MediaHub Service Changes Update: MediaPlus and the future of this blog

Following on from previous notification please note that from today, 1 September 2016, the MediaHub subscription service is no longer available. However, all the multimedia content that Jisc has licensed for use by higher and further education institutions, which is currently accessed via the MediaHub subscription, is available through a new service, MediaPlus, at http://mediaplus.alexanderstreet.com.

This blog is currently being retained as an archive, so that the blog posts and resources around using multimedia content in teaching and learning remain available to the Higher and Further Education community. The blog will not be actively updated and if you have any questions about the content, please email: edina@ed.ac.uk.

 

The African American Civil Rights Movement

Fifty years ago, in March 1965, the events at Selma, Alabama marked a turning point in the progress of the African American Civil Rights Movement. In this blogpost we will take a look at why the Selma Marches proved to be so significant and the background against which they took place.

A hundred years before the watershed events of 1965, the United States was coming to terms with the after effects of the American Civil War. The United States Constitution had been altered to abolish slavery via the Thirteenth Amendment, and this was passed and ratified before the close of 1865. However, there remained huge opposition to this measure in the Southern States where laws were introduced to severely restrict the civil rights of black people. The Jim Crow laws segregated the black population from white people and measures were also taken to prevent them from exercising their right to vote.

The Rabbit’s Foot Company of Pat Chappelle Placards of Negro Theatrical Company. Royal Geographical Society c.1908

Racial segregation operated across all areas of public life. The image above shows an advertisement for an all black vaudeville company which was run by Pat Chappelle at the beginning of the 20th century. He became famous for the excellence of the entertainment he provided despite the problems of performing to segregated audiences.

The US Army also practiced segregation; however, when the USA joined WWII in 1941, there was a need to enlist as many black people as possible to increase the available manpower. Frank Capra was tasked with producing a documentary style propaganda film which would motivate young black men to join up and fight for a nation which subjected them to oppression. The resulting film, ‘The Negro Soldier’, was very well received (click on the image below to watch in full) and portrayed African Americans in a heroic way, which was successful in influencing public opinion. Racial segregation within the army finally ended in 1948.

The Negro Soldier. Imperial War Museum (films) 1944

The Negro Soldier. Imperial War Museum (films) 1944

The Civil Rights Movement started to gather momentum during the Fifties and Sixties when cultural changes, following the end of WWII, brought about a greater awareness of the rights of the individual.

In December 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white man, after being ordered to do so by the bus driver. This incident, small in itself, catalysed the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Alabama) and started Martin Luther King‘s involvement with the Civil Rights Movement. Black people’s refusal to use the buses caused an economic crisis in the city, forcing the authorities to recognize them as a powerful force. Those involved in the boycott formed the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and they chose the 26 year old Martin Luther King to be their leader.

Civil Rights Legend Rosa Parks Getty (still images) 01-12-2001

Civil Rights Legend Rosa Parks
Getty (still images) 01-12-2001

A couple of years later the Civil Rights Movement came to the attention of the world’s press through the conflict at Little Rock Central High School, Arkansas. The Supreme Court had outlawed segregation in schools in 1954, however the Southern States continued to resist this legal ruling. In September 1957 Little Rock was due to accept its first intake of 9 black students, but there was a huge amount of hostility to this and an angry mob gathered by the school to prevent the students entering.

Police attempt to control a rowdy mob outside Little Rock Central High School Honours for a Great Innings: British Gaumont News 30-09-1957

Police attempt to control a rowdy mob outside Little Rock Central High School
Scenes from Little Rock: Honours for a Great Innings: British Gaumont News 30-09-1957

Black people and newspaper reporters suffered verbal abuse and violence over several days and this threatened to become a constitutional issue. For a short while the Arkansas Police were forced to restrain the ferocious mob (a role they did not relish as many were sympathisers), before President Eisenhower eventually despatched paratroopers to uphold federal law. Click on the image above to watch a compilation of film clips taken during this period. Start watching at 1minute 34 seconds into this British Gaumont clip.

