Environmental advocacy and European politics: The instrumental work of Ken Coates
December 9, 2025
This is a guest blog by Claire Crompton, a Geography undergraduate student undertaking a placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections, with a response from Tony Simpson, former assistant to Ken Coates MEP. Claire Crompton: During my placement with the Manuscripts and Special Collections team, I worked on the local environmental files of Ken Coates. Coates …
Researching historic documents of climate, weather, and health
October 28, 2025
This is a guest blog by Jamie Wright, a second year Archaeology student undertaking a paid placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections at the University of Nottingham in the summer of 2025. As a part of the Faculty of Arts, Summer Research Placement Project, I got to spend four weeks working in the Manuscripts and …
Maurice William Partridge: Chemist and Accomplished Artist
June 17, 2025
This is a guest blog by Tinashe Chipawe, a Conservation student who completed a placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections in 2025, working on the records of the Maurice William Partridge. When I first encountered the Maurice William Partridge Collection during my conservation placement at the University of Nottingham’s Manuscripts and Special Collections, I was …
The British Cotton Growing Association
May 13, 2025
This is a guest blog by Alejandra Ponce Martorell, an undergraduate student who completed a Conservation placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections in 2025 working on the records of the Cotton Research Corporation. The cotton collection contains the papers and library of printed material of the British/Empire Cotton Growing Corporation. Founded in 1902, the corporation …
From Clues to Context: Exploring Archives as an Archaeology Student
April 28, 2025
This is a guest blog by Yan Chin, a second year Archaeology undergraduate student who completed a placement with Manuscripts and Special Collections in 2025 working on the records of Florence Boot Hall of residence. How does it feel to work with archives, with their rich historical value? As an archaeology student, this question’s been …
Manuscripts and Special… Experiences!
March 25, 2025
This is a guest post by Hannah Gregg, second year Classics and Archaeology student at the University of Nottingham, who recently completed a placement at Manuscripts and Special Collections. My expectations… Like going into any new environment, I was extremely apprehensive before starting, especially as I’d never had experience in the archives before. Moreover, my …
Decoding Images in Early Modern Print
November 8, 2024
This is guest blog by Tom Nixon-Roworth, who recently undertook a three-month WRoCAH-funded Research and Employability Project (REP) on the Parish Library Collections, in which he reflects on his experience working at Manuscripts and Special Collections. It may come as no surprise to learn that as soon as the project was confirmed I was eagerly …
Exploring the Archives: A summer placement at Manuscripts and Special Collections
October 31, 2024
This is a guest post by Arwen Jenkins, a University of Nottingham student, who recently completed a Summer Research Placement at Manuscripts and Special Collections. How does working in archives and with manuscripts go when you’ve had no prior experience? For so many humanities students, analysing and exploring primary sources are essential parts of our …
Extra mirrors and sewing rooms: “the civilising effect of female company upon the male population” in mixed halls of residence
September 5, 2024
Student placement Alice Lilley writes about her work on the Derby Hall archive at Manuscripts and Special Collections and what struck her about how student life has changed since the 1960s. As a volunteer through the Arts Work Placement module, I worked on the Derby Hall Collection for Manuscripts and Special Collections. This was an …
How to do a Scoping Survey at Manuscripts and Special Collections
August 16, 2024
This is a guest post by Hannah Kane, a University of Nottingham student, who recently completed a Summer Research Placement at Manuscripts and Special Collections. What is a Scoping Survey? A scoping survey involves identifying and checking material to establish its relevance to your research topic. In my case, another undergraduate student and I completed …
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