New on the blog 'Rendezvous' plays and poems in loving memory of Poet and Playwright Julia Darling'. Well worth a read on this rainy Tuesday: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/2025/11/11/rendezvous-plays-and-poems-in-loving-memory-of-poet-and-playwright-julia-darling/

Today is World Digital Preservation Day #WDPD2025 This year the theme is #WhyPreserve For us the answer is that without actively preserving our digital records we lose all the evidence and history of our recent (and even not so recent) past and present, and lose the story of what we're doing now.

Bonfire Night isn’t just about Guy Fawkes. Thomas Percy of Northumberland was one of 13 conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot. Learn more about the #Northumberland connection here: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202... #BonfireNight #Fireworks

Don't miss out - The Town and Gown exhibition on Level 2 of the Philip Robinson Library has been extended to 7th December 2025, so still plenty of time to get along. Find out more www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/exhibitions/town-and-gown/

In case you missed it, new #ontheblog 'The Aerial Photographs of Professor Norman McCord'. Why not have a read blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202...

As it's #Halloween today we've had a hunt around our stores, and here are some scary things we've found lurking there! We hope you don't find them too scary! @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social #EYAMonsters

Did you know that our Trevelyan Family Photoraph albums are now available to view on our Digital Showcase platform? The albums captured the life of the Trevelyan family of Wallington Hall for over 50 years in the 20th Century. Browse over 30 albums here: digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/tr...

Did you know that Newcastle Uni's Students' Union Building is officially 100 this week? The building was officially opened on October 23rd 1925. To Mark the date here are 3 photos of the building and a report on the Official Opening found in the November 25 edition of The Northerner magazine.

Earlier this week our Senior Archivist joined other RLUK libraries and shared how we're working to meet our EDI goals in our library services. You can watch a recording of the session, and find out about how our Special for Everyone Project is contributing, via the link in the quoted post below. 👇

Now on Digital Showcase are 17th & 18th century recipe books. Explore the notation of culinary delights, surprises and remedies, represented in the handwritten recipe books of two Early Modern women, fifty years apart. Find out more digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/re... #Digitalshowcase

As nights draw in and temperatures drop it's time to light the fire! 'The History of A Scuttle of Coals in Rhymes and Pictures' tells us about the journey of this once common fuel from ground to fireplace. Read on CollectionsCaptured: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll... Ref. RB821.8-SIX

A shout out on behalf of our Education Outreach colleagues: Applications are now open for two Robinson Bequest Bursary opportunities. They're looking for Masters or Doctoral students to work on an exciting research project. Bursaries are worth £3000. Find out more: www.ncl.ac.uk/library/burs...

Now on #digitalshowcase is this First World War Surgical Logbook containing surgical operation carried out by Professor Frederick Charles Pybus at First Northern General Hospital from 1914 - 1919. Find out more online & view the full logbook digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/fi...

Dive into the past with our Cholera Scrapbooks: a collection of pamphlets, sketches, letters, reports & cartoons from the 1831–32 Gateshead outbreak. A rare window into how communities & doctors tried to make sense of this disease. Explore digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/ch... #digitalshowcase

#OTD in 1958 @newcastleuni.bsky.social Percy Building was officially opened by Professor J. Dover Wilson, and named after the first Rector of Kings College, Lord Eustace Percy. Browse the brochure for the opening event on CollectionsCaptured: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

New on CollectionsCaptured is a wonderfully illustrated set of 17 proof copies of early 17th Century maps, later included in John Speed's 'Theatre of the Empire of Great Britaine'. All 17 pages can be seen here on CollectionsCaptured: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll... [Ref. Freinds/JSM]

#Discover this original leaf from Johannes Gutenberg's 15th century Bible, which influenced book history and the religious landscape. Find out more: digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk/showcases/gu... #DigitalShowcase

