Friday 20 December 2013

Christmas and New Year opening hours of local libraries

Today (Friday 20 December) is the last day the Library will be open before Christmas. We will reopen at 8.30am on 2 January.

If you are going to be in London over the holidays and would like to visit a library, here are some opening times of local libraries which you can go to.


Wednesday 18 December 2013

Christmas in Uganda in 1922


 

Carpenter diary
On showing a visitor the Archives earlier this week, I happened to open the Carpenter diary on the page for Christmas Day 1922. I thought that it would be interesting to share their experiences of Christmas in Uganda.

Geoffrey Hale Carpenter was a student at the School in 1910, he became the specialist officer for the control of sleeping sickness in Uganda in 1920. This diary was written jointly by Carpenter and his wife Amy Frances. As well as diary entries documenting their day to day activities, there are photos, pressed flowers, press cuttings, concert programmes and their wedding invitation.   The diary gives a good insight into the life of a scientist working in Africa and the experiences he and his wife had while travelling to different regions, attending events such as dances and cricket matches with the colonial community at Entebbe and the various illnesses they contracted while abroad.


December 23rd

Geoffrey: Our dance at the club.

We had a busy day preparing – P (Geoffrey’s name for his wife) with help from Mrs Neill, Mrs Lyall, Mrs Griffin and the hospital cook did the food.  Mrs Duke and Miss Richardson (I won’t call her Hope) and Mrs Neill helped decorate and arrange room while I did the greenery and garlands which P got at Kampala. I got lamps from C and made a bandstand on the grass below the balcony for the K.A.R.

Amy: In the evening, we arranged the supper, dealt out the crackers. Geoff and I had a hurried dinner and went down to the club, I was later than G and only just arrived before the first guests!


The Carpenters
We had an extra to start, but no supper extras. We had a definite interval and the band had refreshments too.

We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and everyone else seemed to as well, and they said very nice things about the dance – we had great difficulty in getting people away at 10 o’clock.

Geoffrey: My love was not overtired as everything had worked smoothly. She wore her apricot frock, I my black coat with silk revers! (moth eaten!!!!)

December 24th

Amy: We went down to the club to clear everything up, and found nothing had been broken. Mrs Neil came to help. We returned all the borrowed spoons and forks etc.

Geoffrey (the point of this remark is that we might not have done this until later! As any ass would know)

Amy: Yes but there are not any asses her to read this!

Christmas Day

Geoffrey: We went to Church at 8 and 10.30. That evening we dined with the Grays, Whittles, Mr Turton, Mr Hayden and Capt. Walters. I won a box of chocolates.

In the afternoon we read our mail, which we had had since the 23rd.

December 26th

Amy: Dined at the Neill’s, also the C.J’s, Mrs Griffin, Montgomery’s and Dr Aders of Zanzibar who was with the M’s, Braggs. Rather a hot dinner party! Turkey from East Africa.
 
Merry Christmas to all from the Archives Team
 

 

Monkeys of the Month

While we all work hard here in the Library & Archives team we also like to indulge our creative side with animals, each month one member of staff customised our Monkey calendar and the fruits are below, we have been voting for our favourite Monkey and will be giving a prize later this afternoon during our Christmas Party. Enjoy!


January
 
February
 
March
 
April
 
May
 
June
 
July
 
August
 
September
 
October
 
November
 
December
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tuesday 17 December 2013

Online catalogue of Peter Piot's archives now available

The archive collection of Professor Baron Peter Piot is now available online on the archive catalogue. The papers held at the School reflect his career in fighting epidemic disease not only through his epidemiological work on the Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS but also his role as Executive-Director of UNAIDS (1995-2008).



Peter Piot 

Baron Professor Peter Karcl Piot, was born on the 17th February 1949 in Louvain, Belgium. He studied medicine at the University of Ghent (achieving his M.D. in 1974) and after graduation moved to the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, to work under Dr S. R. Pattyn. In 1976, he and his colleague, Guido van der Groen, were chosen from the School to join the WHO International Commission investigating the then unknown Ebola virus in Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo), having been part of the team that had isolated the virus.

In 1980 he received his PhD in microbiology and became Associate Professor of Microbiology and Head of the Division of Microbiology at the Institute. Based in Antwerp, he set up a number of international projects in Africa chiefly looking at the spread of the HIV/AIDS on the continent. In 1983, he helped establish the international project based in Kinshasa, known as Projet SIDA that was the initial source of epidemiological work on HIV/AIDS in Africa. Between 1986-1987 he became an Associate Professor, Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Nairobi, Kenya.

