Every subject has unique and specialist types of information that add rigour and interest to research. Usually, you’ll need to look beyond Library Search for these information types; some are accessed via specialist databases, while others are available online via websites, social media or streaming platforms.
We’ve picked out some key resources for your subject here, you might like also like to explore our Resource Guides for more resources on different information types.
General resources
A range of resources relevant to the study of all modern languages.
- Box of Broadcasts This link opens in a new window
Box 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.
- Bridgeman Education (images) This link opens in a new window
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.
- Nexis Uni - UK, international and business news This link opens in a new window
Search across local and major UK and international newspapers, business and industry trade magazines, business news, company information, press agencies and magazines from 1990s to present day, in various languages. Coverage is text only, and doesn’t include additional content such as images, layout, or adverts.
- IPTVIPTV is managed by Newcastle University Language Resource Centre, and is available across campus. It provides access to live satellite TV channels from several countries, as well as news channels, feature films and documentaries in many languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish and Chinese.
- Newcastle University language resource centreThis centre provides learning resources in over 50 languages and in many different formats. The web site includes an online catalogue and links to useful online resources.
- Diccionario de la Lengua EspañolaKey reference and consultation dictionary for Spanish.
- Larousse bilingual dictionariesFree access to bilingual dictionaries, covering French, German, Spanish, Italian and Chinese.
- Oxford English Dictionary This link opens in a new window
The online version of the Oxford English Dictionary; a reference guide to the meaning, history, and usage of words and phrases past and present, from across the English-speaking world.
- Oxford Language Dictionaries Online This link opens in a new window
Fully searchable bilingual dictionaries. We have access to French, German, Spanish, Chinese and Italian.
- Archives HubSubject guide to archive collections held in UK universities and colleges.
- Newcastle University Special Collections and ArchivesUnique and rare resources held by Newcastle University's Philip Robinson Library.
Resources by subject
Resources specific to the study of particular languages or fields.
Audiovisual and news
- BBC China FocusBBC news focusing on China.
- China Visual Arts Project ArchiveUnique archival collection from University of Westminster of some 800 posters spanning the period between the late 1950s and the early 1980s. The majority of the collection dates from the 1960s to the 1970s, making it an important resource for study of the Cultural Revolution.
- Chinese mediaLinks to Chinese TV, radio and newspapers online.
- Japanese mediaLinks to Japanese TV, radio and newspapers online.
Archives and collections
- Chinese Ancient Books RepositoryProvides open access to digitised versions of rare books, photographs and documents from significant institutions, including the National Library of China.
- Chinese Women's Magazines in the Late Qing and Early Republican PeriodProvides access to issues of four seminal women's publications from 1904-1937, including Nüzi shijie (Women's World, 1904-07), Funü shibao (The Women's Eastern Times, 1911-17), Funü zazhi (The Ladies' Journal, 1915-31), and Linglong (Elegance, 1931-37).
- East Asia: British Library guide for researchersGuide to collections held at the British Library and elsewhere, relating to East Asian studies. Note: This resource is currently unavailable owing to the cyber attack on the British Library.
- Historic Newspapers published in ChinaA useful webpage that lists and links to many historic newspapers in Chinese, Japanese and English that were mostly published in China.
- Late Qing and Republican-Era Chinese NewspapersOpen access collection that provides digitised Chinese newspaper publications from 1911 to 1949.
- Princeton University Library East Asian collectionsNearly 400 digitised items from Princeton's collections, including manuscripts, maps and albums from many eras.
- Silk Road OnlineProject to make information and images of all manuscripts, paintings, textiles and artefacts from Dunhuang and archaeological sites of the Eastern Silk Road freely available on the internet, and to encourage their use through educational and research programmes.
- SOAS Library guide to Chinese resourcesOverview of useful resources at the School of Oriental and African Studies Library and beyond.
- SOAS Library guide to Japanese resourcesOverview of useful resources at the School of Oriental and African Studies Library and beyond.
- UK Information Resources on Asia (UKIRA)Project to identify UK-based information resources relating to Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
- Migration to New Worlds This link opens in a new window
A wide range of digitised primary source material, including letters, diaries and oral histories, covering migration from Europe and Asia to the USA, Canada, and Australasia between 1800-1924.
Reference
- Cambridge History of ChinaOnline version of this major multi-volume work.
- Cambridge History of JapanOnline version of this major multi-volume work.
- China Statistical YearbookAnnual statistics yearbook.
Audiovisual and news
- EUscreenFree online access to video, stills and audio from selected European broadcasters from 1900-present. Includes French, German and Catalan broadcasters amongst others.
