Manchester Collections
eResources
We remain at the forefront of piloting new tools to enable our students, researchers and academics to access eResources seamlessly, whether via our core discovery platform LibrarySearch, or on their own journeys around the web.
Our LibKey tools augment Library Search to provide direct links to full-text content of articles, and update the links to e-resources discovered on the web to take readers directly to the full-text version provided by the Library. Through these tools 526,285 full text articles were downloaded in 2020/21.
Reflecting this demand for seamless access, our eResources helpdesk service saw their busiest year since records began, resolving 2,410 enquiries, an increase of 54% from the previous year. The team deployed online chat to enable those needing help to make contact at the point of need. This popular new web-based chat is now a core part of the eResources helpdesk service.
To tackle these enquiries the eResources team has built closer relationships with specialists in the Library’s Collection Strategies Directorate. By combining expertise we can ensure the discoverability of new and existing electronic resources, and are able to work more knowledgeably with content providers to resolve issues. This partnership is one of the benefits of new roles defined through the Library Reshaping Project, and the Library's renewed focus on multi-disciplinary teams collaborating towards shared outcomes.
In 2020/21 we significantly improved our capability in the analysis of the “Read and Publish” deals which provide access to our large collections of eResources. Our analytical tools now include an innovative Power BI dashboard developed internally and a new cost modelling system developed with national and international partners. As “Read and Publish” deals are negotiated with publishers and suppliers in support of the move towards open access publishing, the tools provide improved financial and usage analysis to help negotiate the best value for money for the University.
Manchester Digital Collections
Manchester Digital Collections (MDC) continues to reach out across the University to share digital content, showcasing the cultural assets it holds in trust. In 2020/21 there were nearly 8,500 views of live items and 15 new releases were added, enabling visitors and researchers to explore, view and manipulate ultra-high quality images, with contextual and research information. New collections included Papyrus to Print (supporting teaching), Gaskell and Dickens manuscripts, Japanese maps and the Dante Collection. Plans for next year include:
- Developing a service for researchers wanting to use MDC to share their work
- Bringing together Library colleagues in Collection Strategies, Research & Digital Horizons and Curatorial Practices with colleagues in the University’s Research IT Division to provide joined up and effective support for MDC
- Improving the display of transcripts within MDC (including improved layout, font, textual highlighting and the inclusion of personography information in tooltips)
- New preview functionality and new tools to support more streamlined support for MDC content curators, including researchers
- A new PDF generation tool for downloading items in PDF format
- Working on MDC functionality in collaboration with our partners at the University of Cambridge
Looking ahead to 2021/22, our aim is to extend our support for research projects and consider how we demonstrate impact through the use of MDC. In 2022 we will support the development and release of four major research projects: Unlocking the Mary Hamilton Papers (AHRC), Exploring and Revealing the John Rylands Library’s Hebrew Collections, Persian Manuscripts at the John Rylands Library, Heinrich Simon: Prussian Double Agent (Leverhulme).
Manchester Modern Collections
In 2020/21 we added 1,500 books and 6,000 eBooks to our collections to support University research and teaching. In this changing world access to digital content has become even more important and 94% of our recent purchases have been for digital resources.
The changes we are seeing in scholarly publishing have also affected the type of material we provide access to, including material published through open access routes (both articles and books), with an increasing trend towards purchasing at chapter level. This year we enhanced our streaming services (access to films, music, plays etc.) when we purchased access to the holdings of the British Film Institute.
Good metadata is critically important to enable the discovery and access to more difficult to find items and our expert team have worked with publishers and suppliers on enhancing metadata, including with Manchester University Press. Work also continues on a major project to digitise the University’s historic doctoral theses, enabling global online access to these unique and significant resources. This year we have started working on a two-year project to analyse and benchmark our collections against other great libraries.
As a National Research Library it is imperative that we continue to develop outstanding physical and digital collections. We have recently added a digital version of the Methodist Recorder to our Methodist collections which is in line with our focus on providing digital access to UK and global newspaper archives.
In 2020/21 we also worked hard to support the University’s REF submission, ordering over 200 items to be delivered to the assessors. This was particularly challenging as work coincided with Greater Manchester lockdowns.
Guardian Exhibition
‘Manchester’s Guardian: 200 years of the Guardian newspaper’ marked the bicentenary of the Guardian newspaper, one of Manchester’s most enduring success stories. The exhibition explored key episodes from the newspaper’s long history to provoke discussion on how news is reported and accessed today. The exhibition included items from The University of Manchester’s Guardian (formerly Manchester Guardian) Archive and loans from the Guardian News and Media Archive in London. The exhibition was accompanied by a series of events developed with the University’s Faculty of Humanities and in partnership with the Guardian. Three ‘Guardian Live’ online events featured University academics, Library Special Collections and speakers from the Guardian.
Humanitarian Archive
The Humanitarian Archive is a unique partnership between The University of Manchester Library, John Rylands Research Institute and Library (Rylands) and the Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI). Following the official launch in October 2021 the partnership will lead the way in collecting private papers, small organisations’ records, documents and cultural artefacts associated with humanitarian work.
British Pop Archive
The British Pop Archive (BPA) is the first specifically designated archive in the UK which celebrates popular music and musicians, popular culture, youth culture and counter-culture from the twentieth century to the present day.
Officially launching in May 2022 the BPA actively collects archival materials in any format related to creative industries in all regions of the UK including the business records of managers and TV companies, the personal papers of iconic artists and photographers and the recorded experiences of audiences and fans.
The BPA is focused on locating and preserving records and artefacts of popular culture, and making them accessible to the general public, students and researchers.
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