What's New
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What's New 7th February 2013
Disability History
- A new site from English Heritage A history of disability; 1050 to the present day "reveals how disabled peoples' lives are integral to the heritage all around us". A fascinating guide to guide to buildings and the historic environment as a whole for anyone interested in disability or social history
Universal Jobmatch
- Search for full or part-time jobs in Great Britain and abroad with Universal Jobmatch
- Universal Jobmatch has replaced the Jobcentre Plus job search facility
Bedfordshire Advice Directory
- Keep up to date with advice agencies in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire with the Bedfordshire Advice Directory
- The directory gives you details of agencies that can help you with issues including benefits, housing, debt, employment, family law, community care, consumer matters, immigration and discrimination
New additions to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (ODNB)
- This January the lives of 225 men and women who died in 2009 were added to the ODNB. Writers J.G. Ballard, John Mortimer and Keith Waterhouse join football manager Bobby Robson, actress Wendy Richard, and the television celebrity Jade Goody. Also included are the biographies of Harry Patch, Henry Allingham, and Bill Stone, the last surviving veterans of the First World War
- You can view selected highlights from the new update without logging in to the ODNB
- To view full content, just log in to the ODNB with your library number and PIN
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
7th December 2012
70th anniversary - the
Beveridge Report
- Seventy years ago, on 1st December 1942, the coalition British government published one of the most influential publications of the 20th century, the 'Beveridge Report', which laid out plans for a universal and comprehensive welfare state
- The report's proper title is 'Social insurance and allied services'. It was produced by the economist Sir William Beveridge, who had been asked to report on how to rebuild Britain after the war. Beveridge's report detailed plans aiming to ensure 'freedom from want', providing an acceptable minimum standard of living in Britain below which nobody would fall
- The plans were implemented, in a time of post-war austerity, by the new prime minister Clement Attlee, with the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948 to provide free medical treatment for all, and a national system of 'social security' to protect the population 'from the cradle to the grave'
- View summaries about this major report and the founding of the welfare state at: The National Archives Exhibition on Citizenship: The Welfare State, at the British Library's Taking Liberties: The struggle for Britain's freedoms and rights, at the BBC's 'On this day' report for 1st December, at the BBC's News Magazine 26th November 2012 and at BBC Higher Bitesize's Beginnings of the Welfare State
- For more in depth study of the report and its context, you can view the Open University's archived course, The Beveridge Vision
- You can view the full Beveridge report at BBC News site
50th anniversary - the Stones
- The Rolling Stones mark their 50th anniversary this year
- For a wide range of music, video clips, photos and information, see the results of a search for Rolling Stones on the BBC web site
90th anniversary - the BBC
- This year is the 90th anniversary of the BBC, from the start of BBC Radio in October 1922
- View an audio slideshow at BBC - Celebrating 90 years
20th anniversary - text messaging
- The first text message was sent on 3rd December 1992. See how text messaging has grown since then at 'The text message turns 20 today' on the Ofcom site
- The idea of text messaging was first put forward in 1984. View an interview with the originator at 'Texting pioneer Matti Makkonen 20 years on' on the BBC News site
Wealth
and assets survey
- A new report on wealth in Great Britain has just been published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
- At Wealth of the Wealthiest, Great Britain 2008-10 you can click links to a video podcast summary and to the full report
- You can view more ONS video podcasts on YouTube. They give clear summaries, with colour diagrams, of statistics on the economy, unemployment, pay and more. At the foot of the YouTube page, click 'Load 10 more videos' to see more
Recent
topic pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference's Topic Pages make it easy for you to find a range of resources on a topic, on many subjects, including art, medicine, literature and science
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time. Some recent examples are:
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
8th November 2012
Oxford Reference
Online re-launched as Oxford Reference
- Oxford Reference Online has been re-launched as Oxford Reference. It includes both quick reference books and more in-depth works, on many subjects, including art and architecture, history, literature, media studies, quotations, science and technology and more
- When you have done a search on Oxford Reference, tick the check box next to 'Provided by library' at the left of the screen so as to limit your results to books you can access free on the Virtual Library
- You can log in to Oxford Reference here with your library card number and PIN. Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
First
World War landscape photos
- To coincide with Remembrance Day, the Mary Evans Picture Library is highlighting a collection of photographs showing how the landscape of the western front was forever changed by trenches, mining, craters and shell explosions
- The collection, by the photographer Mike St Maur Sheil, also includes images of the cemeteries and memorials to all nations whose soldiers took part in these World War One battles
Benefits
changes timetable
- The benefits advice web site Turn2us gives a timetable of the significant changes being made in the benefits and tax credits system over the next few years because of the Welfare Reform Act 2012
- You can see details of the changes and when each one will come into effect at the Turn2us Benefits Changes Timetable page
NHS Information Service for Parents
- The NHS Information Service for Parents service was launched this year, offering offers a series of emails and text messages for parents
