Tag: British Library

Magna Carta: the international symbol of freedom

By Danny Millum Magna Carta has inspired some of today’s fundamental liberties, yet it began life 800 years ago as a practical solution to a political crisis. It has since evolved to become an international symbol of freedom, and with the creation of the largest exhibition ever staged about this celebrated document, we now have… Continue reading Magna Carta: the international symbol of freedom

What should be seen in a Library?

  Senate House recently hosted a multi-disciplinary conference exploring the role libraries have played in restricting access to published works and archival materials deemed ‘erotic’. In this post, research librarian Richard Espley reflects on the irreconcilable demands often placed on libraries. During the recent Forbidden Access conference organised by the Institute of English Studies, libraries were portrayed… Continue reading What should be seen in a Library?

#PoTW – Censorship: Case Studies and Conflicting Interpretations

Robert Darnton’s Panizzi lectures at the British Library will provide a detailed account of how censorship operated under three authoritarian regimes, Bourbon France in the eighteenth century, British India in the nineteenth century, and Communist East Germany in the twentieth century. The discussion of those lectures, or at least the first two of them, in… Continue reading #PoTW – Censorship: Case Studies and Conflicting Interpretations

Julian Harrison talks about why you should not be an anti-social scholar

Julian Harrison is the curator of pre-1600 manuscripts and books at the British Library; he also helps to manage the British Library’s Medieval Manuscripts blog.  In this talk for The Social Scholar seminar Julian explains what the British Library has gained from blogging and asks everyone to consider why it might be important for them… Continue reading Julian Harrison talks about why you should not be an anti-social scholar