Senate House Library

 ✨📚 "No day at the office or WFH has ever felt as good." 📚✨ In this article from The Guardian, Dale Berning Sawa shares how swapping her home office for Senate House Library brought new inspiration, focus, and a much-needed escape from the digital world. This piece captures the joy of working in a space filled with history, where the quiet brings a sense of calm and focus. 👉 Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gFpsJD4s #SenateHouseLibrary #WFH

Step into the future of research with Senate House Library’s Virtual Reading Room! 📖 The Virtual Reading Room service enables library members and researchers to make online video appointments to consult the Library’s Special Collections and Archives remotely - https://lnkd.in/d2jiySQK 🗓️ Join us tomorrow (25 Feb) for an interactive event (online or in-person) showcasing Senate House Library’s Virtual Reading Room (VRR) and demonstrating the benefits to researchers, wherever they are in the world. 🗣️ This will be followed by a talk by Dr Michael Durrant on women’s book ownership in history, a Q&A session, and opportunities for hands-on interaction with the VRR equipment and rare books from Senate House Library’s collections.   💬 “The launch of Senate House Library’s Virtual Reading Room marks a transformative step in expanding global access to our esteemed Special Collections. This digital initiative not only democratizes rare materials but also reflects the historical movement of books - objects that have long connected individuals across time and place”, said Dr Michael Durrant. 👉 This event is free to attend and open to all but booking is essential - https://lnkd.in/dfC5y_dv

Did you know that Senate House Library offers a range of memberships, including free access for most University of London students and staff, as well as our federation members? 📚✨ Explore our membership options here: https://lnkd.in/e3wm9tfA #SenateHouseLibrary #UoLCommunity #AcademicResources

What are your favourite libraries? 🤔 Published tomorrow, 'Books, Readers and Libraries in Fiction' explores how texts and reading spaces have been represented in popular culture throughout history. Featuring critical essays on the depiction of books, from the medieval period to the present day, and examining reading worlds as varied as that of Don Quixote and Terry Pratchett's 'Discworld' novels, the book aims to break new ground in literary and book studies. The book is a collaborative work published by University of London Press and edited by Dr Karen Attar, Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of English Studies and Dr Andrew Nash, Reader in Book History and Director of the London Rare Books School.  Speaking about how the depiction of libraries has changed over time, Dr Attar said:  “The depiction of libraries in fiction reflects actual historical circumstances. Until the foundation of the British Museum with its departments of printed books and manuscripts and the development of subscription and circulating libraries, all in the eighteenth century, libraries were either personal, academic, or ecclesiastical. “It is significant that when Don Quixote, the quintessential naïve reader, is crazed by his reading of romances, he actually possesses those romances. This is made very explicit when his housekeeper, the curate and the doctor are burning his books. It’s partly because the vast majority of libraries were personal that the emphasis in our book is on books and reading much more than on libraries. Libraries were exclusive, and people are explicitly or implicitly reading their own books. “I just really hope that readers will enjoy it equally, that at least some of it might appeal to readers outside academia as well as to the academic audience for which it is primarily intended, and that it will prompt people to think about their own reading practices.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/dszQcaUa

🤖 AI-powered library support for distance learners! 📚🌏 The Senate House Library launched a new AI-powered assistant to support distance learners studying University of London degrees. 💡 Integrated into the ‘Ask A Librarian’ service, the chatbot ensures students can access library support beyond UK office hours. By managing routine queries, it allows library staff to focus on complex academic support. 💬Sandra Tury, Associate Director (Online Library Services), said: “Since transitioning to the AI-enhanced version of Olark, we’ve been able to offer round-the-clock support, which has been particularly beneficial for students in different time zones where the traditional 9-5 support model was insufficient. Student support is one of the ongoing challenges the University faces and technological solutions like this are essential in addressing these challenges.” Students are already finding it a valuable tool! 👉 onlinelibrary.london.ac.uk #SenateHouseLibrary #UniversityOfLondon #AI #OnlineLearning 

