FT.com for the Cambridge reader

Cambridge University Library and the Marshall Library of Economics are delighted to announce that all University of Cambridge members now have access, both within the University and from anywhere in the world, to the Financial Times online direct via the FT‘s website, FT.com.

The Financial Times is the world’s premier newspaper for business and economics.

The FT.com can be accessed on campus direct to https://www.ft.com or off campus via Raven (Shibboleth Single Sign-On) using this link.

Links to the FT.com can be found on the Cambridge LibGuides Databases A-Z, the LibGuide for Newspapers, and via iDiscover.

To get the most out of your access, create an account on FT.com by clicking the “Sign in” link on the FT.com site.  Cambridge users can enter their cam.ac.uk email address and create an account.  After creating your account you can access your FT.com content via the Single Sign-On (SSO) button which will recognise you as a member of the University.

The FT.com App for Android and iOS can be downloaded from the App Store or from Google Play.  For more information see here.

The FT describes itself as “one of the world’s leading news organisations, recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. It is part of Nikkei Inc., which provides a broad range of information, news and services for the global business community.”

FT.com access significantly enhances the Cambridge reader’s existing access via Factiva and ABI/Inform, providing up-to-the-minute news coverage, all statistical sources and their full visualization online, personalization of content, and companies and markets data.

Churchill Archive now online for University of Cambridge

We are delighted to announce that the Churchill Archive has been acquired for full access to all members of the University of Cambridge.  Access is available now via the following link:

http://ezproxy.lib.cam.ac.uk:2048/login?url=http://www.churchillarchive.com/

Cambridge University Library would like to acknowledge the generosity of the private donation made with the support of Bloomsbury that led to the acquisition of this important archive for all our students and researchers.

The Archive can also be accessed via the Cambridge LibGuides Databases A-Z here.  Access is alternatively available via Shibboleth login on the http://www.churchillarchive.com/ site if you prefer to go to the site directly when off campus.  (As this resource is an archive, there are no individual MARC records for its contents in iDiscover, but a “collection-level” record for the archive will be added shortly.)

The Churchill Archive is a unique resource that brings nearly 800,000 documents amassed by Winston S. Churchill throughout his life, together online for the first time.   The original documents, produced between 1874 and 1965, include Churchill’s personal correspondence with his family and friends; financial and legal papers; political and constituency-related materials; ministerial and official correspondence; drafts of his speeches; as well as notes, drafts, and proofs of his many articles and books.

To complement the core content, the Churchill Archive offers an expanding range of additional materials, including pedagogical resources and secondary materials, plus editorially-selected links to other resources, video and audio content, and biographical and bibliographic databases.

 

 

A “Collection Highlights” section reveals themes of special interest in Churchill’s career and over the historical periods covered by the Archive, including how he used the power of words to boost the nation’s morale, how some exceptionally influential women supported him in his work and personal life, and most recently highlighting how he fostered the “special relationship” between this country and America, in the era of Soviet expansionism after the Second World War in particular.

For readers coming to the Archive afresh, or who are unfamiliar with researching with archival materials, there are heplful pages (FAQs; MyArchive) on interpreting documents and navigating the Archive’s content, with some advice about microfilm transcriptions and conventions of cataloguing and taxonomy in the organization of the papers over time.

A “Teaching and Research” page demonstrates the wealth of potential sources in the Archive for the study of topics in twentieth-century history, including for example an in-depth guide on Winston Churchill and the Islamic World by Warren Dockter, University of Cambridge.

Read the blog of the Churchill Archive and keep up to date with the Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College at their site here.

 

Churchill’s visit to the College, 17 Oct 1959, ref. CCPH 4/2

 

America’s Historical Newspapers : Early American Newspapers Series 1-13

The University Library is delighted to announce the acquisition of all 13 series of the Early American Newspapers collection published by Readex.

The EAN is the single most comprehensive online resource for searching and browsing early American newspapers, comprising thousands of fully searchable historical newspapers from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., searchable by series, by place of publication, by era or by decade

Access this new resource at this URL on or off campus or via the Cambridge LibGuides Databases A-Z.

