Database highlights – Box of Broadcasts

Box of Broadcasts is a database of British TV and radio broadcasts made available for educational use. This resource is available to members of the University of Cambridge both on and off campus within the UK. Off campus access is not available from outside the UK and on campus access is restricted to members of the university as a Raven login is required.

What the team at Box of Broadcasts says in their ‘About us’ section:

We believe that moving image and sound play a crucial role in education and research. By incorporating these dynamic elements alongside the written word, our members can enhance comprehension, cater to diverse learning styles, and engage attention. Through audiovisual means, we can effectively convey emotions, demonstrate practical skills, and provide valuable context to the subject matter.

If there is a specific programme you need to use there is a simple search option that will search for keywords in programme titles and transcripts. Using “quotes” will help to find a specific phrase in a programme title or in the programme transcript. If you find your search term in a transcript and click on the transcript section of the results list you will be able to start watching the video at the specific spot where the phrase appears in the programme.

The advanced search option will allow you to restrict your search by date, channel, availability, and let’s you toggle between searches for title, transcripts or both.

BoB captures over 75 channels from a mix of Freeview and Freesat television, with ten channels available in foreign languages. Here is the current channel list. All channels are potentially subject to change.

To record a programme you must be signed in. Either select a programme from the guide and click ‘request programme’, or, use the search bar to look for programmes using keywords. Filter the results with the custom date range and again, click ‘request programme’ to record. Once recorded, you’ll find the programme in My BoB.

You can make 20 recordings a day and unlimited clips.

The programme record will include citation and broadcast information.

The ‘Share’ options will give a URL, a WAFLess URL (that will prompt for Raven), and an option of a link that can be embedded.

You can also take a clip from a programme if the full programme is not needed.

Box of Broadcasts offers a number of ‘How to’ video tutorials to help you make the most of the resource.

Recommended browsers for using BoB are:

• Internet Explorer 11 – Windows 8 (and above)
• Edge 12 (or later)
• Mozilla Firefox 44 (or later)
• Safari 8 (or later)
• Google Chrome 49 (or later)

Mental Health Awareness Week – Kanopy resources

Mental Health Awareness Week runs from 13th to 19th May. The theme for this year is “Movement: Moving more for our mental health”.

Here to offer you some choices of videos on Kanopy for when you when you want to take a break.

Roman Holiday

You can also browse the ‘Musicals in May’ playlist that has been curated by Kanopy.

Kanopy offers access to a number of documentaries and courses, including the Great Courses series, that take a look at a mental health.

Young People and Mental Health

Tai Chi Solo: Finding Your Flow

Relaxing Yoga for Self Care

Chair Yoga

Kanopy offers access to films on a wide range of topics. You can explore more of what Kaopy has to offer using the link from the Databases A-Z.

Database highlights – Project Gutenberg

Project Gutenberg is a database of over 70,000 freely available ebooks and audio books.

The books can be searched by title and there are options to see lists of books available in a number of languages.

Project Gutenberg, a nonprofit organization (since 2000) that maintains an electronic library of public domain works that have been digitized, or converted into e-books, by volunteers and archived for download from the organization’s website, http://www.gutenberg.org. The project got its start on July 4, 1971, when Michael Hart, a student at the University of Illinois, began typing the U.S. Declaration of Independence into the school’s computer system for distribution free of charge. He soon followed with the works of William Shakespeare and the Bible. Thus began Project Gutenberg, the oldest digital library.
Hosch, William L.. “Project Gutenberg”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Sep. 2023. Accessed 25 April 2024.

There will be a number of options for viewing your chosen texts, including:
Read online (web)
EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle)
EPUB (older E-readers)
EPUB (no images, older E-readers)
Kindle
older Kindles
Plain Text UTF-8
Download HTML (zip)

If you have any questions about the copyright or the books please see the Project Gutenberg ‘Help, How-To, Procedures, Guidance and Information‘ pages.

Please note – Project Gutenberg eBooks may be freely used in the United States because most are not protected by U.S. copyright law. They may not be free of copyright in other countries. Readers outside of the United States must check the copyright terms of their countries before accessing, downloading or redistributing eBooks. We also have a number of copyrighted titles, for which the copyright holder has given permission for unlimited non-commercial worldwide use

Digital Theatre + : An Inspector Calls

If you have enjoyed visiting the ‘Murder by the Book’ exhibition at the University Library you might enjoy watching ‘An Inspector Calls’ (J. B. Priestley, 1947) on Digital Theatre +.

Digital Theatre + is available for members of the University of Cambridge to access via the link in the Databases A-Z.

Along with making a video of a production available DT+ also offer a selection of teaching and learning resources, including:

Unlocked Study Guide: An Inspector Calls
Lesson Toolkits: An Inspector Calls
Unlocked: An Inspector Calls video series

‘An Inspector Calls: a Play in Three Acts’ was first published in the UK in 1947. A copy of the 1947 edition is available to be ordered to the Rare Books Reading Room using classmark 1947.7.416.

