on the ground floor), fully integrated into the online archive of the newspaper. Please note, however, that while the NYT itself is available up to 2007, the Index stops in 1993.

When searching the archive, you will now find that (in the advanced search screen) you can search fields specific to the Index - Company/Organization, Creative Work, Location, Person and Subject - both on their own and together with the full text/citation/abstract fields that were already available. Search results will now be enhanced with information from the index (click on 'abstract').

The New York Times Historical Archive is available via OxLIP+. Use single sign-on for remote access.

Bank holiday opening: Monday 30th May

The library will be open as usual on Monday, 9am-7pm. Please note that there will be a limited service only from the Bodleian bookstacks.

WISER coming up: SOLO, African Studies and Online Resources for Historians

Next week’s WISER sessions cover finding materials using SOLO, information resources for African Studies and the first in a series of workshop on online resources for historians…

WISER: Finding Stuff - Books etc on SOLO (Tuesday 31 May 9.30 - 10.30am)   - A general introduction to finding books and journal titles in Oxford libraries using SOLO.  Presenter: Angela Carritt.  Book your place online.  (Please note that this session will be repeated on 9 June)

WISER: Information Sources for African Studies (Tuesday 31 May 10.45 - 12.00 noon)- This session will introduce key information sources for African Studies. You will be shown useful finding tools to locate relevant material via SOLO and how to search them, as well as important portals and gateways to libraries and archives of online primary texts. There will be time for a brief hands-on at the end.
Presenters: Sarah Rhodes and Lucy McCann.  Book your place online.

WISER: Online Resources for Historians (Wednesday 1 June 9.30-10.45) - A general introduction to the vast range of electronic resources which are available for all historical periods for British and West European history including bibliographical databases, biographical and reference research aids, ebooks and ejournals, web portals, and collections of online primary source materials.  
Presenter Isabel Holowaty.   Book your place online.

WISER Online Resources for Historians is the first in a series of WISER workshops focussing on History. To find out more see the BodWISER blog, and keep an eye out for the WISER session on US History resources later in June.

Not a current member of Oxford University? - If you are not a current member of Oxford university, you can book your places by emailing usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk quoting your Bodleian Libraries card number. 

Why not join our WISER mailing list by sending an empty email to wiser-subscribe@maillist.ox.ac.uk, follow  us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/oxwiser  or visit the BodWiser blog at http://bodwiser.wordpress.com.

Early closing tomorrow (21st May)

The library will close at 12.45pm tomorrow, due to the planned march by the animal rights group SPEAK. University Security will be locking all gates into the science area, including those leading to us, at 1.00pm sharp. If you are coming in to use the library tomorrow therefore, you will need to be outside the gates by 1pm at the absolute latest, otherwise you will find yourself locked in!

Please note that the only gate open at all tomorrow will be the small pedestrian gate next to the Chemistry Research Laboratory. The main gates from South Parks Road and Mansfield Road will be closed all day.

Apologies for the very short notice, but we have only just been advised of the Security Service's plans ourselves.

Round-up of other upcoming training and information resources sessions

Change of date for WISER: Online Resources for Historians session
Due to an unavoidable clash of commitments, the WISER session on Online Resources for Historians has had to be moved from the afternoon of Wednesday 8th June to the morning of Wednesday 1st June. Many apologies for any inconvenience caused.

The new details are as below:
WISER: Online Resources for Historians
Wednesday 1 June 09:30-10:45
A general introduction to the vast range of electronic resources which are available for all historical periods for British & W European history: bibliographical databases, biographical / reference research aids, ebooks & ejournals, web portals, and collections of online primary source materials.
Presenter: Isabel Holowaty
OUCS – Book Here 

Thesis Fair for 2nd year History Undergraduates
Thursday 19 May, 14:00-16:00 - Exam Schools

The Fair aims to help 2nd year History Undergraduates:

• explore what source materials and information resources (archival, print and electronic) are available in Oxford libraries;
• meet local experts for further discussion;
• learn about useful tips and tools;
• browse among stalls to learn about Oxford’s rich collections as well as attend brief talks;
• find information at your own pace and together with local experts jointly explore information resources and finding tools.

Timetable of talks:

• Top 10 Tips from a Student survivor @ 14:30

The stalls will include medieval and early modern sources, modern political papers, US History, collections in the HFL and college libraries & archives, and many more. There will also be stalls on how to make the most of IT and web tools.

Come and along and get some ideas for your dissertation!

For details of further useful courses this term, including the Information Skills Minimum Kit and RefWorks, please see the History Faculty Library Undergraduate Training page.  

Make: Together – textual scholarship in the twenty-first century
Monday 23 May, 12:30-13.30
This session looks at how humanities researchers can build a digital environment for their own projects. It examines some of the database and programming tools that are available, and most importantly, how a purpose built digital environment can enhance the process of understanding texts. It is based on the work of two DPhil students in history who will demonstrate how they are using such technology to study medieval manuscripts and charters.
OUCS - Further details and bookings (Ox users)

American Literature exhibition: Marilynne Robinson and the American Family Home

To accompany the Esmond Harmsworth Annual Lecture, which will be given by Marilynne Robinson at the Rothermere American Institute on Monday 23rd May, we have set up a small exhibition in the library. The exhibition places Robinson's work in the context of the American literary and artistic tradition, and includes works by John Steinbeck, Tennessee Williams, Erskine Caldwell, Edward Hopper and Dorothea Lange, as well as Robinson's major novels.

The exhibition will remain in place until the end of next week (27th May). Thanks to Dr. Sally Bayley for her help in selecting material and writing the text.