Category: Arts and Humanities

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New resource trial: Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing (PEP)

Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing logo

The Library is running a short trial to the database Psychoanalytic Electronic Publishing (PEP).

PEP contains more than 139,000 articles covering over a million pages, full text of numerous journals and classic monographs, as well as full-text searchable videos, in the field of psychoanalysis. PEP has been designed to provide a powerful rapid search of the entire psychoanalytic literature in English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Romanian, Spanish and Turkish.

PEP provide a range of videos to help you access and make effective use of the database:

  • Quick Intro: This 8 minute introduction to the new PEP-Web platform covers the basics you need to explore the vast PEP-Web archive, including journals, books and videos, as well as how to efficiently find what you’re searching for.
  • Searching and Browsing: This 10 minute video will give you a detailed tutorial on searching and browsing on the new PEP-Web platform. This includes how to explore content, find something you already know, and browse like a physical library.
  • Browsing videos: This short video will show you how you can explore the video collection on PEP-Web.
  • Refining your Results: This 3 minute video will show you how to refine your search results. You can refine by decade, author, citation count, language, article type and more, making exploring content and finding what you want more efficient and effective.
  • Advanced Features: This 2 minute video takes you through some of the more advanced ways you can use PEP-Web, including keyboard shortcuts and advanced search methods. The tips covered in this video are documented here on the PEP Support website, so you can read through and refer to them at your own pace.

You can access PEP via Library Search here.  Some content has a 3-5 year embargo period; this is defined by the individual publication, rather than the database. 

Our trial access is valid until 30th November 2024. As the purpose of a trial is provide short term institutional access to establish whether the resource is of interest for future sustained access, unfortunately we are not able to extend or repeat trials. Please bear in mind that any links to material within the trial will no longer work after the trial ends.

We’re keen to hear any feedback on the resource, either by posting your thoughts on this blog post below, or by getting in touch with your Liaison Librarian at libliaison@newcastle.ac.uk.

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New resource trial: Overton

Overton logo, white text on orange background.

Library are running a short trial to the database Overton. Overton is the world’s largest collection of policy documents, parliamentary transcripts, government guidance and think tank research.

Introduction to Overton

You can restrict your searches to policy from specific regions, countries or source types. Other filters allow you to view policy that cites research from a particular university, think tank, or academic.

Overton also helps users measure their influence on government policy, both locally and internationally. If you fund, publish or produce research, Overton can show you where it has been cited in policy worldwide. 

Overton offer extensive help guides and videos to guide you in making the most of the database. Here are some of the key links and videos to get you started:

Search for policy documents that cite or mention your organisation
Search for names in Overton

Overton Engage (for policy engagement opportunities) is included in the trial, too – this includes the semantic search function. 

Access to Overton is provided here. You will be required to make an account to access the trial.

The trial ends on 22nd November 2024. 

As the purpose of a trial is provide short term institutional access to establish whether the resource is of interest for future sustained access, unfortunately we are not able to extend or repeat trials. Please bear in mind that any links to material within the trial collections will no longer work after the trial ends, so access is temporary.

We’re keen to hear any feedback on the specific collections, either by posting your thoughts on this blog post below, or by getting in touch with your Liaison Librarian at libliaison@newcastle.ac.uk.

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New resource trial: AM digital collections (AM Explorer)

AM Explorer Arts and Humanities logo and text

The Library are currently hosting a trial to a range of digital primary source collections from from AM (Adam Matthews).

There’s a huge variety of collections that are available via the AM Explorer platform.

Access the AM Explorer platform here using your Newcastle University credentials, and then either keyword search the whole range of collections using the search bar on the homepage, or head to View Collections to browse the specific collections. Some collection highlights from AM Explorer include:

1980s Culture and Society

Amnesty International Archives

East India Company

India, Raj & Empire

Indigenous Histories and Cultures in North America

Popular Culture in Britain and America, 1950-1975

Poverty, Philanthropy and Social Conditions in Victorian Britain

 Travel Writing, Spectacle and World History

Women in The National Archives

The Search Guide provides support on how to best search the AM Explorer platform and collections.

The vast majority of the products are available to access via the AM Explorer platform, but some are available via direct links only:

The Olympic Movement: Sport, Global Politics and Identity

Mexico in History: Colonialism to Revolution

The Transformation of Shopping: Department Stores, Social Change and Consumerism 1830 – 1994

Women’s Voices and Life Writing, 1600-1968.

Our trial access is valid until 18th November 2024. As the purpose of a trial is provide short term institutional access to establish whether the resource is of interest for future sustained access, unfortunately we are not able to extend or repeat trials. Please bear in mind that any links to material within the trial collections will no longer work after the trial ends, so access is temporary.