- The messages give information on a range of topics, including your baby's development, preparing for labour, coping with sleepless nights, looking after your own health, choosing childcare, making sure you get the benefits you're entitled to and who's there to support you
- People expecting a baby or who have a baby up to six months old can sign up for the emails and/or text messages, which will be tailored to the stage of pregnancy or baby's age
English
folk dance and tune books digitised
- The Vaughan Williams Memorial Library (VWML) has recently added a new digitised collection to its web site: The Gallery of Historic Dance and Tune Books', an online gallery of 30 historic tune books with over 2000 scanned pages
- The VWML is the library and archive of the English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS). There are other digitised resources on the VWML site, including Take 6, a searchable database of the manuscript archives of several of the UK's most prominent folksong collectors. Most of the documents are songs and tunes, but you can also view other manuscript items such as dances or correspondence
Recent
topic pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time. Some recent examples are:
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A Selection Of Recent Topic Pages |
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
26th September 2012
European
sport heritage - online exhibition
- Find fascinating images and information about European Sport Heritage at an online exhibition from Europeana
- The exhibition showcases some of the greatest sporting events of Europe, arranged around four themes: Olympics and Paralympic Games, Football, Famous European Sports, Ancient Games
- It includes sports such as the Olympics, the Paralympics and the UEFA Cup, as well as lesser-known ancient sports like the Gladiator and Naumachia Games and the traditional Scottish Highland Games
- Europeana is a single access point to millions of books, paintings, films, museum objects and archival records that have been digitised throughout Europe. It is an authoritative source of information coming from European cultural and scientific institutions
- Find more Europeana exhibitions
Discover
Europe's television heritage
- EUScreen offers free online access to videos, stills, texts and audio from European broadcasters and audiovisual archives. You can explore selected content from early 1900s until today
- To help you get the most from this wealth of material, EUScreen has created a series of exhibitions covering historical events, political debates and many aspects of everyday life in Europe, including arts and culture, disasters, lifestyle and consumerism, wars and conflict and much more
Recent
topic pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time. Some recent examples are:
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A Selection Of Recent Topic Pages |
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
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Don't have a library card? You can
join the library now. Don't
have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
New online books added to Credo Reference
- More online titles have been added to Credo Reference
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New titles added to Credo
Reference |
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- To search and browse any of the books above, and hundreds of others, just log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
9th August 2012
New online books added to Credo Reference
- A big new batch of online books has recently been added to Credo Reference
- To search and browse any of the books below, and hundreds of others, just log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
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New titles added to Credo
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What's New
10th July 2012
Olympic Games
- A new Olympic Games page has been added
- It shows where you can easily find key web sites and online resources
Recent
topic pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time. Some recent examples are:
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A Selection Of Recent Topic Pages |
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
11th April 2012
Titanic
- The Titanic sank on 15th April 1912. A new Titanic page gives you some of the most useful web sites where you can find information, images, podcasts, details of Bedfordshire crew members and more
Nelson Mandela Digital Archive Project
- More than 1,900 documents, photographs and films relating to Nelson Mandela have been published online by the Nelson Mandela Digital Archive Project at the Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory
- The project is a work in progress and aims to "locate, document, digitise, and provide access to all archival materials related to Nelson Mandela"
- You can read the background to the archive in a Guardian newspaper article of 27th March 2012
19th March 2012
New
online resource on jobs and careers
- A jobs and careers guidance service called Adult Directions is now available for you to use free on the Virtual Library
- Adult Directions helps you make career decisions by matching your work interests, skills and desired occupational level with suitable careers. You can view detailed information on over 750 careers
- Log in to Adult Directions with your library card number and PIN
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
New online books at Credo Reference
- A big new batch of online books has recently been added to Credo Reference
- To search and browse any of the books below, and hundreds of others, just log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
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New titles added to Credo
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YouTube - guides to Oxford University Press online resources
- At YouTube you can see short video guides to some of the Virtual Library's online resources produced by Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Go to OUP's YouTube page Online Product Tutorials and click to view the videos on 'Oxford Music Online', 'Oxford Art Online', 'Oxford Dictionary of National Biography' and 'Oxford English Dictionary'
- You can use these resources and many more free on the Virtual Library by logging in at Information and Reference Online Resources
- There is also a video guide to 'Oxford Language Dictionaries Online' which
is coming very soon to the Virtual Library too!
