Great blog post by Lara Mayr of @britishlibrary.bsky.social on the papers of Michael Hamburger, translator of of Hölderlin, Celan and WG Sebald among others. And a taste of some of the essential cataloguing work now being done with "hidden collections".

British Library@britishlibrary.bsky.social · last mo.

Have you ever wondered what secrets lie in your favourite poet’s notebook? In her latest blog, manuscripts cataloguer, Lara Mayr, discusses the importance of notebooks held in the archive of poet & translator Michael Hamburger & the invaluable insight they offer Read all about it📚 link.bl.uk/blmh

For this month’s Council’s Choice, Matthew Payne highlights England’s Immigrants 1330-1550, a database containing the names of over 64,000 people known to have migrated to England during the period of the Hundred Years’ War and the Black Death, the Wars of the Roses and the Reformation.

While a database of medieval people drawn from original sources is always valuable, the particular interest for book historians is the helpful addition of numerous advanced search fields, that enable you to search by occupation, social status, place of origin etc.

Staying cool @everyheron.bsky.social

And now we have Lucy Snow (Keele University and British Library). She's researching 18th-century Knowledge Work in the BL's Harleian Collection. Today we're all agog about LLMs; in earlier times, much knowledge instead resided in private collections of manuscripts. 3/x

Our next lecture will take place on Tuesday 21 April 2026 at 5.30 p.m., at the Society of Antiquaries, London, and online via Zoom. Matthew Payne, Keeper of the Muniments at Westminster Abbey (also Treasurer and a Vice-President of the Society) will deliver the Graham Pollard memorial lecture.

Bibliographical Society Lecture| 21 April 2026

ies.sas.ac.uk

🌿🌾 You like gardens? You like history? And games? Then rejoice, because LOBELIUS is here! Thanks to official partners, Museum Plantin-Moretus and the Meise Botanical Garden, the players can skim through the 1581 Kruydtboeck by Matthias de l´Obel. Can you make the most beautiful early modern garden?

A recent acquisition of letters of Dorothy Bussy, translator and novelist, and of her daughter, the artist Janie Bussy, has now been catalogued. New @britishlibrary.bsky.social blog post by Dominic Newman: www.bl.uk/stories/blog...

Letters of Dorothy and Janie Bussy

A recent acquisition of letters of Dorothy Bussy, translator and novelist, and of her daughter, the artist Janie Bussy, has now been catalogued.

bl.uk

Long Mynd today and some welcome refreshment @laura-elseplace.bsky.social

We have an incredible new PhD placement opportunity to help support the development and curation of our major exhibition on the Norman Conquest, opening in October 2027. Learn more and apply through the link below! www.bl.uk/services/res...

Apply by 9 March for @kingsartshums.bsky.social MA in Early Modern English Literature, taught in partnership with us. Find out more about this rich and unique course where you will learn from our expert curators and examine rare texts in our collections. Find out more here: link.bl.uk/kpr

On Tuesday 3 March 2026, at 15.30 GMT, the Bibliographical Society will travel virtually to the Vatican Apostolic Library. Founded in 1450 by Pope Nicholas V to promote Humanistic studies, the Vatican Library is one of the world’s most famous libraries.

Bibliographical Society Virtual Winter Visit

ies.sas.ac.uk

Nice blog on Royal College of Physicians collections from @girlinthe.bluesky.social - libraryservices.jiscinvolve.org/wp/2026/02/h...

Coptic spell to Acquire a Beautiful Voice, 6th–7th century CE, Egypt, ink on papyrus, 37.3 x 25.4 cm (Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University, New Haven) archives.yale.edu/repositories...

Oral Histories of the Environmental Movement: Making an Activist Archive url: academic.oup.com/hwj/article/...

Oral Histories of the Environmental Movement: Making an Activist Archive

Abstract. This article considers the making of an archive of environmental activism through the life histories of 100 campaigners involved in environmental

academic.oup.com

Literary archaeology and a #provenance spreadsheet for Oscar Wilde manuscripts at @britishlibrary.bsky.social

Catherine Angerson@sonofanger.bsky.social · 7mo ago

Suzy Corrigan explores the provenance of Oscar Wilde’s manuscripts in the Eccles Bequest and describes the outputs of a PhD placement at the British Library www.bl.uk/stories/blog...