The following year, he became chair of the Steering Committee on Epidemiology and Surveillance of WHO's Global Programme on AIDS. In 1991 he was elected President of the International AIDS Society and then left his position in Antwerp to move to Geneva to become an Associate Director of the Global Programme on AIDS, World Health Organisation. In 1995, he was elected Executive-Director of  the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and served in this position for thirteen years before leaving in 2008 to become Professor of Global Health, Imperial College London. In 2010, he was appointed Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.


Archives

The papers held at the School reflect his career in fighting disease with fieldwork based on his epidemiological work on the Ebola virus and HIV/AIDS in Kinshasa. Correspondence files from his time as Professor of Microbiology in Antwerp provide an insight on the international network of medical experts working on the AIDS pandemic in the 1980's with conference papers on notable meetings such as the first African meeting on AIDS in Bangui, 1985. 

The majority of the papers in the collection relate to his tenure of Executive-Director of UNAIDS. The papers incorporate material relating to the establishment and governance of the organisation and also the working life of the Executive-Director through his speeches; correspondence; conferences; meeting notes; travel documents and also hold a rich source of working papers on significant developments in his tenure such as the South African AIDS epidemic; the formation of the Global Fund against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and the United State's
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Papers also include collected articles, newspaper articles and reports relating to Piot's career and various topics relating to the global strategy for the prevention of HIV/AIDS.

The collection can be viewed by appointment by contacting the archive service by email at the following address, Archives@lshtm.ac.uk.

Monday 16 December 2013

Merry Christmas from the Archives - Ready, Steady, Bake!

 



This collection of seasonal recipes dates from December 1945. The recipes were produced by the Ministry of Food during the period of food rationing in Britain during and following the Second World War. (Click on the images for a better view)

The recipes for Christmas pudding and Christmas cake are fairly standard, apart from keeping the dried fruit to a minimum, but it’s doubtful whether the ‘mock’cream and marzipan tasted anything like the originals.

This and many other Ministry of Food leaflets form part of the LSHTM Archive's Nutrition Collection, which contains over 4500 records relating to all aspects of nutrition research. Please see the Archives website for further information.
 
Material from our collections relating to war will be on display next year for the exhibition to commemorate the centenary of the First World War.

Image: LSHTM Library & Archives Service, Nutrition/06/05 Ministry Of Food cookery leaflets and pamphlets

Friday 13 December 2013

2013 Photo Competition



It's the time of year again when budding photographers have the opportunity to show off their photographic skills to the rest of the School. Staff and students are encouraged to submit photos which represent the theme of the competition: Improving Health Worldwide. This can be interpreted to reflect our work activities - both in London and overseas, studying at the School and even working in the laboratories. The judging panel are keen to see all types of photos including microscope images.


Here's 2012's winning entry, taken by Dr. Lena Lorenz  in Ifakara, Tanzania. If you'd like to find out more about this photo and how it came to be taken, you can read more here

'Dona's Son' 2012 Photo Competition winner

The 2013 winning entry, chosen by a judging panel, will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Chariot News blog, on the School’s website and past entries have featured in annual reports and other School publications.
The winner will receive £100, with a second prize of £75 and a third prize of £50.
All entries will be available for staff and students to view in MediaLibrary, the School's image database which has just been upgraded.
Submission guidelines are as follows:
  • Entries must be sent to photos@lshtm.ac.uk
  • Entries will be judged on originality, quality, composition and appropriateness to the theme
  • Entries may be in colour or black and white
  • No more than three entries per person
  • Deadline for entries is 28 February 2014
  • Please provide a caption for your photos
  • If identifiable individuals appear in your photo, please ensure that you have their permission before submission
  • All entries will appear in the competition category of MediaLibrary which will be accessible by School staff and students
  • The winning entry will appear in the Chariot and on the MediaLibrary webpage
  • An exhibition of competition entries, including the winning photo will be on display in the Library foyer
  • Entries may be used for promotional purposes eg Annual Report, Chariot, prospectus, exhibitions etc
  • Copyright - by entering the competition, competitors warrant that they own the copyright in their photograph and they give consent to LSHTM to store the image and reproduce it in any School related publication or medium


Enjoy your Christmas break and get snapping



Thursday 12 December 2013

World AIDS Day 2013: Gems of the Collection revisited

This is a belated thank you to all those who attended both the Gems of the Collection and evening seminar on 2nd December to mark World AIDS Day 2013. The two events allowed us to showcase some of the items within the collections currently being catalogued in the School archives. It was great to see people engaging with the collections and also to meet a number of people who are currently studying or researching the disease.