As the first draft of history, American newspapers have preserved essential records and detailed accounts of the people, issues and events that shaped the nation for hundreds of years. In the 1800s, American newspapers were often published by small-town printers and reflected the interests and values of the communities they served. But as the country grew and changed, so too did its newspapers. In the 19th century, the number of titles published rose dramatically, and newspapers were transformed by an increasing emphasis on society, industry, scientific advances, investigative journalism and human-interest stories. By the early 20th century, nearly every town in the United States had its own newspaper.

An essential digital record of American history, culture and daily life

Early American newspapers is the most extensive resource of its kind. Currently featuring more than 2,000 titles from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Early American Newspapers provides an unparalleled record of daily life in hundreds of diverse American communities. Through eyewitness reporting, editorials, legislative updates, letters, poetry, advertisements, election returns, matrimony and death notices, maps, cartoons, illustrations and more, these historical newspapers offer researchers essential local and national perspectives on American history, culture and daily life across three centuries.  Advanced capabilities allow users to search or browse by date or era, by language, by place of publication or individual title. Users can easily view, magnify, print and save digital images of whole issues, pages and individual articles.

 

More than 90 sources and superior bibliographic control

Early American Newspapers has been created through partnerships with the American Antiquarian Society, the Library of Congress, the Wisconsin Historical Society and more than 90 other institutions. This joint effort has led to the creation of a historical newspaper collection of unparalleled breadth and depth. A distinguished academic advisory board guides the title selection process.

 

Encyclopedia of political thought

The University of Cambridge now has access to the Encyclopedia of political thought.  The Encyclopedia can be accessed via this link:

http://ezproxy.lib.cam.ac.uk:2048/login?url=http://www.encyclopediaofpoliticalthought.com/

The Encyclopedia examines the history of political thought, contemporary political theory, and political philosophy. The entries range in size from shorter definitions and biographies to extended treatments of major topics and traditions. Tracing the evolution of political thinking from antiquity to the present, the scope of this unprecedented resource emphasizes the richness and diversity of the field’s traditions.

• Offers over 900 A-Z entries including shorter definitions and biographies as well as extended treatments of major topics from over 700 contributors from around the world.
• Examines the history of political thought from antiquity to contemporary political theory and political philosophy
• Reflects diverse traditions in the evolution of political theory and political science
• Addresses the theorists, their key theories and methods from within the western canon as well as from non-western perspectives

“A central problem for constitutionalism is the enforcement of constitutional norms. In the USA, there is no effective dissent from the practice, established in 1803 by Chief Justice Marshall in Marbury v. Madison, that courts in appropriate cases may overturn statutes as unconstitutional. But the idea of a constitutional court, though gaining ground around the world, is not a necessary component of constitutionalism. Legislatures and executives may feel bound by constitutional norms, even though they have the formal power to disregard them. Not since 1707 have British monarchs vetoed legislation enacted by parliament, though they have the “legal” authority to do so. In the USA, decisions to impeach and convict federal officials, such as the president and judges, are wholly in the hands of Congress under the constitution itself, but the impeachment power has been used only sparingly and when, occasionally, it was misused, the Senate refused to convict. That said, it is also indisputable that constitutional norms can change so that what was once thought to be perfectly plain and acceptable to one generation becomes unthinkable, as a matter of constitutional law, to another. The most spectacular example in American history is the Supreme Court’s change of mind on the question of racial segregation from its 1896 decision in Plessy v. Ferguson to its decision in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education.”

— Lieberman, J. K. 2014. Constitutionalism. The Encyclopedia of Political Thought. 730–732

Inscription on the wall of the Supreme Court Building from Marbury v. Madison, in which Chief Justice John Marshall outlined the concept of judicial review

Indian papers of Colonel Clive and Brigadier-General Carnac, 1752-1774

The University of Cambridge now has online access to the Indian papers of Colonel Clive and Brigadier-General Carnac, 1752-1774.  This collection from British Archives Online is made available thanks to an agreement for Higher Education institutions between JISC Collections and British Archives Online for the duration of 2017 only.