Explore curated insights across our unique and distinctive collections — from a 17th century recipe book to a WWI surgical logbook. Discover our new Digital Showcase and uncover the stories behind the collections: digitalshowcase.ncl.ac.uk #DigitalShowcase

This month's @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social theme is #EYAMonsters Read about the spooky alleged 1890s haunting of Ballechin House near Perth in Scotland, and the book detailing it's unexplained phenomena, on our blog: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202... [Ref. Clarke-Misc-437]

Did you know our collections of poetry books and archives span nearly 400 years, from the 17thC to the present day? Here are two pages from a 1656 poetry collection by William Drummond. Find the whole book on CollectionsCaptured: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll... #NationalPoetryDay

We’re saddened by the passing of poet Tony Harrison, whose ground breaking work V. sparked national debate for its uncompromising language and honesty. Explore our Bloodaxe collections relating to his life and work: specialcollections.ncl.ac.uk/informationo...

We are deeply saddened by the passing of architect & alumnus Sir Terry Farrell. He worked with us to provide a home for his globally significant archive, curated for the benefit of researchers & practitioners. We are proud to help preserve this legacy for the enjoyment & education of all #WeAreNCL

New to Newcastle this academic year? Explore the history of the relationship between University and city through an examination of social data and development in our current exhibition "Town and Gown on the Tyne". Open on Level 2 of the Philip Robinson Library until early November.

Explore digitised manuscripts, notes & correspondence from the Peter Dickinson Archive on CollectionsCaptured. Dickinson (1927–2015) was an award-winning poet & novelist, celebrated for his children’s books & crime fiction collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

Calling all @newcastleuni.bsky.social MA & PhD students: apply now for the Robinson Bequest Core Collections Bursaries (£3,000 each + hands-on Special Collections experience). Deadline: 26 Sept. Apply now👉 bit.ly/4gdjs2C #NCL

A selection of material from The a-n Archive is now live on #CollectionsCaptured 📸 Spanning 40+ years of the UK’s largest artists’ network, it’s a treasure trove of artist-led practice, publications & advocacy. Dive in 👉 collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

Hidden amongst Gertrude Bell's diary entries are some pressed flowers attached to each page, collected whilst travelling between 1897-1900 #discover collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll... [image ref: GB/2/6]

This month's @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social theme is #EYAEduction Here are some images of students busy learning in our seminar rooms in the 1960s. For any new students joining next week we can reassure you that the dress code and tech have moved on in the last 60 years! [NUA/03688 and 037020]

📢@newcastleuni.bsky.social Masters & PhD students! Apply for 2 x Robinson Bequest Bursaries (£3k each). 👉 Gain Special Collections & Archives experience 👉 Boost skills & employability Deadline: 26 Sept 2025 Apply: www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/robinson-bequest-core-collections-bursaries/

📚 Celebrate #InternationalLiteracyDay with the Booktrust Collection — a treasure trove of children’s books & research inspiration: specialcollections.ncl.ac.uk/booktrust Explore stories that shape imaginations & champion literacy for all.

As we're now feeling quite autumnal and a new season's crops begin to be planted here's a poem about ploughmen and the importance of their labours from our Broadside Collection. [Ref: Broadsides/1/2/15]

As September arrives so do falling leaves, autumnal vibes and the start of a new season for those farming the land. Here's a poem by Walter Crane recounting the seasonal sentiment of this time of year. From Renascence - one of only 350 copies and part of our Rare Book Collection. [Ref:RB-821-8-CRA]

On #WorldLetterWritingDay here is the earliest letter in our archive written by prolific letter writer Gertrude Bell, written when she was just 8 years old. This is one of over 1,400 of Gertrude's letters we've digitised that you can now explore on our Gertrude Bell website: gertrudebell.ncl.ac.uk

Alongside campus life and our buildings our university photographers also regularly snapped the work of researchers. While their work was no doubt important its often difficult for us to work out what exactly is being researched, here are just 3 examples from our UniArchive. #ThrowbackThursday