Bayard Rustin speaks at the Civil Rights March in Washington 1963 Civil Rights March: ITV News 28-08-1963

Bayard Rustin speaks at the Civil Rights March in Washington 1963
Civil Rights March: ITV News 28-08-1963

The famous March on Washington took place on 28th August 1963, the main aim of which was to help President Kennedy’s Civil Rights Bill through Congress.  Over 200,000 black and white Americans took part in a peaceful demonstration. Click on the image above to see footage of the march and hear Bayard Rustin (one of the chief organisers) speak about what they hoped to achieve. The last speaker of the day was Martin Luther King, who delivered his now legendary “I have a dream” speech, which remains one of the greatest speeches of the 20th Century.

A landmark achievement took place 10 months later when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act 1964. This made racial segregation and discrimination illegal, as well as any attempt to restrict voter registration rights.

Malcom X Interview: ITV News 10-07-1964

Malcolm X warns about a potential blood bath in America. Malcom X Interview: ITV News 10-07-1964

Malcolm X, a muslim preacher, was another charismatic black leader who emerged at this time. Malcolm X held extreme views, believing that nothing short of separating blacks from whites (separatism) would allow black people to live fully independent lives. Click on the image above to hear him warn in July 1964 about the violence which might erupt as a result of the fast pace of social change in the USA.  He moderated his more extreme views following a visit to Mecca, where he realised that Islam could be a force for racial toleration. He was assassinated 7 months later on 21st February 1965 and it is generally believed that Nation of Islam (a group to which he had previously belonged) carried out the killing.

Martin Luther King talks about the Civil Rights Movement during a visit to the UK Luther King Interview: ITV News 21-09-1964

Martin Luther King talks about the Civil Rights Movement during a visit to the UK
Luther King Interview: ITV News 21-09-1964

In September 1964 Martin Luther King came to the UK to talk about his book ‘Why We Can’t Wait’. During an interview he was asked whether, as a moderate, he was worried about the effect extremist movements would have on his cause. Click on the image above to hear his response.

Martin Luther King speaks at City Temple Hall, London Negro Equality: ITV News 07-12-1964

Martin Luther King speaks at City Temple Hall, London
Negro Equality: ITV News 07-12-1964

The basic thing about a man is not …..the texture of his hair or the colour of his skin, but his eternal dignity and worth

Martin Luther King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for civil rights and social justice. On his way to Oslo to collect the prize he stayed in London, where he delivered a number of speeches on “Negro equality”. Click on the image above to see a clip from the speech he gave at City Temple Hall. This is followed by another piece of film taken on a different occasion (possibly a debate at the Oxford Union), of Malcolm X speaking of how ideas about race can no longer be seen from a European perspective.

Three months later, violent events in Selma (Alabama) would focus world attention on the continuing struggles of the Civil Rights Movement. The proposed marches from Selma to Montgomery were intended as a peaceful protest against the continuing discrimination which existed to prevent black people from voting. The Governor of Alabama, George C.Wallace, was determined the marches should not happen. The first march ended on the Edmund Pettus Bridge (a short distance from the starting point) when State Troopers attacked unarmed marchers with tear gas and clubs. When pictures of beaten bodies were broadcast across the world, many felt this represented a turning point for the Civil Rights Movement.

James Reeb is interviewed before the second Selma March. He died the next day following an attack. Selma Marchers: Alabama: ITN Reports 10-03-1965

James Reeb is interviewed before the second Selma March. He died the next day following an attack by white segregationists.
Selma Marchers: Alabama: ITN Reports 10-03-1965

The second march took place two days later and was supported by many white groups, including a band of clergymen who had been attending a conference. Martin Luther King led the march to the end of the Edmund Pettus Bridge, but no further so as not to violate a court injunction put in place by Governor Wallace. The State Troopers again blocked the way ahead but the marchers stopped to pray and then turned around and returned. There was no violence at this point, but later in the evening three clergymen were beaten by white segregationists on leaving a non-segregated restaurant. By coincidence, one of these clergymen (James Reeb) had been interviewed by ITN earlier that day, however he died from his injuries hours later. Click on the image above to watch ITN coverage of the day’s events.

