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History: Subject websites

Internet resources

  • Economic and Social Research Council
    Second most significant funding body for historical research in UK, rooted in methodology of the social sciences.
  • Historical Association
    Self-styled "National Voice for History" in UK. In addition to supporting history in schools, the network of historical associations throughout UK promotes the study of history beyond the academy. The HA publishes The Historian, History and Annual Bibliographies of Historical Research.
  • History Subject Centre
    The UK Higher Education Academy used to maintain a series of Subject Centres to promote teaching and learning in higher education. The History Subject Centre website provides access to a wealth of resources for history teachers. The History SC was closed in 2011, as part of reform of HEA.
  • History UK
    "History.uk.com is the world's largest online directory of people, organisations and places associated with UK history."
  • Institute of Historical Research
    Key centre for historical research in UK. The IHR website includes a wealth of useful links and information, including....
  • Institute for Psychohistory
  • IHR Reviews in History
    IHR's Reviews in History pages are particularly useful as they often contain author's responses to book reviews.
  • JISC
    "JISC is funded by the UK HE and FE funding bodies to provide world-class leadership in the innovative use of ICT to support education and research."
  • Leverhulme Trust
  • Renaissance Society of America (RSA) databases
Key funding body for historical research in UK.
Key body for the historical profession in UK.
  • Social History Society
  • Welcome Trust
    Largest charity in UK, and most important funding body for research into the history of medicine. The University of Manchester's Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine is a key beneficiary of the Welcome Trust.
  • Women's History Network

Manuscripts and early print

A vast array of primary sources can now be found online, some available to all, some via JRUL subscription. The following page list a some useful collections:

  • SCIPIO: Art and Rare Book Sales Catalogs from late-sixteenth century to present
  • Bodleian Broadside Ballads
    A large collection of c. 30,000 early printed ballads, searchable by title, author, and subject
  • British History Online
    Wide variety of online resources. Unlike many online resources, this site is particularly strong in Medieval and Early Modern British History.
  • De Re Militari
    Online translations of selected medieval primary sources - primarily associated with militaria and warfare, but actually this is interpreted very loosely and contains sources relevants to various aspects of socio-cultural/political history.
  • Gallica              
    Digital collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Has huge range of digitized and downloadable books, newspapers, images, maps and periodicals from all periods of French history. English interface available, if a bit unfriendly to navigate.
  • Harvard Library Digital Collections
    Very eclectic (but really interesting) series of collections of high-quality scanned primary material.  Particularly good for history of USA, women, business/economics, east Asia, medicine and exploration
  • International Institute of Social History
    The IISH collections comprise archive, library and audio-visual material with a thematic emphasis on social and emancipatory movements. The Institute holds over 3,000 archives, more than 1,000,000 printed volumes, and an equivalent number of audio-visual items including posters
  • Internet History Sourcebook Project
    A pioneering collection of on-line primary sources across all regions and periods of History. The Medieval sections of the sourcebook are particularly strong and most up-to-date.
  • Universal Short Title Catalogue
    An ever-growing online catalogue – part of a major project at the University of St Andrews – that is in the process of drawing together many European databases of early modern printed publications - often with links to digitized editions.

Official publications and statistics

Europe

Manchester

Many wonderful collections of papers are housed in and around Manchester. Here are some of the most useful:

Manchester also offers easy access to repositories in Liverpool, and to a wide range of local archives and study centres throughout the North West.

Film

Here you will find over 2,000 non-fiction film and television titles from the 20th century to the early 21st. InView is easily searchable, comprehensively catalogued and clearly organised under six main Themes, each with an introductory essay by an academic historian.

BoB is an off-air recording and media archive service. BoB is available to staff and students of member institutions of the British Universities Film & Video Council that hold an ERA+ license.

The British Universities Film & Video Council (BUFVC) is a representative body which promotes the production, study and use of moving image, sound and related media in higher education and research. It includes a large back-catalogue of materials which complements Box of Broadcasts.

