Public libraries in the words of people who use, work in and run them
Dr Sarah Pyke reflects on Living Libraries, an oral history project that collected interviews on the institution of the public library in the UK.
Recording of the week: Neville Chamberlain and King George VI’s broadcasts regarding Britain declaring war on Germany in 1939
This week’s selection comes from Joseph McGeady, Learning Team Apprentice. The British Library has recently launched its Speaking Out website, an online resource exploring the importance of public speaking and debating through a collection of sound recordings from the Library’s sound archive. Included in the Speaking Out collection are excerpts…
Recording of the week: When in the trees the rooks build high
This week’s selection comes from Cheryl Tipp, Wildlife & Environmental Sounds Curator. Birds have long been viewed as predictors of weather. Their voices, flight patterns and nest building activities have been closely observed by countless generations, keen on knowing what conditions to expect for the coming year. One such bird…
Recording of the week: On the meditative practice of drawing
This week’s selection comes from Giulia Baldorilli, Sound and Vision Reference Specialist. Having been to live drawing classes myself over the last few months, I started to appreciate and master this art I have for long time forgotten (perhaps, neglected). In this compilation of short extracts from life story oral…
Recording of the week: The memory of liberation in Holocaust survivor testimonies
This week’s selection comes from Dr Madeline White, Curator of Oral History. In the week of Holocaust Memorial Day, our recording of the week reflects on the theme for Holocaust Memorial Day 2022: ‘One Day’. Holocaust Memorial Day is marked on the 27th January, the anniversary of the liberation of…