Martin Luther King is interviewed as he marches ITN Reports : 24-03-1965

Martin Luther King is interviewed by Peter Woods during the Third Selma March
Selma March Takes Place: ITN Reports 24-03-1965

The Third Selma March began on 21st March and this time President Johnson did everything possible to protect the marchers, since Governor Wallace had refused to do so. The State troops were put under federal control and the US Army was brought in along with FBI agents and Federal Marshalls. Click on the image above to watch an ITN news report made during the march, which includes an interview with Martin Luther King.

The clip shows how segregationist propaganda was used along the way, in the form of billboards linking Martin Luther King to Communism and dropping leaflets calling on white employers to sack their black workforce. None of this could prevent the 54 mile march from being successfully completed and it is regarded as one of the greatest achievements of the African American Civil Rights Movement.

The resounding impact of this historic march provided the impetus for the passing of the Voting Rights Act in August 1965. This legislation protected all African Americans’ right to vote by banning literacy tests and minimising the fear of intimidation through federal supervision of the voting process. By removing this barrier to equality African Americans were able to participate in public and political life to a far greater extent and ensure their voices were much more widely heard.

Further Links:

Announcement on the Future of Jisc MediaHub

In 2011 Jisc MediaHub was set up to meet the needs of the UK’s education and research communities to access and use licensed audio-visual content for teaching, learning and research.

It has provided a single point of access to a number of multimedia archives, both purchased by Jisc as well as aggregated from other sources, thus enabling cross-searching and exploration of TV news, documentary films, still images and classical music.

Over the years technology has changed and so has online user behaviour and the availability of digital content from a range of services. This has prompted Jisc to re-assess the continuation of MediaHub.

From July 2016 the subscription service will no longer be available from Jisc and we are looking into alternative solutions to ensure continued access to the content post-July 2016.

We will communicate updates on progress as soon as they are available.

Exploring Jisc MediaHub – October 2015 Most Popular

So many connections can be made between this October’s most popular items, searches and subjects. This makes for a particularly fascinating journey, and one in which you can totally immerse yourself. It’s like playing a computer game, only better as you can choose which path to take, gaining insights and knowledge along the way. Take a look at last month’s most popular page and start you own amazing journey! You never know where MediaHub will take you!

A screenshot of Jisc MediaHub's "Most Popular" webpage, captured on Tuesday 27th October 2015

Jisc MediaHub’s “Most Popular� page, captured on Tuesday 27th October 2015

Hip Hop!

Arts, culture and entertainment is always a popular subject, with specific searches and items within this theme also appearing in the most popular lists. One example is hip hop, which was the second most popular search in October. There are some fantastic images showing hip hop style, music, dance and culture from the PYMCA Collection. Below is an image showing 90’s hip hop fashion in full effect; Timberland boots baggy jeans puffa waistcoat London c. 1990. This photograph is one of many taken by Normski, who himself is a British rapper, DJ, photographer and businessman, known for his work as a BBC television presenter.

An image of a group of young men wearing 90's hip hop fashion, including Timberland boots, baggy jeans, and puffa waistcoats. Photograph taken in London 1992.

90’s Hip Hop Fashion. PYMCA, 1992.

Normski has taken photographs of other hip hop artists, including De La Soul, Public Enemy and Run DMC and these can also be found in MediaHub. The second most popular item is an image of UK grime artists Terra Danja Crew , created by another photographer Fraser Waller. It is well worth remembering that you can easily find items from the same contributors, creators and collections by just clicking on the links in the description part of the record, found on the left-hand side of the screen. If you would like an idea of what hip hop dancing looks like watch this short report on France’s Hip Hop Revival.

There are a few reasons why hip hop may have proved so popular last month. Let us know what you think the most likely reason for its popularity is!

  • A new film called NG83: When We Were B-boys documenting Nottingham as the unlikely centre of break dancing in 1980’s Britain, as reported by the BBC and the Nottingham Post.
  • The recent film Straight Outta Compton, a biographical drama directed by F. Gary Gray about the rise and fall of the Compton, California hip hop group N.W.A.
  • Numerous hip hop/rap artists playing upcoming gigs, including Public Enemy and Grandmaster Flash.

