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A range of new archive database collections have been made available over the past few months. Take a look through the latest additions to see if there is anything of interest to your studies or research.

If you would like to know more about any of the resources, just get in touch with your Liaison Librarian

Introducing The Social History Archive

The publishers of Find My Past and British Newspaper Archives have launched a brand-new platform, The Social History Archive, which makes their extensive primary source records available to universities and other institutions for the first time via subscription. When fully migrated, the Social History Archives collections should offer the same access to historical resources as Find My Past and the British Newspaper Archive.

The collections have been organised into two packages:

 
Largest single online collection of mainly British & Irish historical primary source material although some U.S and European records are included. Includes birth, marriage and death records, local, regional, and national UK newspapers, electoral records and census returns, army and war records, crime reports and migration records.(Content, when fully migrated, will be the same as content in Find My Past)
 
The largest collection of historical British & Irish newspapers online and the official source for the British Library’s newspaper holdings. Search for UK, regional and local newspapers. This collection will contain the same newspapers as the British Newspaper Archive when everything has fully migrated. Date range: 1700 to the 2000s.

 

The university is collaborating with The Social History Archive to enhance the platform for researchers and academics. Partners from The Social History Archive will be hosting an in-person event for academics in early December to gather your ideas and suggestions. More details will be shared soon.

Other new resources
A varied range of new archive collections are available, covering a wide range of topics and providing access to primary source materials as well as commentary from books, journals and press publications. 
This includes:
 
Covers the history of environment and conservation efforts across the globe from the late 1800s onwards. Includes British government files from the Foreign Office, Colonial Office and the Ministry of Overseas Development and Overseas Development Administration. Covers topics such as exploitation of natural resources and colonial land use, to agriculture, urban development, the technological revolution, industrial change and urbanization, conservation, pollution, climate, development programmes and sustainability, natural resources and industries such as forestry and mining.
 
This collection provides historical evidence demonstrating how society has interacted with and regarded individuals considered to have disabilities. Includes books, manuscripts and ephemera from the New York Academy of Medicine Library. Most content is US-focused, though there is some European and UK coverage. Date range: 17th to 20th century
New
Mexico in History explores the evolution of Mexico from c.1500 to 1929, from Spanish colonisation and the formation of New Spain through the Mexican War of Independence to the Mexican Revolution. The predominantly Spanish-language material is a combination of print, manuscript and photographic collections sourced from The Bancroft Library at the University of California Berkeley.
New

A collection of documentary record of the origins, expansion and growth of the Olympic Games, and the global history of sport (1890s – 1990s). Sources include correspondence, official reports, newsletters and film footage.

 
Covering C19-C21, this collection covers mainly the US and UK, but also includes coverage of global events. It contains alternative press publications representing anti-establishment and countercultural ideas and movements through art, satire, humour, and alternative lifestyles. Publications include Bizarre, Viz and Fortean Times as well as pamphlet and poster collections.
New
A unique collection of full-text articles and audio interviews from the music and mainstream press from the 1950s to the present day. Content from Rolling Stone, NME, Melody Maker, Kerrang, The Face, Smash Hits and more. Mainly UK and US content.
 

This archive focuses on the social and cultural history of department stores during a period in which they were adapting to evolving consumer needs, workers’ rights and societal shifts, with a focus on life on the shop floor. Includes company archives, trade journals, union records, pamphlets, diaries and a wide range of ephemera. Countries covered are the UK, US, Australia, Canada, France and Estonia.

These resources boost the growing collection of primary source research materials available via the Library.  To see the full range of sources and connect with support materials, take a look at the Primary Sources LibGuide.