{"id":3019,"date":"2021-11-29T16:17:46","date_gmt":"2021-11-29T16:17:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staffblogs.le.ac.uk\/specialcollections\/?p=3019"},"modified":"2025-02-26T13:22:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T13:22:02","slug":"university-of-nottingham-special-collections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staffblogs.le.ac.uk\/specialcollections\/2021\/11\/29\/university-of-nottingham-special-collections\/","title":{"rendered":"University of Nottingham’s Special Collections"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Following on from our\u00a0last post on Nottingham Local Studies Library<\/a>, today we explore\u00a0the other Nottingham-based collection holder the Midlands team worked with – the University of Nottingham’s Special Collections.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/a>
The reading room at the University of Nottingham Special Collections & Manuscripts<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Special Collections are part of the wider network of libraries at the University of Nottingham and are stored at their King\u2019s Meadow Campus. The notion of a university library can conjure up a romanticised image of shelves upon shelves\u00a0of books, with special collections containing important manuscripts and rare books. Whilst printed material does make up a substantial proportion of items deposited within university\u00a0libraries,\u00a0one can often find a variety of different media to explore within their catalogues. The University of Nottingham’s Special Collections contains many sound recordings, either as distinct collections by themselves, or as part as larger collections consisting of a mixture of media formats.\u00a0The size of these collections varies from one\u00a0reel of\u00a0tape to several\u00a0cassettes, however, the digitisation and cataloguing process undertaken by the UOSH projects means that all of the recordings will be made more accessible.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/a>
An example of a tape box.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Amongst the numerous recordings the team worked with from the Special Collections a personal highlight is the interviews from the BHT Research Papers collection. These interviews were undertaken between 1987 and 1996 with various people associated with the University of Nottingham as part of Brian H. Tolley\u2019s research into the development of the University and the history of its various schools and departments. The research was used to assist Tolley in writing his book \u2018The History of the University of Nottingham\u2019, which was published in 2001. University professors and council members are among those interviewed, as well as the former Vice-Chancellor Lord Dainton. There is also a fascinating interview with Brian Davey discussing student political activism, including the establishment of the University\u2019s Socialist Society. This collection offers a unique perspective into university life, allowing us to better understand the Higher Education sector. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A<\/a>
The chemistry lab c.1950 at the University of Nottingham<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The other collections from\u00a0the University of Nottingham’s Special Collections\u00a0that the Midlands hub worked with were:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n