A sample of the resources available through the new Digital Collection platform
The Library has launched the new Digital Collections platform making the Library’s digital resources more accessible. Over 5,600 digital items are now available to search online in one place.
Here are seven ways to use the Library’s new Digital Collections platform in your research:
1. For the first time, you can search across many of the Digital Collections
2. You can now save and sort resources according to your research projects under ‘My Collection’
3. You can view your ‘browsing history’ making it easier to find what you were previously searching for (this is automatically cleared once you leave the website for your privacy)
4. The search expands access to the Library’s Rare Books and Special Collections through making more of our digitised collections available
5. The platform has a mobile friendly interface, allowing for easier sharing and engagement
6. You can search across the text of collections like Hermes and Honi for the first time as our new system detects and uploads text from each page of our items
Rare Bites is a series of 30 minute lunchtime talks held monthly during semester. Each talk features an expert speaker spotlighting specific Rare Books and Special Collections resources that are part of their field of study.
The series gives the opportunity for staff & students to learn about some of the treasures and lesser-known gems within Rare Books & Special Collections.
Talk One: More than just its prayers: A late medieval Dutch Prayer Book in Fisher Library
Our first talk More than just its prayers: A late medieval Dutch Prayer Book in Fisher Library is by Dan Anlezark- McCaughey Professor of Early English Literature and Language; Director, Medieval and Early Modern Centre; Associate Dean Research (Education) Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Department of English who will be talking about the book from our collection: Add. Ms. 342
[A prayer book in Latin and Dutch]. 1501. Netherlands.
Add. Ms. 342 is an unstudied late medieval prayer book in Middle Dutch and Latin. This late fifteenth-century manuscript, written on paper, is only minimally decorated, and is the kind of book that was the output of mass production in the Low Countries in the later Middle Ages. The book appears to have remained in private ownership from the time it was made until relatively recently, as is indicated by the inscription of a number of names (including those of children) up to the early nineteenth century.
This short talk will provide a brief overview of the book in its evolving historical contexts, from the time of its manufacture, until it was acquired by the Fisher Library.
Talk Two: Illustrations to micrographs: Visualising patterns in Botany
Learning about the world around us involves observing and recognising the patterns. In science, learning is about sharing and challenging “the what” and “the how” of our observations through discussion within the classroom and with the scientific community at large.
Join Associate Professor Rosanne Quinnell from Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science discussing Botanische Wandatafeln – a series of technical scientific illustrations (1874-1911) distributed globally as teaching tools to support student learning in botany.
Reliance on these illustrations
of resources fell out favour for a number of reasons including the advent of
digital imaging which coincided with the explosion in the number of online
resources (including the University’s eBOT collection). Re-utilising Leopold
Kny’s series in a digital platform allows for an enriched dialogue about how
science, in general, and botany, is communicated.
Associate
Professor Rosanne Quinnell is from Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of
Science. Dr Quinnell’s research and teaching focus on plant sciences and the
use of technology-enhanced solutions to improve student learning e.g. Botany,
Zoology and Human Biology virtual microscopy slide collections, eBOT botanical
image repository, electron laboratory notebooks, CampusFlora apps.
In the seventeenth century, a period
known as the Dutch golden age, Dutch book production led the world.
Atlas minor…noveau revue, et augmente / Gerardus Mercator (1512-94). Amsterdami, excusam in aedilus Judoci Hondii [1613]. RB 6113.1
Dutch dominance of European printing at this time can be attributed to two main factors: the Dutch Republic’s position as a centre of international trade, and its relative freedom of the press. This exhibition showcases some examples of fine Dutch printing held in Rare Books & Special Collections.
This year, the Library is offering two fully online courses developed for students to master the foundational skills in information literacy. Learn how to research like a pro – know what resources are reliable and go beyond Google for the best possible results. Both courses available are zero credit points.
Not all information is created equal. In this course, you will learn what information is best suited for your needs. Learn how to detect bias and how to determine authority, accuracy and intended audience. You will investigate all the different ways information can be created and in turn question how to identify reliable and suitable sources.
Sometimes Google is not enough. In this course you will develop the
ability to apply universal search techniques across scholarly, government and
commercial websites to become a more flexible and efficient searcher. Learn how
to identify common search features on a range of websites and use them to
quickly find specific sorts of information.
Between May and November 2018, the University of Sydney Library Cultural Competence Community of Practice in conjunction with the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Indigenous Strategy and Services) hosted a series of seminars examining various perspectives on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander knowledges. The seminars were presented by experts on areas including History and Language, Cultural Astronomy, Connection to Country, Visual Art, Health, and Perspectives on Gender. The video recordings of these sessions, accessible via the below links, remain a valuable resource for members of the University community wishing to wishing to learn more about the rich cultures of our First Nations peoples.
With permission, these seminars were recorded and are available here as videos.
History and Language, Presenters: Professor Jakelin Troy, Matt Poll and Joel Davison.
Cultural Astronomy, Presenters: James Smith, Robert Fuller & Carla Guedes
