A pound of raisins
It is that time of year again – costumes, raisins receipts and foam fights! The earliest records in the University’s archive relating to Raisin celebrations are from the 19th century. Student reminiscences record…
Category: University Collections
Unbe-leaf-able! A Thynne-ly disguised secret appears in a library book
In this blog PhD candidate Phoebe Macindoe discusses leaf books and a new acquisition to the Library. All the volumes in the library are made up of leaves, they are the pages that constitute the book. Some books,…
The Brontë books in the Hargreaves Collection
In this blog, Noor Zohdy, Laidlaw Scholar 2024, reports on their summer research project looking at editions of Anne Brontë’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. As part of my Laidlaw research project this summer on Anne…
Conservation of a Japanese Lacquered Photograph Album
In this blog, Furniture & Wooden Artefacts Conservator Sarah Gerrish reports on conservation work carried out on a Japanese photo album from University Collections (ALB-116). As a freelance furniture and wooden…
Winner of the 2024 James David Forbes Collecting Prize: March of the Grenguins
In April of this year I found myself posing with a colony of penguins. Principal Professor Dame Sally Mapstone was there too. The photographer asked me to look down at the birds, and in that intimate moment, staring…
There is nothing in the paper I can do…
As a general rule, we do not retain examination scripts or answers in the University archive. There are a few items however that have been kept by archivists due to their uniqueness. During this examination period, we…
Urania Propitia by Maria Cunitz
In this blog Tori Wallauer outlines a 2023 summer project which was made possible through funding from the Royal Astronomical Society and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) public engagement funding, as…
Cradle Making at the V&A Dundee
In this blog Conservation Technician Gemma Kelly from the National Library reports on a recent exhibition cradle making course hosted at the V&A Dundee. In December last year, I had the pleasure of attending a course…
‘A Handful of Ghosts’ – ghost stories from the University Librarian
In October 1942, the University Librarian George H Bushnell, amused the University Celtic Society with a ghost story which, according to the society minutes, was ‘enjoyed by all, the room being quiet enough to hear a…
The colour aniline purple – housing silk textiles from the Calvert Chemistry Collection
Bringing in collections Incoming university collections are routinely checked for dirt, mould and insect activity before being cleaned, rehoused and shelved in the stores. Not all collection items come from suitable…