One item many themes

Some items can come under numerous themes. This is especially the case with the Gaumont British News Reports (“Presenting the world to the world”), which are always fascinating. Of course, we can never tell which particular short item within the news report is of most interest. Last month the seventh most popular item is the 1937 news report entitled King and Queen Drive to St Paul’s for Empire Day. Of particular poignancy in this news report is the item ‘Child Refugees Come to Britain’ about Basque children arriving in England from Spain to escape the Spanish Civil War.

Basque_children

King and Queen Drive to St Paul’s for Empire Day. Gaumont British News, 1937.

What the reporter says during this item applies just as much now as it did back then, with there being “a constant stream of refugeesâ€� which is “the price of war paid by those who should know nothing of its horrorsâ€� and is “a grim reflection of our civilisation.â€� Maybe now it can be said that fortunately the focus of attention is more concentrated upon refugees rather than upon “the fighting men, field warfare and bombing raids.”

Another item in this news report is on the visit by Prince and Princess Chichibu to a Japanese garden party and sports meeting at Hurlingham Gardens, London. This links in perfectly to October’s third most popular search ‘Japan’.

Japan Past, Present and Future

Japan is a country of contrast – of old and new, tradition and technology. It is a truly fascinating place, which of course is reflected in the wide variety of items you find when searching for ‘Japan’ in MediaHub.

Today’s Japan

Recent Japanese culture is represented by, amongst other items, images from the PYMCA Collection, such as a photograph of two girls in sunglasses and of a view of a Tokyo street with neon shop and advertising signs.

However, today’s Japan has also kept it’s traditions. There are some wonderful Getty images of Shinto Shrines, including one of the Yasaka Shinto Shrine, Kyoto and the one below showing a procession of Shinto Priests. The images are so full of detail. What makes them even better is the MediaHub zoom functionality. Try it out for yourself and go ‘Wow’!!

An image showing a procession of Shinto Priests wearing the white costume of Kanda-Matsuri, walking towards a Shinto temple.

Procession of Shinto Priests wearing white costume of Kanda-Matsuri. Getty Images, 2007.

There are also great images from Wellcome Images of the Kanpo Pharmacy, Toyama, Japan, which sells Chinese traditional medicine (or Kanpo), exquisitely wrapped in the Japanese tradition.

Japan and history
Interested in Japanese history? Then take a look at a range of Japanese artefacts found in MediaHub, such as this Japanese coin CM.1681-1918 from the Fitzwilliam Museum Collection, Cambridge and this early 18th Century Japanese fan, from the Fitzwilliam Museum Open Data Services Collection.

The highly intricate level of detail is so characteristic of Japanese workmanship, and there are no better example of this than the many images of okimono (small decorative objects) and netsuke (tiny decorative vessels and sliding bead fastenings) found in MediaHub. They are such a joy to behold! Below is an example of a stained ivory okimono of a barefoot artisan holding a bottle vase from the Meiji period (1868 to 1912).

An image of a stained ivory okimono of a barefoot artisan holding a bottle vase from the Meiji period.

Okimono. Black Country History (via Culture Grid).

Japan and technology

Since the second half of the 20th Century, Japan has been known for technology and innovation. (Notice too that ‘science and technology’ is October’s most popular subject.) There are numerous reasons for this, including Japan’s status as an island nation with limited natural resources (according to the ever-fascinating CIA World Factbook, some 73% of Japan is not suitable for habitation, agriculture or industry), and the country’s large population (it is the 10th largest country in the world by population) with several very densely populated cities.

In both the areas of transport and housing (see below) Japan has led the way in developing energy-efficient, green technology. This may come, in part from Japan’sa culture of respect towards tradition and nature with many of the values and traditional festivals of Japan grounded in the Shinto and Buddist faiths. Shinto regards many natural phenomena, such as rocks, trees, rivers, as sacred, whilst Buddhism also focusing on respect and the sacredness of nature and animals. That cultural background gives the importance of preserving the natural world a different type of priority.