Happy #InternationalDogDay! Dogs were longstanding companions of generations of the Trevelyan family of Wallington Hall, so we've pawed through the virtual versions of our Trevelyan Family photo albums to find these 4 adorable pics of Tokyo, L.C., Chin, Rapture and Careless. [Ref. CPT/PA/1 and 3]

Does anyone have any bank holiday weekend plans? 60 years ago in August 1965 these students put on their best clothes and attended a fun looking dance in the Student's Union. Find more photos of University life on CollectionsCaptured: cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll... [ref. NUA/039343]

🟠 #RLUKICIL | Towards equity & inclusion through special collections & archives | 20 Oct This seminar will hear case studies from @ncllibspeccoll.bsky.social @leedsunilibraries.bsky.social @ucllccos.bsky.social on how collections & archives help research libraries meet EDI goals 🎟 bit.ly/RLUKICIL

📸 A grand 19th-century photograph album featuring portraits, sweeping landscapes, and iconic sites — including Eastnor Castle and Lady Eastnor herself. Have a flick through online on #CollectionsCaptured cdm21051.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/coll...

🚧Essential upgrade in progress🚧 Our online catalogue is being updated today. You can still search & browse our collections online, but requesting archive items will be paused until after 2pm. Book collection requests are unaffected. Browse online: specialcollections.ncl.ac.uk

From battleships to liners, Armstrong, Whitworth & Co. built giants of the sea. This album of 68 photos captures shipyard life, sea trials & shipyard visits & launches from a golden age of shipbuilding. Dive in on #CollectionsCaptured collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

#ICYMI In Case you missed our latest blog post - Did you know we have books bound in the 15thC by 'The Demon Binder' and 'The Dragon Binder' in our collections? If you're wondering who they are or how they got their names this blog post is for you: blogs.ncl.ac.uk/speccoll/202...

Congratulations to everyone receiving their A-Level results today and all the new students joining us soon! We're looking forward to welcoming you to our city, campus, library and hopefully our Special Collections and Archives too. [Photo Ref: NUA/117127/2] #ALevels2025

☀️Summer vibes, Students’ Union style in the summer of 1976 - From sunbathing to shaded chats, Newcastle University’s campus green has always been the perfect place to pause between lectures #Throwback #CampusLife

This month's @exploreyourarchive.bsky.social theme is #EYAHumour Here's a playbill from 1820 for an evening at Newcastle's Theatre Royal which looks sure to have been a night full of amusement for theatre goers! (Ref: RB 792(4282) NEW p211) collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

Today is #InternationalCatDay! As beloved companions of their owners cats appear in many of our archive collections. Our family photograph albums of the Trevelyan family of Wallington Hall regularly featured the family cats, here are two of them, Ypres and Tiger photographed at Wallington.

Following our valiant team's efforts on University Challenge this week here's a #ThrowbackThursday look at some of @newcastleuni.bsky.social's students previous appearances in 1978, 2000, and 2006, courtesy of the Courier student newspaper archive.

Now on CollectionsCaptured: 'Imagerie d'Epinal Album d' Images' - a vibrant set of 60 lithographs printed & hand-coloured in France for the Humoristic Publishing Co. Explore the full album here: collectionscaptured.ncl.ac.uk/digital/coll...

Summer plans? Don’t forget — our Reading Room, Virtual Reading Room, and Digitisation Service are OPEN all summer long! Whether you're diving into research or just curious, you can search, browse, and request unique items with ease. Find out more: www.ncl.ac.uk/library/special-collections/use

Today marks 62 years since the day we officially seperated from the Unviersity of Durham and became the University of Newcastle. Here's a page from the Parliamentary Bill which, when enacted, made it happen, and a photograph from the day itself, both from our University Archive.

Today marks 62 years since the day we officially seperated from the Unviersity of Durham and became the University of Newcastle. Here's a page from the Parliamentary Bill which, when enacted, made it happen, and a photograph from the day itself, both from our University Archive.