New e-resource: Novaia Gazeta Digital Archive

Cambridge University Libraries are delighted to announce the acquisition of the Novaia Gazeta Digital Archive and a new subscription to the paper’s new Europe edition

The text about Novaia gazeta below is provided by East View, but the description predates Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.  It therefore does not reflect the closure of the paper in Russia in March 2022 following government pressure to curb its frankness about the war nor the paper’s re-appearance in May 2022 as a separate Europe edition.

‘About The Collection

Novaia gazeta (Новая газета, The New Newspaper) is a popular independent Moscow newspaper known for critical investigative reporting, working to expose corruption, abuse of power and violation of laws amongst the government and main financial structures of modern Russia.

Launched in 1993, the newspaper has published under the title of Novaia ezhednevnaia gazeta (Новая ежедневная газета, The New Daily Newspaper) and Novaia gazeta ponedel’nik (Новая газета понедельник, The New Newspaper Monday). One constant, however, has been Novaia gazeta’s consistent reporting on a variety of contentious issues, including corruption and war crimes in Chechnya, human rights violations, persecution of LGBTQ+ activists, torture practices in Russian prisons, and murders of political opponents. Sometimes referred to as “Russia’s bravest media outlet,” Novaia gazeta has had several of its journalists assassinated in their line of work, including Yuri Shchekochikhin, Anna Politkovskaia, Natalia Estemirova, Stanislav Markelov, and Anastasia Baburova.

More recently, the newspaper was recognized for its efforts to defend and promote free speech with the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Novaia gazeta’s co-founder and editor-in-chief Dmitry Muratov.’

Also available to access via the Databases A-Z.

If you have any questions about this collection, please do get in touch with the Electronic Collection Management team (ejournals@lib.cam.ac.uk).

New E-Resource – Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Archive

The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Archive is now available to access for members of the University of Cambridge.

Royal Geographical Society (with Institute of British Geographers) was founded in 1830. The learned Society promotes the advancement of geographical science in all its aspects. The Society’s archive contains vast collections of documents, maps, photographs, expedition reports, manuscript materials and books, and span 500 years of geography, travel and exploration. The RGS holds one of the largest private map collections in the world. It includes one million sheets of maps and charts, 3000 atlases, 40 globes (as gores or mounted on stands) and 1000 gazetteers. The earliest printed cartographic item dates back to 1485.

The Wiley Digital Archives-RGS collection also boasts over one hundred unique special collections. These include the Everest Collection; the David Livingstone Collection; the Sir Ernest Shackleton Collection; the Stanley Collection; the Younghusband Collection; the Speke Collection; and the Gertrude Bell Collection.

Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) Archive is also available to access via the Databases A-Z.

 

 

New E-Resource – Classic Arabic Texts Online

Cambridge’s Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies in collaboration with the University Library Special Collections Near and Middle Eastern Department are delighted to provide online access to the Classic Arabic Texts Online (CATO) resource from the publisher Brill.

Classic Arabic Texts Online (CATO) offers approx. 19,000 pages of classic Brill editions of Arabic texts in a full-text searchable format and accessible from one single point of entry.

Classic Arabic Texts Online‘ library of Arabic geographical and historical works is now on Brill’s new Scholarly Editions platform.

It consists of a large number of authoritative text editions: the Bibliotheca Geographorum Arabicorum (BGA), itself a collection of famous geographical texts, as well as Taʾrīkh al-rusul wa-l-mulūk by Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, its résumé by ʿArīb b. Saʿd al-Qurṭubī, and the Kitāb Futūḥ al-buldān by Aḥmad b. Yaḥyā al-Balādhurī, with English translation.

Classic Arabic Texts Online is also available to access via the Databases A-Z.

Scholars at an Abbasid library, from the Maqamat of al-Hariri by Yahya ibn Mahmud al-Wasiti, Baghdad, 1237.

New E-Resource – Shen Bao Digital Archive (1872-1949) – 申報

We are pleased to announce that Cambridge University members now have access to the Shen Bao Digital Archive (申報). Published in Shanghai between 1872 and 1949, this archive gives a unique insight into the transition of China from the nineteenth century until Mao.

Description from the publisher website:

“Established in 1872, Shen Bao (申報, historically transliterated as Shun Pao or Shen-pao) was the most influential and longest lasting commercial newspaper before the establishment of the People’s Republic. Published in Shanghai until 1949, Shen Bao was founded by Englishman Ernest Major, but, uniquely, as a newspaper for Chinese readers, written by Chinese reporters.

During its existence, Shen Bao gradually shifted from a conservative to a more liberal perspective, and played a pivotal role in the formation of public opinion in the imperial period and into the tumultuous beginnings of modern China. Shen Bao’s innovations in printing technologies, specialized use of the telegraph, and dispatch of special military correspondents gave it an edge.”

Shen Bao 申報 is also available to access via the Databases A-Z.

China Comprehensive Gazetteers (中國綜合方誌庫) – Trial access

Trial access to the China Comprehensive Gazetteers (1229-1949) is provided to University of Cambridge members until 31 July 2022.

Produced in conjunction with the National Library of China, this database presents a vast collection of Chinese local gazetteers spanning eight centuries 1229-1949. With approximately 7,000 titles (100,000 volumes) presented to date, this is perhaps the richest single resource available for researching China in multiple aspects, including its political history, literature, religion, culture, economic development, geography and natural history.

What do you think of China Comprehensive Gazetteers? Have your say on this feedback form. We value your feedback.