Image of a mini household plumbing system used as a demonstrator of heat exchange technologies.

Innovative household technology being demonstrated in Japan (Japan pioneers new generation of ‘green’ houses. Getty (Moving Images), 2009.)

 

Japan is also more directly impacted by extreme weather and natural phenomena than many nations – the country is in a volcanic region and frequently experiences seismic activities, whether significant tremors or substantial earth quakes. The impact of such natural disasters, the legacy and long term effects of Hiroshima, and incidents like the recent Fukushima disaster may all also have intensified Japan’s ecological focus. In MediaHub there is a very interesting presentation discussing the accident at the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear power plant, following the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011, from a safety-critical systems viewpoint.

With Japanese manufacturers particularly aware of the importance of more green technologies, there is a real focus on innovative designs and products. This interesting report from 2008, entitled Japan races to build a zero-emission car. Have a watch and find out if the predictions about ‘green’ cars have been proven correct.

A news report from 2008 on how in the race to build to develop an affordable, high-performing and emission-free car, Japan is way ahead of the pack.

Japan races to build a zero emission car. Getty (Moving Images), 2008.

Of course, we can’t talk about transport in Japan without mentioning its world-renowned bullet trains! Watch this bullet train crossing a river. There is also a great image of Rumi Yamashita, Japan’s first female bullet train driver.

With regards to housing, watch this short report Japan pioneers new generation of ‘green’ houses. Here the aim is “to use as little energy as possible and to save natural resources, such as water.â€�
Japan has a lack of natural resources at its disposal, so many of its companies are devising a new range of cutting-edge, eco-friendly products.

Mobile technology

Mobile technology is the eighth most popular search. Japan is again the centre of innovation when it comes to mobile phones, both in the realms of technology and design. Look at this wonderful image showing how mobile phones are becoming fashion accessories.

An image showing a campaign girl of mobile phone giant Sony Eriksson at a display of colorful interchangeable jackets for the company's mobile phones during the Wireless Japan exhibition in Tokyo 20 July 2007.

Mobile phones become fashion accessory. Getty (Still Images), 2007.

It is absolutely fascinating to see how mobile phones have evolved over the years. Below is a photograph of a Vodafone transportable mobile phone with accessories from 1985!

An image of a transportable mobile telephone, complete with accessories and instruction manual, by Vodafone, 1985.

Vodaphone transportable mobile phone with accessories, 1985. Science Museum (via Culture Grid), 1985.

The decreasing size of mobile phones is only one area of change within the portable telecommunications industry. In the beginning it was seen as technology for business people, but it was not long before it’s appeal widened to the mass market, even though there were limitations, as reported here in Mobile phones grow up by getting smaller. With the advent of 3G and now 4G technology, the communications industry is moving fast. In MediaHub you can find excellent presentations on mobile technology  provided by IET.TV, including one on 3G: The Real Issues and Exploitation of smart mobile technology.

Scientific Exploration

As well as science and technology, scientific exploration was a popular subject this month. If you search for this subject you will get back many items from the Royal Geographical Society with IBG, including this amazing example of Lake Yamanaka from the summit of Mt. Fuji.

A landscape photograph of Lake Yamanaka from the Summit of Mt Fuji, showing mountains and lake with two people in foreground.

Lake Yamanaka from the Summit of Mt Fuji. Royal Geographical Society with IBG, 1907.

Another closely-related popular theme is nature (the seventh most popular subject). Here is a fantastic short film taken in 1922 showing Vesuvius in eruption. It shows just how destructive nature can be – and how brave the camera man is!

Cats

Cats was the tenth most popular search last month, which may well be because on the 29th October it was National Cat Day. Carrying on with the Japanese theme, here is a Japanese painting A Sleeping Cat.

An image of a Japanese guache painting entitled A Sleeping Cat.

A Sleeping Cat. Wellcome Images, early 19th Century.

