Saint David's Day

St David's Day display at SBS Library

Yes it’s our patron saint’s day on Saturday, so let’s eat Welsh cakes, sing the national anthem and wear our leeks and daffodils with pride! As you’d imagine, there are celebratory events going on all over Wales (The Telegraph has a helpful list of some of the main ones), though Bala seems to be the best place to go as cooks there are attempting to make the biggest Welsh cake in the world! There’s plenty going on round Swansea too, though no world record attempts, as far as we know!

Your UWTSD libraries are getting into the spirit of things too, with Welsh-themed displays at Swansea Business School and Townhill Libraries. You’ll find Welsh travel guides and books about our country’s history at SBS and folk tales and fiction at Townhill Library. You’ll also find a selection of the Library of Wales series on the shelves at Townhill, so have a look for those if you fancy some fiction set in Wales. We have language resources at both SBS and Townhill Libraries, so if you’ve ever fancied learning Welsh, why not pick up some books and CDs to help?

Whatever you decide to do on St David’s Day, we hope you have a lovely weekend!

The display at Townhill Library

 

Dylan Thomas and his ugly, lovely town

With the centenary of his birth this year, Elijah Wood on location in the city filming Set Fire to the Stars - the latest movie to centre on the life of Dylan Thomas – and the replica shed heading out on tour, what better time to rediscover the life and work of Swansea’s famous son? As you’d expect, we have a good selection of books written by and about Dylan Thomas in our collection!

He’s best known as a poet (if we ignore his fame as a drinker!), so there’s a lot to choose from if you’re looking for a collection of poetry to dip into. You’ll find a good selection of short stories too, if that’s more your thing, as well as his classic A child’s Christmas in Wales, though you may want to hang on a few months before dipping into that one! If you’re more interested in the man than his work, or want to find out more about one to better appreciate the other, give one of the many biographies a try. Finally, if you’d like to take a leaf out of Elijah’s book and follow in Dylan’s footsteps round South West Wales, you’ll want to take a look at Dylan Thomas’s Swansea, Gower and Laugharne, which offers an excellent introduction to Dylan’s life and background in relation to the areas he loved and the writing they inspired. And we live in a beautiful part of the world, so frankly, these places are worth a visit whether or not you have an interest in Dylan Thomas!

Worm's Head, as seen from the beach at Rhossili. Dylan Thomas was once stranded on the headland, cut off by the tide!

The Welsh Experience of the First World War

Image courtesy of Dan / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

2014 marks the 100^th anniversary of the start of World War One and to acknowledge this significant occasion a unique digital archive has been launched in Wales. ‘The Welsh Experience of the First World War’ was developed as a collaborative initiative, led by the National Library of Wales, in partnership with the Archives and Special Collections of Wales. Its aim was to digitize and provide access (free of charge) to a virtual collection of primary sources relating to the First World War and its impact on Welsh life, language and culture.

The resources include newspaper articles, archives and manuscripts, photographs, journals and sound recordings, many of which were previously inaccessible to the general public. Bringing all these materials together into one searchable online database provides an invaluable resource for teachers, students, researchers and family historians alike. 

The archive is available in both English and Welsh, so why not take a look at this fantastic resource which marks one of the most important periods in British history.

World Heritage Day

Photo: Matt Banks / Freedigitalphotos.net

Did you know that Wednesday 18th April 2012 is the 40th annual World Heritage Day? On this day our attention is drawn to all aspects of cultural heritage, monuments and historical sites of national and international importance, in particular their protection and conservation for future generations.

If this is an area that is of interest to you why not pop in to the Owen library here at SMU and browse our collection of heritage studies books located at shelfmark 790.53 or take a look at some of our e-book titles such as: Interpreting our Heritage by Freeman Tilden.

If you are particularly interested in the cultural heritage of Wales you could try a website called Gathering the Jewels which has digitised a collection of over 30,000 photographs, letters and other objects from museums, libraries and archives all over Wales. Or maybe you fancy being a little more active and actually visiting some local heritage sites in the Swansea area - if so take some inspiration from the list on Swansea Bay's tourism website.

Let us know what some of your favourite heritage attractions are in Wales or further afield, we'd love to hear from you...happy World Heritage Day!!

Olympic torch route and bearers revealed for Wales!

Yesterday it was revealed which cities, towns and villages in Wales will see the Olympic torch passing through, between 25th - 30th May.

For more information and to see how close to where you live/work/study the Olympic flame will be burning, take a look at this link from the BBC News website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-17380922

For locals, the torch will arrive in Swansea on 26th May, and after staying in the city overnight will move on to Aberystwyth the following day.

If you are interested in finding out more about the 2012 Olympic Games or past Olympic events, you can use your SMU Library resources - we have lots of information in both print and e-format, just ask one of our librarians!