- French mediaLinks to French TV, radio and newspapers online.
- Historic French newspapers onlineDigitised collections of several major French newspapers from the 19th and 20th centuries.
- Institut national de l'audiovisuel (INA)Digitised collections from l'INA, the world's largest digital archive, containing 3.5 million hours of TV and radio recordings.
- TV Monde PlusFree platform with access to Francophone films, television programmes and documentaries.
Archives and collections
- Archives électoralesArchive of French election campaign material from 1958-2002.
- Archives nationalesFrench national archives. Includes some digitised collections.
- Bibliothèque publique d'informationSearch and explore the collections of the BPI, for information on all aspects of contemporary France.
- Catalog collectif de FranceThe French version of COPAC - huge catalogue enabling you to search the combined holdings of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, as well as French university, public and special libraries.
- 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.
- Historical Archives of the European UnionPrivate papers of individuals, movements and international organisations involved in European integration.
- GallicaDigital collections of the Bibliothèque nationale de France. Contains nearly 7 million items, including books, manuscripts, images, newspapers and recordings.
- Frantext This link opens in a new window
French language corpus containing full text French language books published between the 10th and 21st centuries. The corpus covers various genres, mainly literary works with some scientific and technical materials included.
- Early European Books This link opens in a new window
Draws together a diverse array of printed sources from major European libraries, covering 15th to 17th century.
Dictionaries and learning resources
- Centre national de ressources textuelles et lexicalesAccess to a range of tools and resources for French language research, including dictionaries, texts and corpora.
- Le Trésor de la langue française informatiséeDictionary of 19th and 20th century French online. Includes etymological information.
Audiovisual and news
- Austrian Newspapers Online (ANNO)ANNO (Austrian Newspaper Online) is the virtual newspaper reading room of the Austrian National Library. In ANNO you can browse, read and search for historical Austrian newspapers and magazines online.
- EUscreenFree online access to video, stills and audio from selected European broadcasters from 1900-present. Includes French, German and Catalan broadcasters amongst others.
- German mediaLinks to German TV, radio and newspapers online.
- German news channels onlineBBC guide to German news channels online.
Archives and collections
- DDR MuseumYou can contact them (in English or German) with research queries.
- Deutsche Digitale BibliothekNew site with the aim of offering unrestricted access to Germany’s cultural and scientific heritage, including millions of books, archived items, images, sculptures, music, films and scores, from all over Germany.
- Deutsche National BibliothekCatalogues of the National Library of Germany and other collections.
- 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.
- Historical Archives of the European UnionPrivate papers of individuals, movements and international organisations involved in European integration.
- German National ArchivesIncludes the archives of the former West and East Germanies. Includes digitised material and an English language version.
- ReichstagprotokolleCovers 1867-95 and 1919-39. Facsimile records of the Reichstag (German Hansard) for the period of the Weimar Republic and part of the Imperial period. The records are in German and in Fraktur script. Keyword searching available.
- Wiener LibraryOne of the world's most extensive archives on the Holocaust and Nazi era. Its unique collection of over one million items includes published and unpublished works, press cuttings, photographs and eyewitness testimony.
- Early European Books This link opens in a new window
Draws together a diverse array of printed sources from major European libraries, covering 15th to 17th century.
Reference
- BDSL onlineBibliographie der deutschen Sprach- und Literaturwissenschaft is an international bibliography of German literature and literary studies.
- Germanistik im NetzVirtual library of German language and literature studies.
- Germany: British Library guideGuide to collections held at the British Library and elsewhere relating to German Studies. Note: This resource is currently unavailable owing to the cyber attack on the British Library.
- Neue Deutsche BiographieDeutsche Biographie is the central historical-biographical information resource for the German-speaking area.
Audiovisual and news
- Caribbean Newspapers, 1718-1876 This link opens in a new window
A collection of fully searchable 18th and 19th century Caribbean newspapers, covering 140 titles from 22 islands. The resource chronicles the region’s history through eyewitness reporting, editorials, legislative information, letters, poetry, advertisements, obituaries and other news items. Essential sources for researching colonial history, the Atlantic slave trade, international commerce and relations, New World slavery, and related topics.
- EUscreenFree online access to video, stills and audio from selected European broadcasters from 1900-present. Includes French, German and Catalan broadcasters amongst others.
- Latin American Art: University of Essex collectionThe University of Essex Collection of Latin American Art (UECLAA) is the only public collection in Europe dedicated exclusively to modern and contemporary art from Latin America. The collection has been digitised and is now available here via the VADS database.