From the Digital Theatre + platform:

“Our education team oversees all of the content that is created at Digital Theatre+, from exclusive video resources and interviews to detailed study guides, essays and lesson plans. With backgrounds in education, publishing and theatre, their knowledge and expertise are the guiding force behind everything that Digital Theatre+ produces. We also work with 150 educators from around the world, drawing on their unique perspectives to advise and aid us in content creation and acquisition, site development, partnerships, projects, ethics and aesthetics, ensuring that schools and universities receive the best quality resources.”

If you are not a member of the University of Cambridge you will be able to access Digital Theatre + from one of the PCs within the University Library. Digital Theatre + also offers some freely available resources for everyone to use.

Database highlight – Digital Theatre +

Digital Theatre + is available for members of the University of Cambridge to access via the link in the Databases A-Z.

From the Digital Theatre + platform:

“Our education team oversees all of the content that is created at Digital Theatre+, from exclusive video resources and interviews to detailed study guides, essays and lesson plans. With backgrounds in education, publishing and theatre, their knowledge and expertise are the guiding force behind everything that Digital Theatre+ produces. We also work with 150 educators from around the world, drawing on their unique perspectives to advise and aid us in content creation and acquisition, site development, partnerships, projects, ethics and aesthetics, ensuring that schools and universities receive the best quality resources.”

“We’ve curated an extraordinary collection of interviews, lectures, essays, and workshops featuring world-leading theatre makers. 

“With exclusive insights from key practitioners such as Anne Bogart, Luis Valdez, Augusto Boal, and Katie Mitchell, and authoritative materials from hundreds of world-class scholars, you’ll have everything you need…” 

Alongside access to full length productions from the RSC, National Youth Theatre and many others you will find video resources (including documentaries, interviews and workshops), written resources (including essays and play texts), and teaching resources.

If you are not a member of the University of Cambridge you will be able to access Digital Theatre + from one of the PCs within the University Library. Digital Theatre + also offers some freely available resources for everyone to use.

Joint Publications Research Services (JPRS) : trial access

Cambridge University members now have trial access to Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) 1957-1995.

The trial will be active until 31 May 2024.

Please tell us what you think about this resource using our feedback form.

From the height of the Cold War to the dawn of the Internet and the dissolution of the Soviet Union, JPRS reports document the changes on the ground during that tumultuous time.

JPRS – acting as a unit within the Central Intelligence Agency – was established in March 1957 as part of the United States Department of Commerce’s Office of Technical Services, about six months before the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1. JPRS staffers prepared translations for use by U.S. government officials, various agencies, and the research and industrial communities.

New eresources: Drama Online – The Classic Spring Oscar Wilde Collection

Through the support of anonymous donors, Cambridge University now has access to the Classic Spring Oscar Wilde Collection on Drama Online.

The Oscar Wilde Season at the Vaudeville in October 2018 was the first offering from Classic Spring, Dominic Dromgoole’s new theatre company, founded as he left Shakespeare’s Globe. The season revolved around Wilde’s four great Victorian plays, which shocked and redefined British theatre when first performed, and still resonate today.

The available plays are:

LADY WINDERMERE’S FAN

The day of Lady Windermere’s birthday party, and all is perfectly in order. Until her friend Lord Darlington plants a seed of suspicion. Is her husband having an affair? And will the other woman really attend the party? First performed in 1892, Lady Windermere’s Fan explores the ambiguity of upper class morality and the fragile position of women in the late Victorian era. It has always proved one of Wilde’s most popular and witty plays.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST

Widely considered one of the funniest plays in English, Wilde’s much loved masterpiece throws love, logic and language into the air to make one of theatre’s most dazzling firework displays. Jack, Algy, Gwendolyn and Cecily discover how unsmooth runs the course of true love, while Lady Bracknell keeps a baleful eye on this mayhem of manners.

A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE

An earnest young American woman, a louche English lord, and an innocent young chap join a house party of fin de siècle fools and grotesques. Nearby a woman lives, cradling a long buried secret. Wilde’s marriage of glittering wit and Ibsenite drama create a vivid new theatrical voice.

AN IDEAL HUSBAND

The Rolls-Royce of English comedies, this entertaining and still topical play brings an act of political sin into the heart of the English home. As an ambitious government minister, Sir Robert Chiltern’s smooth ascent to the top seems assured, until Mrs Cheveley appears in London with damning proof of a previous financial scandal.

Database highlight – ARTstor (on JSTOR)

Cambridge University members have access to ARTstor (on JSTOR), which contains over two million high-quality images, curated from leading museums and archives around the world. These images are rights-cleared for education and research.

