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 […]
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 […]
Beautiful and Artistic – Marbled Endpapers
During my time here in Archives and Special Collections I want to highlight something I have found interesting – the distinct patterns found in some rare books. Many notice the leather bindings and the gold tooling but we tend to miss the endpapers. Most of the time when we open a book, we go straight […]
Natasha Callis: My week of work experience
Guest post by Natasha Callis, work experience student. This week, I’ve been doing work experience at the University of Leicester Library. I have worked in lots of different departments have completed lots of different, small tasks related to each area of work in the library, and I have found it to be really informative. When […]
Botanical Illustrations are not only pretty – they remain relevant today
As the University has announced an exciting programme of Summer events at the Botanic Gardens in Oadby, we explore the art of botanical illustration through our Special Collections.
UK Disability History Month 2022: Uncovering the history of the Fielding Johnson Building
16 November to 16 December 2022 is UK Disability History Month, an annual event creating a platform to focus on the history of the rights and dignity of disabled people. Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting some aspects of our collections relating to the history of disability. Some of the collection items […]