Hindustan Times (1924-2010) – Trial access

Trial access to Hindustan Times (1924-2010), one of the mostly widely read English-language daily newspapers in India, is now available to 8 August 2022 for Cambridge University members.

Please tell us about your use of this resource and if you want continued access to it via this feedback form.

New e-resource: American Indian Newspapers

Cambridge University Libraries are delighted to announce the acquisition of the digital archive American Indian Newspapers.

For this new acquisition, we are sincerely grateful to the legacy of Dr. Mark Kaplanoff, Fellow of Pembroke College, whose endowment provides Cambridge with rich and diverse collections to support the study of the history of the United States in the University.

From historic pressings to contemporary periodicals, explore nearly 200 years of Indigenous print journalism from the US and Canada. With newspapers representing a huge variety in publisher, audience and era, discover how events were reported by and for Indigenous communities.

American Indian Newspapers aims to present a diverse and robust collection of print journalism from Indigenous peoples of the US and Canada over more than 9,000 individual editions from 1828-2016.

Representing a huge variety in style, production and audience, the newspapers include national periodicals as well as local community news and student publications. The 45 unique titles also include bi-lingual and Indigenous-language editions, such as Hawaiian, Cherokee and Navajo languages.

A link to this database is included in the A-Z Databases Libguide. Records for titles included in this database are available in iDiscover.

Text taken from the Adam Matthews platform

New E-Resource – Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers

We are very pleased to announce that the Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers (Premium Collection) is now available to Cambridge University members.

The Middle Eastern and North African Newspapers collection includes publications from the countries of the Middle East and North Africa. It provides unique insights into the history of individual countries across this dynamic region, as well as broad viewpoints on key historic events from the late nineteenth century through the present.

Researchers will find a wealth of unique content from the Middle East and North Africa, much of which has never been digitized or available as open access material. Content in this collection is predominantly in Arabic, but also includes key titles in English and French. Subscribing institutions also receive access to five in-copyright titles from the region: al-Akhbār (الاخبار, Lebanon, 2006-2019), al-Dustūr (الدستور, Jordan, 1967-2000), al-Jumhūrīyah (الجمهورية, Egypt, 1962-1986), al-Riyāḍ (الرياض, Saudi Arabia, 1972-1996), and Filasṭīn (فلسطين, Israel/Palestine, 1956-1967).

This collection is also available to access via the Databases A-Z.

New E-Resource – Diaolong Database of Chinese and Japanese Ancient Books – 雕龙中日古籍全文检索数据库

We are pleased to announce that Cambridge University members now have access to Diaolong Full-text Database of Chinese and Japanese Ancient Books.

This database contains over 35,000 ancient books in Chinese and Japanese, which cover a wider range of subjects including history, politics, economics, religion, philosophy, literature and geography. There are currently 21 sub-databases which can be searched or browsed.

1. Daozang – 道藏,
2. Daozang jiyao – 道藏辑要
3. Sibu congkan – 四部叢刊
4. Xu Sibu congkan – 續四部叢刊
5. Yongle dadian – 永樂大典
6. Gujin Tushu Jicheng – 古今圖書集成
7. Dunhuang shiliao – 敦煌史料
8. Qingdai shiliao – 清代史料
9. Zhongguo difangzhi – 中國地方誌
10. Zhongguo difangzhi xuji – 中國地方誌續集
11. Zhongguo difangzhi sanji – 中國地方誌三集
12. Riben gudian shujiku – 日本古典書籍庫
13. Siku quanshu – 四庫全書
14. Xuxiu Siku quanshu – 續修四庫全書
15. Siku cunmu – 四庫存目
16. Siku wei shou shu – 四庫未收書
17. Siku jin hui shu – 四庫禁毀書
18. Liufu wencang – 六府文藏
19. Zhongguo minjian wenxue – 中國民間文學
20. Qingdai keju zhujuan – 清代科舉硃卷
21. Yi jia ku – 醫家庫

Also available to access via the Databases A-Z.

J-DAC Databases – Trial access

Trial access to two J-DAC databases – Documents related to Masayoshi Ohira and Collection of Rare Magazines related to Sexual Culture [in Japan] – is available to 31 July 2022 for Cambridge University members.

Please tell us about your use of these resources and if you want continued access to either of them via this feedback form.

Documents related to Masayoshi Ohira  「大平正芳関係文書」

A large cache of documents left by Masayoshi Ohira (1910-1980), 68th and 69th Prime Minister of Japan. Composed of a vast and varied selection of primary source material containing everything from diaries and notebooks written personally by Ohira, to correspondence, official documents from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Industry, manuscripts for responses to Diet questions, and for Diet speeches; election material, plus transcripts of interviews with key political and financial officials conducted for the penning of Ohira’s memoirs, this is a resource of the first order for anyone with a serious interest in Japan’s post-war political history.

Please note that when searching the Ohira database you should select this database from the list below the search bar to avoid getting results from other historical databases (which are not included in this trial).

Collection of Rare Magazines related to Sexual Culture [in Japan]  「社会文化史データベース 性風俗稀少雑誌」

This database allows access to over 400 issues of magazines published in Japan between 1950 and 1970. It includes magazines published for general entertainment with stories and information about movies as well as magazines related to sexual culture. The contents reflect cultural changes after the Occupation of Japan ended in early 1952. The archive will be useful for research related to gender, sexuality, history, and literature in post-war Japan.