Scholars can easily examine wide-ranging material such as Native American art from the Smithsonian, treasures from the Louvre, and modern architectural plans from Columbia University.

Users can explore, discover, and interact with images from around the world using a suite of tools that encourage direct interaction with content, including zooming in on images to explore details, comparing and contrasting images side by side, and creating presentations with embedded text and annotations. These tools can help students engage with the material in a more immersive way, enhancing their learning experience in any instructional modality.

Ammi Phillips. Girl in Red Dress with Cat and Dog. 1830-1835. Image and data from the American Folk Art Museum.

Also available via the Cambridge Databases A-Z

ARTstor have produced some colouring cards for mindfulness and well-being. We hope you enjoy them!

e-MAREFA : trial access

Trial access is now available to e-Marefa, a comprehensive online database of academic content in Arabic and English, with a focus on materials from the Arab world.

Trial access is now available until 17 May 2024 at this link.

Please tell us what you think about this resource using our feedback form.

Here’s a brief overview of what e-Marefa offers:

• 2400+ academic journals and statistical periodicals in full text
• 650,000+ full text articles
• 33,000 theses and dissertations in full text
• 30,000 e-books, ebook chapters and book reviews
• 1,000,000 research abstracts
• 25 specialized databases covering thematic and discipline-specific areas such as Middle Eastern studies, Arabic literature, and regional conflicts.

“Marefa Database is a leading and integrated Arab database of full text and comprehensive metadata that contains around 7,000,000 records including academic journals, articles, theses and dissertations, e-books and book reviews, statistical reports, research abstracts and conference proceedings, and covering all disciplines and fields.” – from the publisher website

Stress Awareness Month – Kanopy resources

Stress Awareness Month has been running in the UK every April since 1992 to raise awareness of the causes of stress and to offer guidance on where support can be found when dealing with stress.

If you think you might be suffering from stress the university Occupational Health team have put together some Advice & Guidance.
The Student Support services are available for anyone at the university looking for help with wellbeing and counselling.

We have put together a list of videos available on the Kanopy platform that take a look at stress. There are many other titles on the platform that you may find useful.

Understanding and Managing Stress
“One fundamental aspect of stress is that different people respond to similar events in different ways. To understand why, Professor Sanderson examines the nature of stress — in relationships, in work, and in the environment — and shows how stress can be helpful (e.g., fight or flight) or harmful (e.g., PTSD). See how to better manage your stress.”

Stress, Learning, and Memory
“This episode explains the science behind how short-term stress enhances memory and learning, while chronic stress may actually work to kill neurons in the hippocampus.”

The Stress of Learning and Mastery
“Over half of Americans are stressed about their performance at work. Here, learn the importance of deliberate practice: perhaps the most effective strategy for cultivating competence at work. Then, ponder the idea of the “imposter syndrome,” learn how to receive feedback, dispel the myth of “magical transformation,” and more.”

How Stress and Emotion Affect Learning
“Ask almost anyone where they were when they heard about major events like the 9/11 attacks or the Challenger explosion and they remember immediately. Why, psychologically, do those memories remain so vivid? And do short, quick moments of stress versus chronic stress affect our memories differently? How? These answers and more await you.”

Channeling Stress for a Competitive Edge
“Performance stress can help you perform at a higher level – if you know how to control it. First, learn how to repurpose this kind of stress as excitement. Then, discover what research says about how posture and “flow” (immersion in the moment) can help you perform better in stressful situations.”

How Your Brain Manages Stress
“Though stress is usually considered negative, research reveals it is our perceived inability to control stress that does most of the damage. Unravel how the brain responds to stress on a neurological and chemical level, and survey what neuroscience research has to say about how to reduce stress in your life by learning to control it.”

Stress and Your Body collection
“Feeling stressed? You’re not alone. Stress is a fact of life. And the key to changing how stress affects you is a thorough knowledge of how it works—which you’ll find in the 24 fascinating lessons of Stress and Your Body, taught by one of the world’s foremost researchers on stress and neurobiology.”

Choose Your Adventure: Choose Your Stress
“Choice and stress are fundamentally intertwined. What does learned helplessness tell us about our sense of control? Is too much choice more stressful than fewer choices? Is someone obsessed with making the best possible choice happier than someone who’s not? How can you make better decisions under stress?”

Learning from Your Stress
“Dr. Bonura leaves you with skills to learn from the stress in your life. Discover why it’s important to feel a sense of purpose; how the frequency of positive experiences you have is more important than their intensity; and why it truly is important to appreciate the small things.”

Turning Stress into Strength
“Your response to stress is intimately related to how you view the world. In learning to neutralize stress, map your own emotional life and consider research on the effects of positive emotions. Then learn a technique, using focused breathing and imagery, for reaching a positive feeling state and disarming the stress response.”