We’re keen to hear any feedback on the specific collections, either by posting your thoughts on this blog post below, or by getting in touch with your Liaison Librarian at libliaison@newcastle.ac.uk.

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New Resource Trial: MediaPlus

The Library is currently running a short trial to MediaPlus, a digital media resource offered by Alexander Street Press (ProQuest).

Alexander Street logo

MediaPlus consists of more than 100,000 videos, images, and sound recordings. The resource is ideal for students and researchers interested in 20th century British social, political and cultural history from a range of disciplines (particularly History, Media, and Politics).

You can use both the Search and Advanced Search functions to locate relevant sources. This video details how to make best use of the search functions in Alexander Street.

You can also browse by Title, Subject, and Sub-collection from the MediaPlus homepage, where you can then further refine results by date, publisher, or subject.

Content is drawn from a number of sources (Sub-collections):

  • Associated Press Archive (6,010 items)
  • Channel 4 News (6,508)
  • Gaumont British News (2,476)
  • Gaumont Graphic Newsreel (8,087)
  • Getty Moving images (8,163)
  • Getty Still images (11,732)
  • ITN (6,300)
  • ITV news (27,519)
  • Imperial War Museum – images (4,165)
  • Photographic Youth Music Culture Archive – PYMCA (6,421)
  • Reuters News (3,248)
  • Royal Geographical Society (6,448)
  • Royal Mail Film Classics (66)
  • The North Highland College – Johnston Collection (10,037)
  • Wellcome Library (710)

You can access MediaPlus via Library Search here.

The trial access to the resource is available until 15th November 2024. As the purpose of a trial is provide short term institutional access to establish whether the resource is of interest for future sustained access, unfortunately we are not able to extend or repeat trials.

Please note that MediaPlus content cannot be downloaded, and any embedded content or permalinks will not work after the trial ends.

We are keen to hear any feedback on this resource – please contact us by commenting below or by emailing your Liaison Librarian (libliaison@newcastle.ac.uk).

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New Resource Trial: The Social History Archive

The Library is currently running a short trial to The Social History Archive.

The Social History Archive logo with illustrations of papers.
The Social History Archive logo. ©Findmypast.

The Social History Archive provides access to primary source material, from unique newspapers to census returns, crime reports and migration records. This platform is operated by FindMyPast and includes newspapers from the British Newspaper Archive.

The platform may be accessed here by selecting “Newcastle University” from the drop down menu. You will then be prompted to login using your Newcastle University credentials.

The platform has a number of search and browse functions. You can “Search all Records” or create an advanced search from the homepage (called the dashboard), however the “Search” drop-down menu provides options to search by record type, including newspapers and publications. If you need any assistance using the platform then please do not hesitate to get in touch.

The trial runs until Tuesday 5th March 2024. We are keen to hear any feedback on this resource – please contact us by commenting below or by emailing your Liaison Librarian (libliaison@newcastle.ac.uk).

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New Resource Trial: Gale Primary Sources – Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO)

Gale Primary Sources Nineteenth Century Collections Online logo
Gale Primary Sources Nineteenth Century Collections Online logo

The Library is pleased to confirm that we are currently hosting a trial to Nineteenth Century Collections Online (NCCO), a Gale Primary Sources resource.

NCCO is the result of partnerships between Gale and almost one hundred libraries to preserve and make digitally available content for academic research. NCCO unites multiple, distinct archives into a single resource of over one hundred types of primary source documents; it consists of monographs, newspapers, pamphlets, manuscripts, ephemera, maps, photographs, statistics, and other kinds of documents in both Western and non-Western languages.

The NCCO platform comprises 12 thematic collections, including:

  • Asia and the West: Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange
  • British Politics and Society
  • British Theatre, Music, and Literature: High and Popular Culture
  • Children’s Literature and Childhood
  •  European Literature, the Corvey Collection, 1790–1840 
  • Europe and Africa, Colonialism and Culture
  • Maps and Travel Literature 
  • Photography
  • Religion, Reform, and Society 
  • Science, Technology, and Medicine, Part I 
  • Science, Technology, and Medicine, Part II
  • Women and Transnational Networks 

The following video provides more information on one of the collections, as an example: British Politics and Society.

Newcastle University staff and students may login to the platform here.

The trial is live until Thursday 29th February 2024. If you need any support or assistance in using the platform them please do not hesitate to get in touch.

We are very keen to hear your feedback on this resource, so please do let us know by commenting below or by contacting us at libliaison@newcastle.ac.uk.