Recent topic pages on Credo Reference
- Credo Reference adds new Topic Pages all the time. Some recent examples are:
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A Selection Of Recent Topic Pages |
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- To view the full list of approximately 9,000 Topic Pages, log in to Credo Reference with your library number and PIN and click the Topic Pages tab
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
Recent reports on inequality
- Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) published its annual report on the state of poverty and social exclusion in the UK, by the JRF and the New Policy Institute. You can read Monitoring poverty and social exclusion 2011 free online at the JRF site
- The international organisation OECD has recently published a report on inequality in its member countries and in 'emerging economies'. You can view the report Divided we stand: why inequality keeps rising free online at the OECD site
1st
February 2012
Charles Dickens Bicentenary
- 2012 is the Charles Dickens bicentenary year. Dickens was born on 7th February 1812. A new set of Charles Dickens pages gives you an easy way to find many of the best Dickens sites and to discover fascinating information in the Virtual Library's online resources
- You'll find links on Dickens's life and works, images, where to read his works online, places connected with Dickens, events and much more
- There is also a link to an online quiz from Oxford University Press with a fabulous prize, at the first Charles Dickens page
- Did you know that Dickens sat in a very particular way when he wrote? To find out how, and why, follow the link at the first Charles Dickens page
13th January 2012
100th anniversary of Scott reaching the South Pole
- The British expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott reached the South Pole on 17th January 1912
- Discover fascinating resources about Scott's expedition and that of Amundsen at a new page South Pole Expeditions Scott and Amundsen
- It guides you to key web sites for information, including photographs, journals and original newspaper articles
12th December 2011
Archive
local films online free!
- Archive films of Bedfordshire and nearby counties are now online for you to view free, at the new East Anglian Film Archive web site
- The new site provides over 200 hours of digitised rarely seen archive footage of life in East Anglia
- There are films of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire
- You can search for films by dates, places, genres, people, subjects
100th
anniversary of Amundsen reaching the South Pole
- 100 years ago, in December* 1911, the Norwegian Captain Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole
- The centenary of the arrival of the British expedition led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott will be in January 2012
- By logging in to the Times Digital Archive you can read online the 1912 reports in The Times newspaper of Amundsen's arrival at the South Pole, including an extract from his own journal describing the last stage of his journey
- The news reports appeared in newspapers of March 1912, as Amundsen's news was not known until then, when he reached Hobart, Tasmania and sent a telegram to the King of Norway
- Log in to the Times Digital Archive with your library number and PIN. If you are a Virtual Library member you may need to find out how to become eligible to use Times Digital Archive
- Don't have a library card? You can join the library now. Don't have a PIN? You can request a PIN now
- At the Times Digital Archive, enter the search term Amundsen, and choose to limit your search to between 1st March 1912 and 31st March 1912
- You'll see several news items about Amundsen's arrival at the Pole, his return to Hobart and the reactions to his news in Norway and Britain. The item that reproduces Amundsen's journal extract is the one headed 'Captain Amundsen's success'
- You can view images of the expedition and read more about Amundsen at the official Norwegian anniversary web site. The Photo Galleries section includes The 1911 Expedition to the South Pole. Click each image to enlarge it
- (*The BBC web site says that Amundsen reached the South Pole on 15th December and notes that "the date is sometimes given as 14 December - the difference being due to differing interpretations of the international date line". Amundsen's journal records the date as 14th December)
British Library Newspapers Archive
- The British Library has launched a new web site, the British Library Newspapers Archive, with millions of digitised pages of newspapers. It is a completely different site from the British Library's other site British Newspapers 1800-1900
- The new British Library Newspapers Archive has a date range of 1700 - 1949. This first stage of the project focuses mainly on newspapers published before 1900 but more will be added over time
- You can search the database of newspapers free but the site makes a charge to view pages: a 2 day or 30 day credit package or an annual subscription (the web site says there are no plans to introduce subscription packages for libraries)
More 'What's new'
- See Earlier what's new for more recent 'What's new' items
- See What's new archive and Inform newsletter archive for older 'What's new' items
WebLinks - What's new
- Click WebLinks and then click 'What's new on the Gateway' to see the many interesting new sites that are constantly being added to 'WebLinks: the Gateway to the Internet'
Page last updated: 7th February 2013