Television and Radio Index for Learning and Teaching: Selected programmes of educational value are evaluated. Includes bibliographies, weblinks and indications of sources of post-transmission copies, including the British Universities Film and Video Council's own off-air recording backup service.

TV Times Project: fully searchable database of the programmes listed in the London Edition of the TV Times, 1955 - 1985.

History of British Newsreels

The principal online resource is the British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC) News on Screen Database (formerly known as the British Universities Newsreel Database - BUND).

The News on Screen database provides the most complete database of British Newsreels available, and records where newsreels are archived. The News on Screen Database does not, however, provide direct links to view newsreels online.

5 main web-sites with British newsreels to view/download

British Movietone

Entire database of British Movietone News (1929-1979), with detailed descriptions and streamed video for all news stories via QuickTime. Requires (free) registration. (Text: BUFVC)

British Pathe

Up to 3,500 hours of material is available for free low-resolution download, covering the whole of the Pathe newsreel and cinemagazine film library. Series available include Pathe News, Pathe Pictorial and Eve’s Film Review. The collection is now part of ITN Source. (Text: BUFVC)

Gaumont Pathé Archives

The combined archives of the Gaumont, Éclair and French Pathé news archives, with news material going back to 1896. There is a substantial number of streamed video copies of Gaumont newsreels, making this site one of the leading sources of online historical news footage in the world. The catalogue is available in French and English. (Text: BUFVC)

ITN Source

ITN Source (formerly ITN Archive) holds ITN's television news broadcasts from 1955, and the Reuters Television library of British cinema newsreel material (Gaumont-British News, Gaumont Graphic, British Paramount News, Universal News and others). It also manages the British Pathe newsreel library, with the films available streamed or downloadable. (Text: BUFVC)

Additional Resources for the History of Newsreels

The extensive BUFVC News on Screen Learn More web pages provide a wealth of information on the history of newsreels including:

Those interested in pursuing research on British newsreels should note, in particular, the three volumes of the Researcher's Guide to British Newsreels (London: British Universities Film & Video Council, 1983, 1988 and 1993), edited by James Ballantyne.

Imagary

Around 150,000 searchable cartoons from British newspapers and magazines from 1900s onwards.

A rich online collection of printed images

Extensive collection of Soviet Photographs

Women, War and Society, 1914-1918 is a fully searchable database of approximately 126,000 images of contemporary materials in a wide variety of formats including pamphlets, letters, news-cuttings, photographs, letters and reports.

Searchable gallery of images from the history of science, medicine and public health.

As above, but from the US Library of Medicine. Larger range of material from a variety of countries, but rather less straightforward to navigate

Das verteilte digitale Archiv für Forschung und Lehre ().

General History

Middle Ages

Primary sources

Detailed description above, primary sources

French collection of medieval resources.

An Annotated Bibliography of Printed and Online Primary Sources for the Middle Ages

Metadatabase to online sources provided by different institutions:

Secondary material

On-line reference book for Medieval Studies (includes links to various primary source translations too)

Early Modern History

Eight new resources have now been added to Connected Histories: the 19th-century British Library Newspapers, the Database of Mid-Victorian Wood-Engraved Illustration, the History of Parliament, Lane's Masonic Records, Science in the 10th-century Periodical, the Transcribed Papers of Jeremy Bentham, the Victoria County History and Witches in Early Modern England. Connected Histories now indexes 22 major resources for the history of Britain from 1500 to 1900.

Modern History
  • Connected histories, see above

Is a JISC-funded collection bringing together digitised writings from 23 Mass Observation Project correspondents and 26 oral history interviews from the British Library Sound Archive.

Seventeen Moments in Soviet History contains a rich archive of texts, images, maps and audio and video materials from the Soviet era (1917-1991).