The lunchtime Gems session attracted around 47 people and included items from each of the six collections along with a sample of the Library's HIV/AIDS pamphlets and books. Items included:




  • An array of documents relating to Peter Piot's tenure as Executive-Director of UNAIDS including the first newsletter of the organization and a series of his travel files that conveyed the hectic, global role the position entailed. The material also included a letter from former President Thabo Mbeki to Piot describing at length his understanding of AIDS in 2000, when the South African government would not endorse the view that HIV caused AIDS.




  • Within the AIDS Social History Programme material on display there was public health campaign material from both UK and European governments collected from the 1980s-1990s. 







 The Programme was co-directed by Professor Virginia Berridge and is a great resource for examining HIV/AIDS within the United Kingdom thanks to its mixture of publications and reports from central government, local government and voluntary groups about tackling the epidemic.



  • The papers of Professor Kaye Wellings' provide a wealth of information about AIDS public health campaigns in Europe and it's extensive newspaper clippings document the early reporting and hysteria within the popular press. 



          Relating to this the Centre of Sexual and Reproductive Health collection highlight the visual power of the AIDS public health campaigns through the posters, postcards, badges and condom packages produced by European countries in the 1980s-1990s.





          It also shows the range of mediums used to convey public health messages most notably the use of graphic novels in Belgium and Italy respectively.




  • This sample of the SIGMA research archives documents the lobbying efforts of the group to lower the age of homosexual consent to be equal to heterosexual age of consent in 1994. The archive contains a number of letters received from serving MP's both expressing their support and opposition to the amendment. 

Tuesday 10 December 2013

An Exchange of Experience on Managing Research Data



On November 18th 2013, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine organised a two hour seminar for support staff interested or involved in RDM developments. The seminar kick-started a week of events being organised at the School to celebrate Explore Your Archives week[1], examining the emerging role that digital collections have within libraries and archives.

 

The seminar format was intentionally unstructured – there would be no presentations, just a set of broad topics to encourage discussion. The informal nature of the discussion created a relaxed atmosphere, which was encouraging for those who were new to the topic. The shortness of the seminar – just two hours over lunchtime – was also seen as a benefit. Participants could simply take an extended lunch break and go back to work, rather than spending half or a whole day out of the office.

 

In total, fifteen people attended - librarians, archivists, digital curators and policy makers – from several institutions, including Birkbeck, Royal Veterinary College, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, University College London, University of East London and the University of Westminster.

 

The session began with an introduction from Victoria Cranna, LSHTM Archivist & Records Manager, who explained the motivation for establishing a Research Data Management Service at LSHTM and the importance of sharing knowledge and experience across the sector. It was recognised that RDM was a big topic that had developed significantly over the past few years. To ensure that the academic sector can adapt to evolving requirements, there was a need for mutual support, sharing knowledge and expertise in order to address researchers’ evolving needs.

 

Following introductions, each participant provided an overview of current work taking place in their institutions surrounding Research Data Management. There was a varying level of experience around the table from those who were actively working on RDM project, to those that had been tasked with finding out more information. For the most part, participants indicated that RDM work was being led by the library or archives service. An exception to this is UCL, which has RDM components being developed across the institution.

 

The drive to develop RDM services was motivated by several factors, including a desire to improve the likelihood that projects will be funded, comply with funder expectations for short and long-term data management (particularly EPSRC), support REF activities, provide join-up between disparate components, and address researcher needs for storage and retention of data.

 

The availability of funds was recognised as a key factor in the development of RDM Services. While UCL, UEL and LSHTM had benefited from dedicated funding (from JISC in the first two instances, Wellcome Trust in the latter case) other institutional representatives were developing RDM expertise using institutional funds, as a component of their existing role. As a result, work sometimes took place at a slower rate.

 

This led to a discussion on the relationship between institutional and national data archives, such as the UK Data Service. Although national services were considered to provide cross-sector support, they were not considered to be an appropriate replacement for local knowledge and expertise. Additionally, it was recognised that a significant percentage of research data in academia covers subject areas that are beyond the subject or geographic domain of these data repositories. Alternatives such as Dryad and Figshare are less restrictive, in terms of the content they will accept, but considered to be less prestigious for some researchers.

