Every subject area has unique and specialist types of information, which mean that you need to look beyond Library Search. Some types of information are accessed via specialist databases, for example newspapers, while others are available online.
Resources by Topic
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Gale Primary SourcesSearch across multiple Gale e-resources at once (this includes most of our historic newspaper and periodical archives, except for The Observer/Guardian.) It also includes Eighteenth Century Collections Online.
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History of Advertising TrustLargest archive of British advertising in the world.
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Market research library guideOur own library guide highlighting specialist databases for market research.
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Mintel Marketing IntelligenceAs a globally recognised market analyst, Mintel produces hundreds of reports into UK-specific consumer markets every year.
Each report that Mintel publishes provides a unique overview of a market's dynamics and prospects, giving you the knowledge to devise informed and profitable marketing strategy. -
Passport (Euromonitor International)An online business information system providing business intelligence on countries, consumers and industries
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StatistaAn extensive statistics platform covering over 1.5 million data sets (and adding an additional 500 each day) with revenue forecasts from 2015 to 2022 on over 400 industries. Data is collected from over 22,500 sources covering over 75,000 different topics.
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Vogue ArchiveA complete searchable archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution color page images. Every page, advertisement, cover and fold-out has been included, enabling you to find images by garment type, designer and brand names. It is a unique record of American and international fashion, culture and society from the dawn of the modern era to the present day.
The resources below are useful for researching the media. For access to historic and contemporary newspaper archives online, please visit our separate news guide.
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Archival research: Film, television and performing artsResearch guide from the National Archives about how to find archival records relating to film, television and performing arts, held in various locations.
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BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board)TV viewing figures for the UK. We don't have a susbcription to the full data, but this site explains which data is available free of charge for academic research purposes.
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BBC ArchiveThemed collections from the BBC archives, including TV and radio clips as well as background information.
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BBC Genome: TV listingsContains the BBC listings information printed in Radio Times between 1923 and 2009. You can search the site for BBC programmes, people, dates and Radio Times editions.
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BBC Handbooks, Annual Reports and Accounts, 1927-2002This collection contains handbooks, annual reports and accounts published by the BBC between 1927 and 2002. It also includes a review of each year’s public service broadcasting, with detailed schedules, audience research, performance and objective tables, commentaries, and editorials. A great opportunity to examine the social and cultural forces that shaped Britain in the 20th century.
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BBC Written ArchivesHolds the BBC’s working papers resulting from all aspects of the BBC's business from 1922 to the 1980s. This includes files of correspondence with contributors, programme and policy material together with a vast collection of scripts and press cuttings. These archives come from all parts of the BBC.
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Box of BroadcastsBox of Broadcasts provides access to over 2.2 million TV and radio broadcasts from over 75 channels, including most of the UK’s freeview network, all BBC TV and radio content from 2007, and several foreign language channels. This resource is not available outside the UK.
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BUFVC GatewayOver 2,000 websites relating to moving image and sound materials, arranged by subject area.
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British Film InstituteThe BFI offers a wealth of resources, including the National Archive of film and television collections and film industry statistics and reports.
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Film and Television Literature IndexDefinitive online tool for film and television research. Coverage includes film and television theory, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. Indexes and abstracts for more than 300 publications (and selected coverage of more), as well as full text for more than 90 journals.
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Film industry statistics and researchA range of regularly updated statistics and reports from the British Film Institute.
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Independent Radio ArchivesArchives of independent local radio from 1973-1996 held at Bournemouth University.
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ITN SourceThe ITN collection is an archive of television news footage from ITV and Channel 4 News, dating back to 1955. It includes a wealth of previously unseen material.
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Listener Archive 1929-1991Full colour archive of this BBC weekly, which featured radio transcripts and reviews and is a witness to the intellectual and cultural history of the twentieth century.
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Media History Digital LibraryA non-profit initiative dedicated to digitising collections of classic media periodicals that belong in the public domain for full public access. Over 200,000 pages scanned and growing. The collections feature extensive runs of several important trade papers and fan magazines.
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Media news: The GuardianConstantly updated round up of news and trends in the media.