Archive of the M. Thatcher foundation incl. complete public statements, 1945-90

German intellectual history, 20th c. Digi20 - digitale Sammlungen DFG

Archives Unbound:

England

  • National Archives
    Formerly the Public Record Office (PRO), the National Archives at Kew in South London both houses official papers and provides a variety of resources for researchers.
  • National Archives Research Guides
    TNA produces a large number of research guides for historians
  • Access to Archives (A2A)
    Most detailed single database of archive holdings in the UK. The A2A advanced search is particularly useful as it enables you to search  individual repositories (such as the Manchester Archives and Local Studies Centre).
  • National Register of Archives
    Most detailed single database of individual and business archives in the UK. Simply enter a surname, or the name of business, and see where papers associated with the individual/business are held in the UK.
  • ARCHON directory
    Enables you to browse databases by region, so you can see if there are any useful collections near where you are based.
  • National Archives Catalogue
    Formerly known as PROCAT, the National Archives catalogue provides descriptions  of 11 million documents from national bodies, which can be viewed at Kew.
  • Archives Hub
    Important complement to A2A. The Archives Hub does not include as many references as A2A. but the Archives Hub does include over 23,000 detailed descriptions of archives held in over 180 UK repositories. So, while A2A is more extensive, the Archives Hub includes much more detail.
  • Archival Sites on the Internet
  • British Library

Oriental/islamic history

Mamluk bibliography
Glossar Islamic economic law  30.03.2009.
Arabic sources & lit
Princeton University Library
Islamic Manuscripts Collection
Amphores Alexandrie
Qantara 

Eastview: access to various databases on Russia, China and the Middle East https://www.eastview.com/

Mediterranean history (mainly bibliographies- medieval and early modern)

Medieval Mediterranean Diaspora Database
Amphores Alexandrie
The Medici Archive Project
(https://www.sehepunkte.de/2009/06/forum/diasporen-54/) 14.06.2010.
Repertorio degli atti della Cancelleria del regno di  Sicilia dal 1282 al 1377 15.06.2010.
Historical Atlas of the Mediterranean
Maps of Alexandrdia
Jewish Community of Rhodes
Rodas
SISMEL Società per lo Studio del Medioevo Latino
Corpus
Sources & some literature on Medieval/Early Modern Greece, Ottoman empire ANGIOLELLO.NET

Venice

Cives versione beta: cittadini veneziani database
Dogenpalast  13.02.2009.
OWTRAD 30.03.2009.
Bibliographie etc. Geschichte Venedigs
Michael of Rhodes
Rulers of Venice Database
Fourteenth Century Venetian Personal Names
Fifteenth Century Venetian Masculine Names
Visualizing Venice

China, Far East

Adam Matthew Digital: https://www.amdigital.co.uk/ access to some of the resources provided through University of Manchester Library- if not try to convince the library to obtain it

Eastview: access to various databases on Russia, China and the Middle East https://www.eastview.com/ access to some of the databases provided through University of Manchester Library - if not try to convince the library to obtain it.

Economic and Social History

Refugees

General

UNHCR
Up-to date information on current affairs, as well as helpful resources including statistics, maps, international conventions, etc. plus an overview of archives and a brief pictorial history of UNHCR from its huge collection of photos. See especially under <Refworld>
International Committee of the Red Cross
Links to resources including legal documents, photos and ICRC publications on its work in conflict zones
European Council on Refugees and Exiles
UK Refugee Council
U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Links to annual World Refugee Survey (2003 onwards) and to a brief selection of ‘Refugee voices’ (1987 onwards); also summaries of recent scholarship in refugee studies
International Rescue Committee
‘The International Rescue Committee responds to the world’s worst humanitarian crises and helps people to survive and rebuild their lives. Founded in 1933 at the request of Albert Einstein, the IRC offers lifesaving care and life-changing assistance to refugees forced to flee from war or disaster.’
Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford
Working papers, conferences, and links to Forced Migration Online
Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees
Academic research and information organisation, mostly focused on issues of asylum in the UK
Refugee International
Documentation from the US-based advocacy organisation (established in 1979 to assist Cambodian refugees), including briefing papers and reports on field missions in a number of war-torn countries
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)
Established in 1998 by the Norwegian Refugee Council, this site has data, maps and other information about IDPs, including picture galleries
Human Rights Watch
Content specifically on current refugee situations – reports, commentaries and multimedia, searchable by country