 

The role of universities in ensuring long-term preservation of research data was raised. Although, in principle, many types of data can be deleted after 10 years in principle, the complexity of international and national regulations and contractual obligations result in many institutions taking a risk adverse approach, storing data for longer than is potentially necessary. In many research communities, such as clinical trials, there is a desire to keep data forever. Although there’s a desire in academic libraries and archives to curate and preserve research data, many are unsure how they will fund such activities in the long-term.

 

Participants were asked if they were taking a proactive or reactive approach to RDM support. Most admitted that they were reactive, responding to issues as they emerged. However, there was a desire to provide institution-specific training workshops and web-based courses, in order to promote good practice. Although a number of sector-wide resources are available in this area, they were considered too long, cumbersome and dry. To ensure RDM material are suitable, academics need to take a leading role in its development, working in collaboration with support staff, rather than relying upon support staff to perform work.

 

Finally, it was asked how RDM issues could be forced on to the research agenda: should horror stories be promoted? Participants believed that this would attract attention, but may cause researchers to panic and refuse to engage. Instead, case studies that promoted a positive message, explaining how RDM practices have helped researchers to perform their work was seen as more effective.

 

Concluding thoughts

Events such as the RDM Expertise Exchange are increasingly important for sharing knowledge and experience between institutions. For several years, we’ve been fortunate to receive support from JISC in establishing the RDM agenda, through coordination of cross-institution activities. A grassroots approach is needed to ensure that knowledge and experience continue to be shared.

 

The lunchtime seminar fulfils a need that cannot be addressed by formal workshops. Participants could fit the session into their working day, without having to spend a significant amount of time out of the office. The informal nature of the session created a relaxed atmosphere, which was encouraging for those who were new to the topic, and allowed participants to have greater control over the topics being discussed. Feedback on the session was positive, with all indicating that they’d be interested in similar events being organised during 2014.

 
Further information on the School's work on Research Data Management is available on the Research Data Management Support Service Blog at: http://blogs.lshtm.ac.uk/rdmss and the Research Data Management website at: http://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/researchdataman/index.html



[1] http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/explore-your-archive-toolkit.htm

Monday 2 December 2013

Top 10 downloads from LSHTM Research Online - November 2013

This month's top 10 downloaded papers from LSHTM Research Online, the School’s publically accessible database of LSHTM research. 


1. Goodman, A; Panter, J; Sharp, SJ; Ogilvie, D; (2013) Effectiveness and equity impacts of town-wide cycling initiatives in England: A longitudinal, controlled natural experimental study. Social science & medicine.

2. Nyanzi, Stella; (2008) Negotiating scripts for meaningful sexuality an ethnography of youths in the Gambia. PhD thesis

3. Nguyen, NM; Tran, CN; Phung, LK; Duong, KT; Huynh, HL; Farrar, J; Nguyen, QT;
Tran, HT; Nguyen, CV; Merson, L; +15 more... (2012) A Randomized, Double-BlindPlacebo Controlled Trial of Balapiravir, a Polymerase Inhibitor, in Adult DenguePatients. The Journal of infectious diseases.

 
4. Antithrombotic Trialists' (ATT), Collaboration; Baigent, C; Blackwell, L; Collins, R; Emberson, J; Godwin, J; Peto, R; Buring, J; Hennekens, C; Kearney, P; +4 more... (2009) Aspirin in the primary and secondary prevention of vascular disease: collaborative meta-analysis of individual participant data from randomised trials. Lancet, 373 (9678). pp. 1849-60.

5.  Michael, M; King, L; Guo, L; McKee, M; Richardson, E; Stuckler, D; (2013) Themystery of missing female children in the caucasus: an analysis of sex ratios by birthorder. International perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 39 (2). pp. 97-102.

6. Pathai, S; (2013) Does HIV accelerate the aging process? An assessment of clinical, ophthalmic and serum parameters in HIV-infected individuals in South Africa. PhD thesis

7.  Ederle, J; Dobson, J; Featherstone, RL; Bonati, LH; van der Worp, HB; de Borst, GJ;
lo, TH; Gaines, P; Dorman, PJ; MacDonald, S; +337 more... (2010) Carotid arterystenting compared with endarterectomy in patients with symptomatic carotid stenosis(International Carotid Stenting Study): an interim analysis of a randomised controlledtrial. Lancet, 375 (9719). pp. 985-997


8. Gautham, Meenakshi; (2005) Quality of care for reproductive tract morbidities by ruralprivate practitioners in North India. PhD thesis

 9. Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration,(inc Fletcher, AE; ); Kaptoge, S; Di Angelantonio, E; Lowe, G; Pepys, MB; Thompson, SG; Collins, R; Danesh, J; (2010) C-reactive protein concentration and risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and mortality: an individual participant meta-analysis. Lancet, 375 (9709). pp. 132-40.

10. Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (inc Fletcher, AE; ) Sarwar, N; Gao, P; Seshasai, SR; Gobin, R; Kaptoge, S; Di Angelantonio, E; Ingelsson, E; Lawlor, DA; Selvin, E; +9 more... (2010) Diabetes mellitus, fasting blood glucose concentration, and risk of vascular disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of 102 prospective studies. Lancet, 375 (9733). pp. 2215-22.


If you are an LSHTM author and would like find out how you can make your research available in LSHTM Research Online see our FAQs or contact us

Sunday 1 December 2013

World AIDS Day 2013: Launch of AIDS awareness poster gallery on Flickr


To complement last night's excellent talk on the HIV/AIDS posters at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the archives has created an online gallery of  HIV/AIDS posters within our collection on Flickr, Global Visions: HIV/AIDS posters at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine archives. The posters provide a snapshot of the diversity of designs and messages used in AIDS public awareness campaigns across Europe.


The majority of the posters were collected as part of the European Commission (EC) 'Concerted Action on Assessment of AIDS/HIV Prevention Strategies' project, 1989-1991, the purpose of which was to compare and contrast the different AIDS public health campaigns European countries. It was during the late eighties and early nineties that AIDS was a major concern to European countries as the number of cases rapidly increased and there was a high degree of anxiety and fear in the general population over this fatal disease.


Poster from 1989 the Swiss 'Stop AIDS' campaign that ran from 1987-1995, the poster translates as 'Without? Without me" and was one of a number of designs used to promote the use of condoms 

The posters show how public health campaigners and voluntary organisations tried to inform and change behaviour within the general community. The posters display a number of different strategies to convey their message, such as using cartoons to depict risky behaviour for conservative audiences; targeting an emotion response through the use of fear, humour and empowerment and positively representing at risk groups to de-stigmatise and counter misinformation about the disease.  

Friday 29 November 2013

Exploring The Archive...

 Explore Your Archive Week kicked off at LSHTM Archives with a lunchtime Exchange of Experience featuring our Research Data Manager Gareth Knight and Archivist Victoria Cranna. Archivists and Librarians explored issues around management and preservation of research data.

Hotel Phoenix business card,  Copenhagen
Tuesday saw a very successful Gems of the Collection session on the theme of Explorers & Pioneers, held in South Courtyard.  Almost 100 staff and students browsed rare items from our collections, including details of Sir Ronald Ross's trip to Sweden to accept the Nobel Prize for medicine in 1902. Ross kept everything from his trip, including correspondence with travel agents, boat tickets, menus, hotel bills, and press cuttings. We even have an invoice from  a Swedish outfitters for a top hat, as he forgot to pack one!
We also showed  lists of food deemed essential for a stay in Ghana (Gold Coast) in 1922. The goods were ordered from the Army & Navy Co-Operative Society's Export Department, based in Victoria St, London, and were sent to Dr. JWS Macfie, then Director of the Medical Research Institute in Accra.

List of goods to be shipped to Ghana  for Dr J McFie
This list is part of the Macfie Archive, which was donated to the School by Dr. Macfie's nephew in 1984.

On Wednesday Victoria Cranna, the archivist, gave a lunchtime Tour of the Building, giving staff and students a chance to find out more about the history of LSHTM. The tour includes information on the School's origins (we were originally based in the London docks), architectural features of the current building, wartime damage, and new developments.

We finished the week with a booked-out evening viewing of 'Roads to Africa', the documentary of a 10 month expedition in 1936 to Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya led by Major Leeson, then a lecturer at LSHTM. He was accompanied by  assistant JD Gillett, who also acted as cameraman, and who added the film's voiceover shortly before his death in 1995.
The film showed fascinating footage of the team leaving Croyden Airport on their flight to Entebbe (which took 5 days), the assistants they hired, the local people they met throughout their trip, and the resilient Chevrolet car that apparently never broke down! The audience loved the archive footage of Africa in the 1930s and long-gone expedition  techniques.

Air ticket London -Entebbe 1936
Details of this and other expeditions  undertaken by LSHTM staff across the years can be found in the Archives: to find out more just contact us !