Neurons

Nerve cell communication was the ninth most popular search. There are some wonderful illustrations and animations of nerve networks from Wellcome Images and Getty Images, which really bring to life medical and biomedical science. Below is an animation of a nerve impulse travelling from the cell body to the synapse via the axon.

An animation of a nerve impulse traveling from the cell body to the synapse via the axon.

Nerve impulse. Getty (Moving Images), 2008.

The popularity of this search may be due to the new research findings that bacteria can communicate in a similar way to nerve cells in the human brain.  The original paper was published June this year in the journal Nature. An earlier, related study was carried out at the University of Edinburgh. These research findings represent a major breakthrough as insights into how bacteria “talk” to each other may help experts halt their growing resistance to antibiotics.

And finally!!

Here we come full circle – from Japan back to hip hop, with two teenagers looking mean, or rather looking like they have hip hop attitude!

An image of two Japanese teenagers wearing hats and looking mean.

Teenagers looking mean. PYMCA, 2003.

We hope you have enjoyed this journey and that it has inspired you to discover other items in MediaHub. The possibilities really are endless. If there are any comments you would like to make you can leaving your comments below or share your tweets with the hashtag #MediaHubTop10. Remember as well that you can add your comments or responses on the items themselves! See the May 2015 Most Popular blog post for details on how to do this.

Exploring Jisc MediaHub – August 2015 Most Popular

Take a look at MediaHub’s Most Popular page this August and you will see a very varied and interesting range of items, searches and subjects. It seems to have been a very much people-oriented month. History (people and places), politics, art and health are other themes which run through the most popular lists. Here we delve a little deeper into what people have wanted to find in MediaHub.

Screenshot of Jisc MediaHub's Most Popular page, captured on Thursday 27th August 2015

Jisc MediaHub’s “Most Popular� page, captured on Thursday 27th August 2015

PEOPLE

People, both past and present, feature heavily this month in the most popular searches and items lists. Here is a selection.

Brian Hope-Taylor

The second most popular search is on Dr Brian Hope-Taylor, an artist, archaeologist, broadcaster and university lecturer, who made a significant contribution to the understanding of early British history. He was a fascinating character, who didn’t go to university until starting a PhD at the age of 35 and helped to promote the use of aerial photography in archaeology, having been in the RAF during WWII. In MediaHub there are several Anglia Television programmes in which Dr Hope-Taylor appears or presents. These include The Devil’s Ditches which is about his 1973 excavation of a section of the Devil’s Dyke, due to be removed to accommodate a new motorway, near Newmarket in Cambridgeshire; The Fight for York Minster which is an appeal film for the York Minster restoration fund, and several episodes from the ‘Who Were The British?’ series.

Johann Sebastian Bach

A particularly great resource is the Culverhouse Classical Music Collection, which comprises over 50 hours of copyright-free classical music and associated scores, covering much of the core repertoire plus rarer pieces from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Those searching for Johann Sebastian Bach (the third most popular search) can enjoy a selection of eight of his concertos, perfect to listen to for study, pleasure or both! Examples include  Bach. Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, and Bach. Brandenburg Concerto No 3. Bach’s popularity in MediaHub last month may be due to some of his work being performed in recent and upcoming concerts as part of the BBC Proms 2015.

Vladimir Putin

President Vladimir Putin is another very popular search. Search results show how Russia’s role in world politics has changed in the years since the Cold War, and tracks Putin’s engagement on the world stage from his early shift from the KGB to politics in the 90s, into his presidential terms. News footage and images show Putin meeting many World Leaders, indicating some of the ways that Russia has been presented and steered by him, especially with regards to economic and military policy.

A photograph of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin shaking the hand of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich at a meeting in Kiev on April 27, 2010.n 2010.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (L) with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich. Getty (still images), 2010.