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Media Show: BBC Radio 4Radio show analysing news and developments in the media world.
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Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR)RAJAR is the official body in charge of measuring national and local radio audiences in the UK. Detailed statistics are released every quarter.
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StatistaAn extensive statistics platform covering over 1.5 million data sets (and adding an additional 500 each day) with revenue forecasts from 2015 to 2022 on over 400 industries. Data is collected from over 22,500 sources covering over 75,000 different topics.
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TRILT (Television and Radio Index for Teaching and Learning)Search listings for over 560 UK TV and radio channels from 1923 onwards. Some pre-2007 broadcasts are available to order (for post-2007, use Box of Broadcasts).
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Subject guide for film studiesPlease see our separate guide for Film Studies.
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AATA (Art and Archaeology Technical Abstracts)Comprehensive database of nearly 150,000 abstracts of literature related to the preservation and conservation of material cultural heritage.
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BAR Digital CollectionThis online collection, from one of the world’s largest academic archaeology publishers, gives full text access to over 3,100 titles published from 1974 to date. It includes both BAR’s British and international series, and covers archaeological research, excavation reports and other important series from around the world.
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BCIN ConservationThe Web's most complete bibliographic resource for the conservation, preservation and restoration of cultural property.
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Bridgeman Education (images)This database provides access to over three million images, including paintings, posters, artefacts and photographs, from galleries and collections worldwide. All images are copyright-cleared for educational use, and cover a wide range of themes. NB If accessing off-campus, click on User login>Login via Shibboleth>Ncl Uni once you are on Bridgeman.
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CASE databaseThe CASE database of empirical research marshals in one place over 12,000 studies that examine the drivers, impact and value of engagement in culture and sport.
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Culture and Sport statisticsLatest data on culture and sport from National Statistics.
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EuropeanaExplore millions of images, films and other archival material from galleries, museums, archives and libraries across Europe. Search by topic and refine by copyright to find reusable materials. Can also refine to find images, films, audio etc.
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Flickr the CommonsProject to make photographs available online from the archives of cultural institutions around the world.
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Heritage GatewaySearch local and national records on the historic environment, including buildings, monuments and landscapes.
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Historic England imagesSearch thousands of images of English places, buildings and people.
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Research Centre for Museums and GalleriesOpen access to publications since 2000 from this Centre, based at Leicester University.
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SHARE Museums East resourcesGrowing library of free museum resources: reports, presentations, papers, sample documents and more. New resources added regularly.
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StatistaAn extensive statistics platform covering over 1.5 million data sets (and adding an additional 500 each day) with revenue forecasts from 2015 to 2022 on over 400 industries. Data is collected from over 22,500 sources covering over 75,000 different topics.
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Tourism statisticsLatest tourism data from National Statistics.
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Bloomsbury Popular MusicComprehensive resource covering all genres of popular music, including ebooks, books about significant LPs, artist biographies and interactive timeline and map.
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Culture and Sport statisticsLatest data on culture and sport from National Statistics.
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Mass Observation Online 1937-1967This a major resource for British social history from 1937-1967. It contains material generated by the Mass Observation social research organisation, including all the day surveys, diaries and subject directives from 1937-1967, a wide range of themed topic collections, together with other material such as images and essays. We also have access to the Mass Observation 1980s and 1990s database.
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Mass Observation Project 1981-2009.This contains responses to the Mass Observation project in the 1980s and 1990s, covering political and social themes of the period, plus insights into everyday life. A fascinating insight into late twentieth century Britain. We also have access to the earlier Mass Observation Online database covering 1937-1967.
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Rock's BackpagesThe largest database of online music journalism, providing access to thousands of interviews, reviews and articles about artists of all genres, from Aaliyah to ZZ Top. Coverage dates back 50 years, and also includes 500 audio interviews.
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Vogue ArchiveA complete searchable archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month, reproduced in high-resolution color page images. Every page, advertisement, cover and fold-out has been included, enabling you to find images by garment type, designer and brand names. It is a unique record of American and international fashion, culture and society from the dawn of the modern era to the present day.
New media, culture and heritage books in the Library
Relevant Subject and Resource Guides
