Anti-Slavery journals available online in British Periodicals e-resource

Library members interested in slavery may be interested in looking at the British Periodicals database, available in the library.

ProQuest's British Periodicals is a large database of periodicals, charting the development and growth of the periodical press in Britain from its origins in the 17th century to the Victorian 'age of periodicals' and beyond. The database includes digital copies of each page of the titles included, in a high resolution bitonal facsimile, and includes illustrations and advertisements. The full text of each publication can be searched.

Some titles of specific interest include:

• Anti-Slavery Reporter (1825-1833)
• Anti-Slavery Reporter and Aborigines' Friend (1840-1931) and
• Freed-man. A Monthly Magazine Devoted to the Interests of the Freed Coloured People (1865-1868)

The ability to search the full text of these titles provides much benefit to users as well as helping preserve the print copies retained. Access to databases is via the ULRLS Libraries webpage at http://www.ulrls.lon.ac.uk/resources/databases.asp

Books added to collection in October 2009

New items added to the collection in October covered most of the regions, but with an emphasis on catching up on some cataloguing of publications from the Pacific.

Click to view all items added to the Reference Collection in October

Commonwealth Studies Library Workshops

Our programme of free workshops offer short practical sessions to help you discover and make use of the wealth of information available at the Commonwealth Studies Library. Book your place by emailing icommlib@sas.ac.uk (please indicate any particular areas of interest so workshops can be tailored to your needs)

Colonial Blue Books and Annual Reports: Discover the wealth of statistical and social data contained in these annual reports, full of rich information on all aspects of colonial administration and life in the colonies.
Thursday January 14th, 2.00pm, NG14, Ground Floor Library, Senate House.

Maps: Explore the Senate House Library and Commonwealth Studies map collections and discover how to find maps in other libraries, and hidden in books and reports.
Friday January 29th, 2.00pm, Map Library, Ground Floor Library, Senate House

Finding and using census data for historical research: What information is contained in census reports? What can they tell us about people’s lives? How reliable are census reports and what questions should we ask when using these?
Friday February 12th, 2.00pm, NG14, Ground Floor Library.

Workshops are usually held in the Ground Floor Library, North Block, Senate House, Malet St, London WC1E 7HU. Workshops start at 2.00 and last for approximately an hour. Further details for each workshop will be available closer to the time. Places are limited so please pre-book in advance.

We can also arrange workshops for specific research groups or groups of students. For advice or assistance, telephone David Clover, Commonwealth Studies Librarian, 020 7862 8840 or email icommlib@sas.ac.uk

Corruption Perception Index - Transparency International

Transparency International has recently released its Corruption Percpetion Index, measuring the perceived level of public-sector corruption in 180 countries. The index is produced using a variety of expert and business surveys.

Commonwealth countries appear throughout the spectrum of results, led by New Zealand who leads the poll as being perceived as least corrupt. Also in the top 10 are Singapore (3rd equal with Sweden), and Australia and Canada (who share joint 8th place with Iceland).

Above the worst scoring countries of Somalia and Afghanistan, the lowest Commonwealth (and recent Commonwealth) nations are Papua New Guinea (154th equal), and Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Kenya and Cameroon (sharing 146th equal with Ecuador, Russia and Timor-Leste).

Transparency International in releasing the Index noted how corruption acted to block good governance and accountability and notes that countries which are perceived as the most corrupt are also those plagued by long-standing conflicts, which have torn apart their governance infrastructure.

You Said - We Did

Thanks for feedback received so far. Some things that we've done over the last couple of weeks are:

- placed signs in readings rooms reminding users that eating and drinking and not allowed and of the need for quiet conversation only.
- we now have both till and card machine available, so you add photocopying/printing credit to your card and pay fines on any library floor
- we will soon be stocking supplies of pens and library bags and other merchandise
- we hope to replace PCs in the NG rooms soon with new machines that can be linked to the Senate House Library printing system.

Please do keep us informed about any improvements we can make

Electronic Journals on Africa

An initiative arising from the 2008 Paris-Nanterres meeting of the European Librarians on African Studies (ELIAS) is a Wikipedia listing of African Studies journals available online.

The initial list was compiled from lists held by four institutions: Uppsala, Leiden, Frankfurt and ASAUK, creating a comprehensive list of more than one thousand African studies journals.

Locating this list within the digital encyclopedia Wikipedia has two advantages:
-the list of African Studies Journals is now available for a wide audience
-the list can be expanded and improved by anybody with knowledge about e-journals on Africa.

The list can be accessed via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_studies_journals

This is not a definitive list: it is work "under construction". The list will be expanded (ISBN etc) and updated in the future. It would be nice if all African Studies Journals would get their "own" page in Wikipedia, like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aequatoria and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Affairs

New on Intute - Pakistan Conflict Monitor

Intute is a free online service that helps you to find the best web resources for your studies and research. Recently added to Intute is the following resource, do check the website and its own blog for new resources.

Pakistan conflict monitor

The Pakistan Conflict Monitor is maintained by the Human Security Report Project at the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University. It aims to highlight research about conflict and international security relating to Pakistan. This includes coverage of terrorism, Al-Qaeda, fundamental Islam, the links with the Taliban in Afghanistan and more generally government and development initiatives. The site summarises and links to key research data, press releases and reports. Information is generally available from 2009 onwards.

Remember to check the website for a complete list http://www.intute.ac.uk/