Updated research guide launched on the BLE

A fully updated version of the History research guide (containing information on how to search full-text and bibliographic databases, internet resources in SOAS and beyond, and tips on how to keep up to date with your research and manage references and citations) has just been launched on the Information Skills: History site on the BLE - go to the Research Guides tab

Open Access journals in Ancient Studies

700 open access journals on all aspects of the ancient world (including Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, and Hebraic studies as well as the "Ancient Near East") are currently available through this alphabetical list on the AWOL (Ancient World Online blog) from the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University

Click here to link to the AWOL blog and keep up to date with new open access journals online and newly released networked content on the Ancient World

A potted history of Alexandria

"Alexandria at the crossroads" - an illustrated article from the online edition of Saudi Aramco World magazine (September / October 2010), taking the reader on a quick trip through the history of the city from the Pharaohs to the present day.
Click on the smaller images to enlarge them

Welcome to SOAS

Welcome to all new and returning students

The History Library blog will give

• details of information skills training offered by Library staff
• Library updates
• details of new web resources and recommended websites
• and lots more !!

If you have not been on a Library tour yet, there are more tours running next week on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. 

The tours start from open area at the top of the stairs on the 3rd Floor of the School Building (near "Library Tours Start Here" sign !!)

Library training sessions run throughout the year. There will be general introductory sessions on a variety of topics during the first few weeks of term. 

Pick up a handout at the Enquiry Desk for further details of our introductory sessions - Getting started, Electronic journals and bibliographic databases, and Beyond Google: using the Internet for research

For further information on the Library and Library resources, go to the main Library website or go to the Information Skills section on the BLE

As your Librarian, I will be here to help. You can contact me on ms28@soas.ac.uk  or drop in to Room C3 in the Library

Brill database trials (history of religions)

SOAS Library has a 30 day trial subscription (until 26th October) to the following Brill databases which will be of interest to those studying the history of religions

•  Religion Past and Present Online  RPP is the English language edition of the 4th edition of the German Religion in Geschichte und Gegenwart. [note not all volumes have been published yet] SOAS Library has the German version in print
• Index to the Study of Religions - a cross searchable database of abstracts of articles contributing to the academic study of religions. The database currently contains 20,000 entries, and will have new content added as suitable articles are indexed
• Christian-Muslim Relations Online -the database covers relations between the two faiths between 600-1500 throughout the extended Mediterranean basin area, and comprises (along with introductory essays) over 200 detailed entries on all works recorded where Christian-Muslim encounters are described

These can be accessed from http://www.soas.ac.uk/library/resources/a-z/database-trials.html

Please let me know what you think!

(ms28@soas.ac.uk)

Indonesian Newspapers 1930-1950

If you are researching modern Indonesian history, between 1930 and 1950, this website may be of interest to you


Indonesian Newspaper Project (historic newspapers) [n.b. Text of newspapers not available in English]

 This is a special initiative of the Netherlands Institute for war Documentation which is digitising its major collection (and those of a number of other partner institutes including the Royal Institute for Linguistics and Anthropology (KITLV) in Leiden, the Royal Institute for the Tropics (KIT) in Amsterdam, the Royal Library (KB) in The Hague and the International Institute for Social History (IISG) in Amsterdam) of Indonesian newspapers covering the period 1930-1950. This is an important resource for social and political historians as it covers the period of the Second World War and Dutch and Japanese administration in Indonesia. Currently in the region of 100 titles are available in full text.  

New web resource

Afghanistan Digital Library
A project of NYU the Afghanistan Digital Library is aiming to digitise as many Afghan publications (serials, documents, pamphlets, and manuals) as possible from the period 1871–1930. Currently there are 300+ books available to view, print or download. 
http://afghanistandl.nyu.edu/

Click on the web link to search the site and view these historic texts from Afghanistan