The National Humanities Lecture with Professor David Olusoga will begin at 6pm 🎉 Viewers can tune in from 5.50pm: https://lnkd.in/dgj5t6nC #NationalHumanitiesLecture

📚 Exploring Caribbean Literature at Senate House Library 📚 The annual Holden Lecture, hosted by the Friends of Senate House Library, is a celebration of our Special Collections. Last year, we were honoured to welcome Professor Alison Donnell for a powerful talk on the lost voices of mid-century Caribbean women writers. 💡 ‘Careless Whispers and Broken Records’ - Professor Donnell’s lecture shed light on the overlooked contributions of talented female authors, including Guyanese writer, journalist, and politician Edwina Melville, and Monica Skeete, Grenadian writer and history teacher. 💬 Professor Donnell concluded: "As we make choices about who to read, who to write about, who to teach, who to include in our bibliographies, we’re shaping the future of the literary past." ⭐ For those interested in discovering more, our exhibition ‘In the Grip of Change: the Caribbean and its British Diaspora’ is open until 28 March 2025, showcasing the Library’s rich Caribbean Collections. 👉 Read more & watch the full lecture: https://lnkd.in/gdASNDtM #CaribbeanLiterature #SenateHouseLibrary #HoldenLecture

Exciting news for manuscript conservation at Senate House Library! 📜 👏 We’re thrilled to announce that Senate House Library has been awarded a prestigious grant for an intern in our Conservation Department, focusing on preserving rare manuscripts, including: 📖 MS278 ‘Robert of Gloucester Chronicle’ (c.1440) A Middle-English verse chronicle that has regularly been used in teaching palaeography, manuscript studies, and given generations of students their first introduction to the world of medieval manuscripts. 📜 The Fuller Collection A treasure trove of 1,000+ historical documents, seals, and objects, including a cuneiform clay tablet from c.2400 BC. It is a valuable resource for teaching and research in palaeography and the study of documents. 🤝 The grant is supported by Pilgrim Trust, Idlewild Trust, National Manuscripts Conservation Trust, Anna Plowden Trust, Radcliffe Trust and Julia Rausing Trust. 👀 Recruitment will begin soon—stay tuned for updates! #SenateHouseLibrary #Conservation #Manuscripts #History #Palaeography

Senate House Library was transformed into a TV studio last week for a visit by His Excellency Jamal Bin Huwaireb.⭐ His Excellency, CEO of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF- مؤسسة محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم للمعرفة) interviewed library staff and was filmed in front of Senate House for his popular TV show the Al Rawi programme, which is broadcast across the Middle East. 💬 Catriona Cannon, Librarian and Programme Director, Library Transformation Programme, was interviewed in her office about the incredible history of the University of London, the Library and its ongoing transformation project. Curator of Rare Books and University Art, Dr Karen Attar, and Senior Archivist, Dr Clare George, were also filmed discussing some of the library’s valuable collections and artefacts. 📖 These included a Dutch edition of Bernard von Breydenbach’s Peregrinatio in Terram Sanctam (1488), recounting a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the first illustrated travel book; and a beautiful hand-coloured atlas owned by James I or Charles I, Theatrum geographiae veteris, edited by Petrus Bertius (1618-1619). His Excellency was greeted to Senate House by Vice-Chancellor Professor Wendy Thomson CBE and given a guided tour, including a visit to the Senate House rooftop. The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation is a major government backed foundation that has been established to further knowledge, research and education in UAE and the wider region. 

Join us at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies for a special event 'Windrush and the Law' on 27th January at 1800. We have a great line up of speakers, so join us (in person)! Reception to follow. Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, Institute of Historical Research, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, School of Advanced Study, Refugee Law Initiative This event is free to attend, but booking is required. Book here at https://lnkd.in/d-5wRqdE