Great news here about Ronald Blythe's archive. (Keep an eye out, too, for what Essex Wildlife Trust is doing with his house, which was left to them: it needs a fair bit of work before it can be made accessible to the public but it's going to be great when that's done. www.essexwt.org.uk/bottengoms)

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 7mo ago

British Library acquires archive of rural life writer and essayist Ronald Blythe

The life of Frederic Madden, in his words, 200 years after the events described. Transcribed from his journal by students @ies-sas.bsky.social. Released daily in 2026.👇 madden1826.com

Madden1826

Frederic Madden's Journal, 1826

madden1826.com

Hurrah for the return of @britishlibrary.bsky.social Archives and manuscripts (interim) catalogue! This is a huge step forward

British Library@britishlibrary.bsky.social · 8mo ago

We’re excited to share our new main catalogue, making it easier for you to find and request the majority of our published collection. We’ve also launched an interim version of our Archives and Manuscripts Catalogue. Find out how to start searching and requesting on our website bit.ly/BLNewCatalogues

We installed a new Jane Austen display case in time for Jane's 250th birthday in December. The display is available in the Treasures Gallery (free) at the British Library in London until 15 March 2026. Blogpost: www.bl.uk/stories/blog...

Useful charm against rats for librarians and archivists (or any of us really) from @theul.bsky.social

Cambridge University Library@theul.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Listen to two new choral works from the Timeline Choir inspired by our #CuriousCures exhibition! 🐀 ‘A Charm Against Rats’ by composer Charlotte Baskerville is inspired by a 15th-century manuscript (@caiuscollege.bsky.social, MS 457/395, f. 1v). Hear the full version: https://loom.ly/2fJO_xs

Hello Bluesky people! Rome info needed! Any tips for good things to see and do on a short visit (besides forum, Vatican, etc)? Especially nice eating places in Trastevere or centre?

New look for @britishlibrary.bsky.social blogs in future, plus access to archived blogs to come this month

British Library@britishlibrary.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Our blogs have a new look: bit.ly/BL-Blogs All previously published blogs will be available in our archive, launching in coming weeks. Watch this space for an update on when that goes live.

A semi-regular reminder that all our photos on Flickr Commons are public domain - you don't need to ask us to use them in any way you can imagine! Though we do love hearing about how you've used them, so you can let us know if you want https://www.flickr.com/photos/britishlibrary/

British Library

Explore British Library’s 1,073,564 photos on Flickr!

flickr.com

Here it is! My second copy of @dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social Ring The Hill, after the first one got eaten by Royal Mail. Looking forward to Everything Will Swallow You arriving this week too

@dj-acid-reflux.bsky.social (not sure how this even works - just spent half an hour cursing over bsky age verification and found I can't DM you anyway)

Headstrongways@headstrongways.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Alas, my envelope arrived damaged - minus the book! Do you have any more left?

Looking forward to attending this next week very much. Great model for a conference - 3 afternoons, remote, and very affordable. Real accessibility boost. I heard there are even some places left!

CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group@ciliprarebooks.bsky.social · 12mo ago

We are delighted to announce that ✨booking is open✨ for #RBSCG25, the 2025 CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group conference. Theme: Systems, Standards and the Discoverability of Special Collections Dates: 3-5 September, afternoons Place: Online rbscgconference2025.eventbrite.com

www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...

Woman’s memoirs give fascinating insight into life in 17th-century northern England

Newly reunited manuscripts by Alice Thornton show how she navigated personal crises during tumultuous events such as the civil war

theguardian.com

Inspired by the #RBMS26 conference theme, I decided to invest in advocacy by fighting against the algorithmic internet and returning to blogging, and our old friend Tumblr. I intend to compile the news I share here once a week into a big reading list of links like the days of RSS. 📜

Post by @redrotmegaphone

💬 0  🔁 0  ❤️ 0 · Hello World · A blog in 2025? How quaint! Tumblr in 2025? How quaint! 2025 inspires a return to quaint, I think. Remember the pre-algorithmic internet when we found things by RSS…

tumblr.com