End of Year Reflections

As we reach the end of 2024 it’s been another busy year in the library. 

One of our big projects this year has been the Harrison Library’s refresh which included new furniture, new carpets, enhanced study spaces and a reorganisation of the bookshelves. As we moved the stock we rediscovered a few older formats which we thought would be fun to share. 

We have seen a technological revolution over the last few decades, for example watching a movie at home might once have involved borrowing a video cassette from your local Blockbusters. Then came the DVDs, BluRays. Now the online streaming services dominate. Libraries have had to continually update their collections to match these wider trends, and now provide services such as "Box of Broadcasts” (BoB). This on demand TV and radio service for education allows you to record programmes and search an extensive archive.

Unlike printed books and journals, these rapidly changing formats – especially for audio and video content - require appropriate hardware to access the information captured on them. Without a video player the video cassettes become obsolete. The correct hardware in working order is becoming difficult to find, making much of this media vintage and little used in our collection. 

Check out our photos for a glimpse in the past or as is the case for some of our librarians take a trip down memory lane and let us know if you remember using any of these at University.