Libraries and archives

Access to Archives
The best starting point for UK National Archives and other repositories. See also Roger Kershaw & Mark Pearsall, Immigrants and Aliens: a Guide to Sources on UK Immigration and Citizenship (2nd edn, 2004).
Archives of the UK Refugee Council
Good for ‘grey’ literature; links also to the papers of CARA (Council for Assisting Refugee Academics
Directory of Archives of NGOs (DANGO)
British Library collections
British Library, collections catalogued by region – well worth exploring
Archives of School of Oriental and African Studies
Archives of School of Oriental and African Studies – notable collections of Christian Aid, and War on Want
Society of Friends (Quakers)
Society of Friends (Quakers); need to register before using the Library and Archives; open Tues-Friday 10-5
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum (London), guide to collections; filter categories (books, photos etc.)
Bodleian Library, Oxford
Bodleian Library, Oxford – this is the guide to Special Collections, 20th century international history; search by individuals, NGOs, events etc.
Archives of the Labour Party
Archives of the Labour Party, People’s History Museum, Manchester – has material on Spanish Civil War, and lots more besides
Women’s Library
Contains lots of hidden gems. Controversial plans by London Met to offload the collection …
Manchester Jewish Museum
Some oral histories. Best to make an appointment with the Curator
The Jewish Archive
The Jewish Archive, University of Southampton Special Collections
Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust
Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Education Trust, Resource Centre – strong on immigration to Manchester and the North-West, and on campaigning

Other relevant websites

European Capital of Culture: Population Exchange Museum
Holocaust histories
Includes brief extracts from the personal testimony of Jewish refugees
Nakba archive
Founded by Diana Allan in 2002, this archive contains personal testimony as well as links to related resources
Palestine Remembered
Lots of resources, including oral histories, photographs, maps etc.
Zochrot
’Seeks to raise public awareness of the Nakba especially among Israeli Jews’ (from the website)
BBC
BBC programme, 2001, ‘Road to refuge’, with stories and images
Historical auxiliary sciences

Paleaography and diplomatics

Paleography Uni FR
Historical Auxiliary Sciences - Diplomatics

Manuals, handbooks, dictionnaries etc.

Latin

Latein Wörterbuch
Auxilium (Latein Wörterbuch)
Latino-Italiano
Latein Grammatik
Latein Online
www.translatinum.de
Du Cange online
Cappelli (abbreviations, palaeography)

Arabic

Wehr:
Arabisch/Deutsch-Englisch-Spanisch

German

Deutsches Rechtswörterbuch
Deutschsprachige Rechtsquellen in digitaler Edition
Mittelhochdeutsches Wörterbuch (MWB)
Findebuch zum Mittelhochdeutschen Wortschatz

Others

Linguee
Zettelkastensystem Niklas Luhmann elektronisch
Defrosting the Digital Library: Bibliographic Tools for the Next Generation Web
Endnote
Litlink
Citavi
Literaturmanagement
Mendeley

Referencing, practicalities:
Field Manual for the Learning Historian

Collaborative tools:
DocumentCloud (https://www.documentcloud.org).
Collaboration networks for academics (https://www.iversity.org/)
TextGrid (https://www.textgrid.de/ueber-textgrid.html).

Blackboard History Student Portal

Provided is a link to  University of Manchester Blackboard History portal, where registered history students can download a list with the links presented within this page.

Creative Commons Licence This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International Licence.