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Policy Commons

After a successful trial in October 2023, we are delighted we have managed to secure a subscription to Policy Commons. We received some great feedback from academics about how the platform would fit in with teaching and learning in Schools including :

“This is an absolute treasure, especially for my research. I am also sure it will be an invaluable teaching resource for the environmental law module starting next semester.”

“There are huge amounts of so-called ‘grey’ policy literature that students working and being taught policy-oriented skills and modules cannot access because it is fragmented, hosted by various institutions and the organisations which commissioned such reports. Policy Commons makes the universe of policy-relevant literature, which is often the cutting edge of a field and more up-to-date than academic literature, accessible to students through just one easily searchable source. This is a highly recommended resource, which improves student skills, research and their written work”.

So if you aren’t familiar already, the database is one resource to locate publications from policy experts, NGO’s and think tanks. Publications include :
-The Council of Europe
-Environmental Law Institute
-European Parliamentary Research Service
-Center for Security Studies
-OECD
-World Bank Group
-United Nations
-International Institute for Environment and Development

This short video from Policy Commons tells you a little bit more

To access Policy Commons follow this link via Library Search

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New Resource Trial: Screen Studies

Screen Studies logo

The Library is trialling Screen Studies from Monday 9th October until Friday 8th December.

Screen Studies is a dynamic digital platform designed to support moving-image studies. It offers a broad range of content including books, screenplays, overview articles and learning resources from Bloomsbury, Faber & Faber, the British Film Institute, Focal Press and Auteur (LUP). Screen Studies covers cinema, its history and the surrounding context from 1850 to the present day.

Screen Studies introduction video

Access Screen Studies here by signing-in with your institutional credentials (off-campus) or access the database via Library Search (on-campus).

Please get in touch to let us know your feedback, either by replying below or by contacting us at libliaison@ncl.ac.uk.

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Resource Trial: Naxos Library

Naxos Music Library

Calling all music lovers! We are currently trialling six Naxos Library products:

Naxos Music Library is the most comprehensive collection of classical music available online. Currently, it offers over 2,831,415 tracks of fine recorded music.

Naxos Music Library Jazz is a comprehensive collection of Jazz music available online. Over 28,952 albums (272,292 tracks) are available and new albums are added weekly.

A wide range of content, from legendary historical performances to contemporary world music. Recordings of over 32,000 artists are represented.

Naxos Works Database is your trusted resource for information about vocal, chamber and orchestral works. Use the database to find details about composers and their works, instrumentations, durations, publishers and work introductions.

Naxos Video Library is a performing arts video library with over 4362 operas, ballets, documentaries, concerts, masterclasses, competition and musical tour videos as well as footage taken from recording sessions. 

Featuring a comprehensive collection of classic audiobooks and high quality independent publisher productions.

Naxos provide training videos on using the collections on their YouTube channel.

Newcastle University staff and students can access the sign-in information via this Word document. The trial runs until 31st October 2023.

NB Trial now extended to 10th of November.

To help us evaluate it, please email us your feedback, or leave a reply on this blog.

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Women’s Magazine Archive

After a successful trial earlier in 2023, we are very pleased that the Library has been able to secure access to the Women’s Magazine Archive I-III.

Available in three separate collections, Women’s Magazine Archive provides access to the backfiles of the foremost titles of this type, including Good Housekeeping, Ladies’ Home Journal, and Woman’s Day, which serve as canonical records of evolving assumptions about gender roles and cultural mores. Other titles focus on narrower topics but deliver valuable source content for specific research areas. Parents, for example, is of particular relevance for research in the fields of children’s education, psychology, and health. Elsewhere, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, and Essence disclose trends in and responses to the changing roles and experiences of teenage, young adult, and African-American women respectively.

In combination, the publications here cover topics such as family life, home economics, health, careers, fashion, culture, and many more; this material serves multiple research areas, from gender studies, social history, and the arts, through to education, politics and marketing/media history.

Issues are scanned from cover to cover in high-resolution colour, ensuring that the original print artefacts are faithfully reproduced and that valuable non-article items, such as advertisements, are included.

You can search the resource in different ways, including by Basic or Advanced Search:

Women’s Magazine Archive – Basic and Advanced Search options

For more support on using the Basic and Advanced Search, see the ProQuest Platform support guides.

You can also search within a Publication, or for a specific issue of a publication:

Women’s Magazine Archive – publications search

Viewing individual pages is made easy, with options to download the PDF or browse the full issue:

Women’s Magazine Archive – viewing the full text of an individual issue

Access the Women’s Magazine Archive using your Newcastle University credentials via the Library Search record here.

This resource will be useful for researchers in a number of subjects, including History, English, Media, and Sociology – we hope it is useful, and always, get in touch with the Liaison team should you need any further support in using the Women’s Magazine Archive I-III.