Recording of the week: ‘It is a great thing nettle beer’

This week’s selection comes from Dr. Sue Davies, Project Manager for Unlocking Our Sound Heritage. One thing I love about the sound archive is that by listening I discover things that I wasn’t looking for. This recording on nettle beer comes from a particularly rich source of diverting information. The…

Recording of the week: how to avoid being puked on by a fulmar

This week’s section comes from Cheryl Tipp, Curator of Wildlife & Environmental Sounds It’s always advisable to keep your distance from wild birds, particularly during the breeding season. The main reason, of course, is to avoid causing any distress to the birds. Chicks are being born, predators are lurking and…

Recording of the week: An interview with Ravi Shankar

This week’s selection comes from Sarah Coggrave, Rights Clearance Officer for Unlocking our Sound Heritage. In 2017, the Mike Sparrow Collection (C1248) was the first audio collection to be preserved as part of the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. Mike Sparrow (1948 – 2005) was a radio producer and presenter…

Guy Brett: Ideas in Motion

A tribute to art writer Guy Brett (1942 – 2021)

True Echoes: Daniels Ethnographical Expedition to New Guinea, 1904

The Daniels Ethnographical Expedition to New Guinea 1904 Cylinder Collection (C62) is a collection of 40 wax cylinders recorded in what is today Papua New Guinea. The collection – formerly known as the ‘Seligman New Guinea Cylinders’ – came into the Library in the 1950s as part of the Sir…