This new resource is available via this link:

http://ezproxy.lib.cam.ac.uk:2048/login?url=https://www.britishonlinearchives.co.uk/collection.php?cid=9781851171859

The papers of two leading actors in the East India Company in mid-18th century Bengal from the National Library of Wales. Chiefly in English, but with an array of original correspondence with local figures in Indo-Persian and occasionally Bengali, Marathi and Tamil, this collection allows researchers to understand the complex political web in the subcontinent as the power of the Mughal Empire began to wane.

Essential for those studying the life and career of Robert Clive (1725-1774), a man who stands in the very first rank of historical figures, this resource is also of the greatest importance to anyone exploring the often hotly debated events that preceded, accompanied and followed the establishment of Britain’s Indian empire during the mid-18th century, especially the periods 1756-1760 and 1765-1766. By reproducing in full Clive’s English and Persian correspondence, it is possible to compare firsthand Indian and European accounts of Clive’s resounding victory in 1757 at Plassey over the superior French-backed force of the Nawab of Bengal in the aftermath of the notorious ‘Black Hole of Calcutta’ incident; of the conclusive routing of the Dutch in 1759; or of the ill-fated career of Clive’s chief administrator of revenues, Maharaja Nandakumara, including supplementary material on his trial and execution in 1775 for forgery drawn from the 1st Earl of Minto’s papers at National Library of Scotland.

First an officer in the EIC’s private army, and then later twice governor of Bengal, Clive was the leading actor in the political and military events of the 1750s and 1760s that served to lay the foundations of the British Raj. But he was also a highly controversial figure who, during an often troubled lifetime, attracted much unwanted attention from the public, Parliament and the press. Many in Britain came to revile him and, tainted by accusations of corruption and the abuse of power in India, he was condemned for spending his enormous private fortune on houses, estates and possessions, acquired in an attempt to carve out an elevated position for his family in English landed society. Even in death Clive remained controversial, with many believing that he committed suicide in 1774 at the age of 49.

Originally part of the Clive family’s Powis estate, these immensely rich and varied papers facilitate close study of a highly complex and enigmatic man, as well as the contested origins of Britain’s Indian empire. In addition the papers contain invaluable material on the economic, social and political history of Britain during the 18th century.

Complementing our understanding of this turning point in the history of British power in South Asia, are some 2,000 items of John Carnac’s correspondence. Carnac joined the EIC army with the rank of Captain in 1758, after his service with the 39th infantry regiment. As Commander-in-Chief between 1760 and 1761, he fought and defeated the French-supported forces of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Alam II, near Bihar. Made Brigadier-General in 1764, Carnac again assumed command, defeating the Marathas in 1765 before handing control back later that year to Robert Clive. This correspondence’s emphasis on the years between 1763 and 1766 helps to fill the gap in events during Clive’s absence from India between March 1760 and April 1765, when he returned to Britain. At the same time, the collection amplifies our understanding of Clive’s third and final tour of duty, providing an opportunity to contrast how two senior British figures set about implementing the EIC’s new approach, combining commercial with growing political power.

 

Bibliografia generale della lingua e della letteratura italiana

The University of Cambridge now has online access to the Bibliografia generale della lingua e della letteratura italiana published previously in print for the Centro Pio Rajna by the Salerno Editrice publishing

The Bibliografia (BiGLLI) can be accessed via this link or via the Cambridge LibGuides Databases A-Z.

This online database version of the bibliography integrates in a single archive all issues published to date in print 1991-2016.  The area of interest of the BiGLLI online is broadly all aspects of the study of Italian language and literature.

e-EROS Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis

The University of Cambridge now has access to the important reference work for reagents and catalysts for the study or organic synthesis, e-EROS Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis.

The Encyclopedia can be accessed via this link or via the Cambridge LibGuides Databases A-Z.

e-EROS gives detailed information on more than 4,500 reagents and catalysts, and every year more than 200 new or updated articles are added in order to keep the Database up-to-date.

A representation of quite a small molecule: an isomer of the alkane C16H34. Possibly the simplest molecule that can never be made.

 

Access has been enabled by collaboration between the University Library, the Betty and Gordon Moore Library and the Department of Chemistry Library.