Dissenting academy libraries and their readers, 1720-1860
Grant Holder:
Professor Isabel Rivers
The specific aim of this new project is to analyse and compare the libraries of the principal Congregational, Presbyterian, and Baptist academies, and in particular the use of the books by the students. The main repositories of catalogues, loan registers, surviving books, student essays, and lecture notes are Dr Williams's Library, London, Harris Manchester College, Oxford, and Bristol Baptist College. The outcomes will be the creation of an online fully functioning ‘virtual dissenting academy library system’, and the print publication of important chapters on libraries and their readers and on methods of teaching and learning in the multi-authored A History of the Dissenting Academies in the British Isles, 1660-1860.
| Project start date: 2009-06 | Project end date: 2011-05 |
Subject domains:
Era(s):
Country/region(s):
| Methods used | Category |
|---|---|
| 2d scanning and photography | Data capture |
| Cataloguing and indexing | Data structuring and enhancement |
| General website development | Data publishing and dissemination |
| Indexing | Data analysis |
| Interface design | Data publishing and dissemination |
| Iterative design | Strategy and project management |
| Manual input and transcription | Data capture |
| Resource sharing | Communication and collaboration |
| Searching and querying | Data analysis |
| Server scripting | Data publishing and dissemination |
| Textual interaction (asynchronous) | Communication and collaboration |
| Use of existing digital data | Data capture |
Funding sources:
Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), Manchester Academy Trust
Content types created:
Software tools used:
- Apache
- CentOS
- GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program
- Koha (cataloguing system)
- MySQL
- Perl
Source material used:
(i) The New College collection at Dr Williams's Library, London: the archives and surviving
libraries of the main Congregational academies: Northampton (2 academies), Daventry, Wymondley, Coward's College, London, Hoxton, Highbury, Homerton, and New College, Hampstead.
(ii) Harris Manchester College, Oxford: the archives and surviving libraries of the main Presbyterian
and Unitarian academies: Taunton, Warrington, Exeter (2 academies), New College, Hackney, and Manchester.
(iii) Bristol Baptist College: the surviving archives and library.
The online 'virtual dissenting academy library system', with connected relational databases and user interface, will contain the historic data from the library catalogues and loan registers of these libraries.
Digital resource created:
The 'virtual dissenting academy library system' will be published in 2011 on the website of the Dr Williams's Centre for Dissenting Studies http://www.english.qmul.ac.uk/drwilliams/. Users will be able to compare books held by the libraries of the main dissenting academies of different denominations in the period 1720-1860 and borrowed by the students. This resource will be linked to databases of academies, students, tutors, and archives, also to be published in 2011.
Access to digital resource:
Open Access
Data Formats created:
Metadata standards employed:
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH), Machine Readable Cataloguing (MARC)Publications:
No publications as yet.
Institutions affiliated with this project:
| UK HE institutions involved: |
|---|
| Queen Mary, University of London |
| University of London |
| Other institutions involved: |
|---|
| Dr Williams's Library |
Project staff and expertise:
| Principal staff member: | Professor Isabel Rivers, Dr David Wykes (Project Partner) |
|---|---|
| Other staff: | Computing officer(s) / Technical supporter(s), Postdoctoral researcher(s) / Research assistant(s) |
| External expertise: |
Tags: 2d Scanning and photography Cataloguing and indexing Indexing Interface design Iterative design Resource sharing Searching and querying Server scripting Textual interaction (asynchronous)
| Metadata on this arts-humanities.net record | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) of record | Isabel Rivers |
| Title | Dissenting academy libraries and their readers, 1720-1860 |
| Record created | 2010-05-12 |
| Record updated | 2010-06-04 11:42 |
| URL of record | http://www.arts-humanities.net/node/3686 |
| Citation of record | Isabel Rivers: Dissenting academy libraries and their readers, 1720-1860. <http://www.arts-humanities.net/node/3686> created: 2010-05-12, last updated 2010-06-04 11:42 |