Gwen John – lost watercolours discovered

A collection of 23 paintings by Welsh artist Gwen John (1876-1939) have been discovered in the archives of Princeton University Library. You can find out more from this BBC News article and this blog entry from Princeton’s Department of Rare Books and Special Collections. This is a significant find, particularly as Gwen John’s work was rarely exhibited in her lifetime. The watercolours are currently on display in the university’s Firestone Library, but only until the 31st December, so you’ll have to hurry across the pond to New Jersey to catch them before the end of next week!

It’s unlikely that many SMU staff and students will make it to Princeton to see this collection, but it provides a perfect excuse for us all to find out a bit more about the woman herself. During her lifetime, Gwen was somewhat overshadowed by her artist brother Augustus John, but in recent times she has risen in status. She led a fascinating life – taught by Whistler, she modelled for and became romantically involved with Rodin for a time – so why not look her up on our databases Oxford Reference Online or Art Full Text? You’ll also find lots of books about Gwen John and her brother at Griffith Library on our Dynevor campus – just look them up on our catalogue, Talis Prism.

A National Museum of Art for Wales

Wales now has its own National Museum of Art, housed in the existing National Museum, Cardiff!

It has been open for a week, and comprises a single series of integrated galleries containing a mixture of fine and applied art, both historical and contemporary. The opening display includes work by artists Josef Herman, David Hockney and Rachel Whiteread, amongst others.

For further information about the collection, or if you are thinking of taking a visit for an excellent day out, please see the National Museum's website http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/

You can even vote online for your favourite work of art in the galleries!!

Happy Saint David's Day! / Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant!

Image: Graeme Weatherston / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

As we celebrate all things Welsh on Saint David's Day this Tuesday why not call in at one of your SMU libraries and learn a little bit more about the culture and history of this fantastic country!

We have Wales: The Rough Guide (shelfmark 914.29 WAL) if you fancy doing some travelling and seeing the sights. Maybe you're feeling adventurous and fancy learning the language too... why not borrow our multimedia course for beginners Cwrs Mynediad (491.6682421 MEE). If it's history that interests you take a look at History of Wales by John Davies (942.9 DAV), or if you're an aspiring poet why not immerse yourself in the Selected Poems of Dylan Thomas (821.912 THO). Finally, for those of you who prefer to surf the net, you could check out the fabulous website for welsh heritage and culture Gathering the Jewels ( http://www.gtj.org.uk/ ).

If that little lot doesn't get you feeling all patriotic on March 1st then call into the Owen Library on Mount Pleasant Campus and pick up a pin-on daffodil in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care. Wear your daffodil with pride!

Happy Saint Dwynwen's Day!

Today is St. Dwynwen's day, to commemorate the Welsh patron saint of friendship & love!

To find out more about the legend of Dwynwen, visit the National Museum of Wales' link -http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/faq/stdwynwen/

We've also got some items about Dwynwen in the Teaching Practice section at our Townhill campus library, which you can locate using the library catalogue.

So, happy St. Dwynwen's day to you / diwrnod Santes Dwynwen hapus i chi !!

The Foundation Phase

The Welsh Assembly Government is in the process of rolling out the Foundation Phase for children in Wales aged 3 to 7 years old. From September 2011, school children in Wales from Nursery to Year 2 will be taught according to the Foundation Phase curriculum. What does this mean?

The Foundation Phase curriculum is based on seven Areas of Learning:-
· Personal and Social Development, Wellbeing and Cultural Diversity
· Language, Literacy and Communication
· Mathematical Development
· Welsh Language Development
· Knowledge and Understanding of the World
· Physical Development
· Creative Development

These areas were identified from research into the way children learn and encourage a curriculum which focuses on development of skills and experience. Find out more about early years education at shelf mark 372.21 in Townhill Library and try 155.413 to find out how children learn. There is more information about the Foundation Phase and access to supporting documents on the Welsh Assembly Government website: http://tiny.cc/7snet.

If you’re a student or member of staff at SMU and are looking to support your work with young children, don’t forget to try the Teaching Practice Collection on the first floor of Townhill Library. We have a wide range of picture books, junior fiction and non-fiction books to support all sorts of themes and topics. Come and have a look!

New website celebrates Welsh culture and history

Have you ever wondered why there are so many Joneses in Wales? You can find out using the People’s Collection Wales (http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/), a new, bilingual website with access to an archive of reminiscences, photographs, videos and audio clips on the subject of Wales and the Welsh. The website has been launched by the Welsh Assembly Government and it is hoped that it will be a useful tool for the tourism industry and a learning resource for schools and colleges.

If you’re still wondering about all those Joneses, you can find out here: http://www.peoplescollectionwales.co.uk/Story/267-why-are-there-so-many-joneses-in-wales