From Berlin to Leicester: A Looted Book’s Tale
Please note that this post contains content relating to suicide and the Holocaust. If you are affected by this topic, please be aware of our available support information for students and support services in the community. e During the summer of 2024 Special Collections received a new book to be added to the library catalogue. Nothing particularly unusual about […]
Letters from the archives
Although today they have fallen out of fashion, letters were once one of the easiest, quickest and most popular methods of communication. They were also used to inform, educate and inspire – and occasionally to cause mischief! From spoofs to student life, royals to rationing, the small display case in the basement of the David […]
Archives and Special Collections Team Pick!
To mark International Archives Day, which falls on 9th June, I asked my colleagues in Archives and Special Collections to choose one of their favourite collections from our holdings. We hope that this will give you a flavour of our collections and some indication of their range. We really do have something for everyone! i […]
Celebrating National Tea Day in the Archives
Since 2016, 21st April has been designated as National Tea Day, a celebration of all things British. In particular it is a celebration of tea – long held in popular culture to be the nation’s favourite beverage, although some (including the Head of Archives and Special Collections!) might argue that it has now been overtaken […]
Women and their books
To mark World Book Day (7th March) and International Women’s Day (8th March), Archives and Special Collections is showcasing books from our holdings written by women, as well as highlighting some of the women who have links to Leicester and its University. The books shown here range in date from the nineteenth century to the […]
Remembering the Holocaust: The Majut Collection
Please note that this post contains content relating to suicide and the Holocaust. If you are affected by this topic, please be aware of our available support information for students and support services in the community. Saturday 27th January is both the International Day in Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust and the UK’s national Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD). […]
Disability History Month 2023
To mark UK Disability History Month, which falls between 16th November and 16th December, Archives and Special Collections are showcasing items from our holdings which shed light on these often hidden histories. / Our collections span a wide time period and their content can contain language and terminology reflecting contemporary attitudes that today may be […]
Correspondence of war: translating the Bejach letters
Please note that this post contains content relating the Holocaust. If you are affected by this topic, please be aware of our available support information for students and support services in the community. / One of my current projects is translating the letters held in the Bejach archive, in order to improve accessibility for researchers who lack the language […]
My role: library adviser, Archives and Special Collections
Hello – my name is Eleanor Bloomfield and I am the (relatively) new library adviser for Archives and Special Collections. I look after the reading room every weekday morning (my role’s ‘other half’, Ian Swirles, covers the afternoons). Originally from New Zealand, my background is in teaching, research and historically informed theatre – mainly Shakespeare […]