This week’s recording of the week comes from Holly Gilbert, Cataloguer of Digital Multimedia Collections. Gill and Deb have been friends for many years so when Deb split up with her partner during her first pregnancy she asked Gill to be her birth partner. Gill had already given birth to…

This week’s selection comes from Cheryl Tipp, Wildlife and Environmental Sounds Curator. In 1952 Japanese ornithologist Tsuruhiko Kabaya acquired his first tape recorder. This, as they say, was a game changer. For over a decade Kabaya had been diligently documenting the movements and behaviour of wild birds across Japan. He…

This week’s selection comes from Camille Johnston, Oral History Assistant Archivist. At the start of her career Helen Thomson (b. 1933) received some sound advice from a fellow ‘woman in the wine trade’. The wine world was dominated by men, and Thomson could name only two women among her peers:…

This week’s selection comes from Dr Janet Topp Fargion, Lead Curator of World and Traditional Music. Zanzibari musician, Makame Faki, affectionately known by the nickname ‘Sauti ya zege’ (‘Voice of gravel’), passed away aged 77 on 18 January 2020. He was known for his exuberance, always with a big smile…

During this time where we’re cooped up at home, we’ll all be missing something. The big things go without saying. Family, friends, loved ones. But what are the small comforts that you’re finding yourself longing for? Your commute. The bustling school gates. The triumphant thumbs-up when you find a free…