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Thursday 19 April 2007

Where are my books?!

The thing that came up in the History Surgeries time and time again was the problem of book availability. It seems to be the thing that you all find most frustrating about using the library. Second year modules were mentioned as being particularly problematic, while a lot of third year modules relied on borrowing tutors copies of books. We’d like to hear your suggestions on how we can improve this situation – more reference copies perhaps?

Some modules have been mentioned specifically, including:
HST3040 War, Decolonisation, and Independence in India, 1939-1950
HST223 Fascism 1918-1945
HST257 Decolonisation: Britain’s Retreat from Empire
HST3060 Muslim Conquest of Spain
HST3058 Colonial history of New York
HST396/7 Britain at war

Let me know your views on this. Have you struggled to find books for the same modules? Or are there others you have found problematic?

As part of the current project between the History Department and the Library, we have some additional funding to improve access to key undergraduate texts. We would like as much student input as possible in deciding how this money should be spent, so this is your chance to let us know which modules we should focus on. You can also recommend books you think the Library needs additional copies of. I’ll be updating the histlib blog to keep you informed on how the money is being spent and how we have responded to your suggestions. Leave a comment at the end of this message, or email histlib@sheffield.ac.uk.

Anna.

African History Resource

Those of you currently taking modules HST3005/3006 Liberation Struggles in Africa and HST3077/3078 Of Savages and Saints may find Aluka useful. There’s currently a section on Cultural Heritage (particularly strong on images, but there are relevant documents available too), but of more relevance is the forthcoming section on Struggles for Freedom in Southern Africa. The first content will be made available in June. The Library is running a trial of Aluka until June 30th and we’d like to know what you think of this resource, so please leave a comment or complete the feedback form.

Anna.
histlib@sheffield.ac.uk

British History Online

Hi, just wanted to draw your attention to an online resource you may find useful, British History Online. It includes a range of primary and secondary sources for medieval and modern history of Britain. Much of the content is free and well worth a look. The library is currently running a trial of more content offered by BHO which must be subscribed to and can be accessed on the Trial electronic resources page for a limited time. We have to decide whether this is something the library should consider subscribing to on a long-term basis, so all feedback on how useful and easy to navigate you found it would be much appreciated. You can complete a feedback form, or leave a comment on this post.

Anna.
histlib@sheffield.ac.uk