- Latin American Government Documents ArchiveLAGDA seeks to preserve and facilitate access to ministerial and presidential documents from 18 Latin American and Caribbean countries. Content includes the full-text of official documents, plus video and audio recordings, speeches and reports.
- LANIC (Latin American Network Information Center)LANIC's mission is to facilitate access to Internet-based information to, from, or on Latin America.
- Political poster collectionNearly 3,000 digitised images of posters relating to Latin American politics, from Princeton University's collection.
- Spanish mediaLinks to Spanish TV, radio and newspapers online.
- Spanish newspapers online 1772-1933Digitised collection of Spanish newspapers 1772-1933 from the Spanish National Library.
Archives and collections
- Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America (AILLA)AILLA is a digital language archive of recordings, texts, and other multimedia materials in and about the Indigenous languages of Latin America.
- Biblioteca Digital HispánicaDigitised works from the national library of Spain, including books, manuscripts, photographs and maps.
- Biblioteca Digital del Patrimonio Iberoamericano (BDPI)The Ibero-American Heritage Digital Library (BDPI) provides a single point of access to digital collections from a range of National libraries.
- Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de CervantesThe largest open-access repository of digitised Spanish-language historical texts and literature from the Ibero-American world.
- Digital Archive of Latin American and Caribbean EphemeraProject to digitise Princeton University's vast archive. Materials are mostly from the 20th/21st century.
- 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.
- Instituto CervantesOrganisation which promotes Spanish language and culture. You can visit its library, or search it online
- Latin America: British Library CollectionsGuide to the research collections at the British Library. Note: This resource is currently unavailable owing to the cyber attack on the British Library.
- Latin America: resource for researchersResources available from Senate House Library.
- Latin American collections at Liverpool University LibraryInformation and listing for Liverpool University Library's Special Collections relating to Latin America.
- Memoria ChilenaVarious digitised collections from the Chilean national library, including 3,600 books.
- The PALABRA ArchiveA Library of Congress collection of original audio recordings of 20th and 21st century Luso-Hispanic poets and writers reading from their works. The majority of the recordings from this collection are in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, but the archive also includes sessions in Catalan, Basque, French, Dutch, Creole, and indigenous languages like Náhuatl, Zapotec, Quechua, and Aymara.
- Portal de Archivos EspañolesLinks to various official Spanish archives, including digitised collections.
- Spanish archival sourcesList of primary sources for Spanish history, maintained by the European University Institute.
- Portal de Víctimas de la Guerra CivilFrom the Spanish national archives.
- Spanish Civil War archive: through the eyes of organised labourOver 13,000 pages of digitised files from the archive collection of the Trades Union Congress, including correspondence, minutes, reports, memoranda and propaganda material.
- Spanish Civil War archivesAn overview of archival material held in the UK related to the Spanish Civil War.
- Spanish Civil War poster collectionCollection from the Imperial War Museum.
- Library of Congress: Spanish Civil War postersCollection from the US Library of Congress.
Reference
- Cambridge History of Latin AmericaOnline version of this major multi-volume work.
- Diccionario Biográfico ElectrónicoThe Spanish Biographical Dictionary is a digital historical-biographical information resource.
- Handbook of Latin American StudiesOnline bibliographic database containing scholarly descriptions of books, journal articles, conference papers, maps and atlases, and electronic resources, published from the 1960s to the present. Content covers themes in Latin American research relating to both the humanities and social sciences.
- Institute of Latin American Studies resourcesLinks to resources and research.
- Latin America and Caribbean research portalSearchable directory of Latin American and Caribbean Studies research resources. Includes academic staff / researchers, thesis in progress, institutions/centres/universities, libraries and museums working in this area.
- EUscreenFree online access to video, stills and audio from selected European broadcasters from 1900-present. Includes French, German and Catalan broadcasters amongst others.
- Index TranslationumInternational bibliography of translations, created in 1932.
- Official EU Translation resourcesUseful resources for translators from the EU's official translating and interpreting directorate. Includes online dictionaries and term banks for all EU member languages.
- The Rosetta ProjectA global collaboration of language specialists and native speakers building a publicly accessible online archive of ALL documented human languages. Find audio, video and text files in this wiki.
- WordSmith ToolsAn integrated suite of programs for looking at how words behave in texts.
- UNITAR LibraryUnited Nations Institute for Training and Research resources. Useful for those interested in Multilateral Diplomacy.
Resource Guides
Explore the different types of information available at the Library.
Support and services
Explore further tools, guides and support from the Library.