Harold Nicolson

Another person in the political sphere who appears in MediaHub’s most popular items list is Sir Harold George Nicolson (1886-1968) who was was an English diplomat, author, diarist and politician. In this short film from British Paramount News, Harold Nicolson MP, Vice-Chairman of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, speaks in 1938 about the Sudeten crisis, with Germans living in the border areas of Czechoslovakia (the Sudetenland) demanding a union with Hitler’s Germany, the Czechs refusing and Hitler threatening war. This is a really interesting report as Nicolson first tells viewers “what Great Britain has said to Germany is this”, and goes on to directly address Germany, saying that “we have a very great interest, and will always have an interest, in preventing violence triumphing over law… If you resort to force we will meet you by force.” It’s hard to imagine a politician today delivering a speech in such an eccentric and direct manner, but somehow it makes the message much more powerful.

Another interesting item on the theme of war is that from Gaumont British News, which includes reports on HM The King Inspects Raid Damage at Coventry, Armoured Might For Desert War and Italian Submarine at Tangiers. In watching news reels from the Gaumont British News collection you can really tell the difference between news reporting then and now, from the kind of language used and how it is delivered to the music that accompanies it. A lot of this may be down to the fact that these reports were produced to show in cinemas, being shown twice-weekly between 1934-59.

A screenshot from a news report on HM the King inspecting German bombing raid damage on Coventry Cathedral in 1940.

HM the King Inspects Raid Damage. Gaumont British News, 1940.

POLITICS

Politics in general has been a very popular subject last month. Both the current Labour party leadership contest has triggered a much higher interest in politics than usual over the summer parliamentary recess. There are many news reports and images covering political events both home and abroad ready for you to access through MediaHub. It is certainly the place to come and find out about Italian politics in particular. There are many images of Italian politicians and political rallys as part of the GovEd Communications collection. It comprises of over 15,000 images by photographer Francesco Troina covering architecture, design, engineering, media and travel & tourism. Below is an image taken at a political rally held on No Berlusconi Day (or Nobday) in Rome in December 2009. The Nobday was the first political rally, against the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, to call for the premier’s resignation that was organised exclusively by word of mouth and via Facebook, blogs and tweets, with no political party’s involvement.

An image taken from the protest, No Berlusconi Day (or Nobday), held in Rome in December 2009. The Nobday is the first political rally against the Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to call for the premier's resignation.

Political rally Nobday _02. GovEd Communications (Francesco Troina), 2009.

PLACES

Place is another theme which has been very popular in the top ten searches and items of August. The second most popular item is A Coastal View on the east side of the Island of Raasay. This photograph was taken in 1917, looking northwards from Rubha na’ Leac, Inverness-shire. It is part of the BGS GeoScenic collection, an archive containing images from the vast collections of geological photographs held by the British Geological Survey, and whose images you will find in MediaHub by searching for the sixth most popular subject ‘geological’.

An image taken in 1917 of a coastal view on the east side of the Island of Raasay, looking northwards from Rubha na' Leac, Inverness-shire.

A Coastal View on the east side of the Island of Raasay. BGS GeoScenic, 1917.

Below is a fascinating image taken in around 1935 of The Trinkie, which is a cold-water swimming pool on the southern outskirts of Wick in Caithness, Scotland. Notice the people in the pool with barrels! The natural North Sea water pool does still seem to be in existence, and gets scrubbed and painted yearly, thanks to the “Friends of the Trinkie“.

An image taken c. 1935 of The Trinkie, an outdoor swimming pool just off the North Sea and located just south of Wick, Scotland.

The Trinkie, generations will recall sunlit hours spent in this place where the young and not so young enjoyed themselves, oblivious to the temperature of the cold North Sea. The North Highland College (Johnston Collection), c. 1935.

Another place which is featured in the most popular items list is the Quayside of Newcastle. This 16 and a half minute film looks at the city and the decline of it’s shipping industry. The film was produced as part of the Newcastle Quayside Exhibition, organised by Amber Associates and the Side Gallery in 1979. It would be great to find out why this item was popular in August. If you know or have any ideas do let us know by leaving your comments below or share your tweets with the hashtag #MediaHubTop10. Indeed, we welcome any comments or theories on our most popular items. Remember also that you can choose to add your comments or responses on the items themselves! See the May 2015 Most Popular blog post for details on how to do this.

ART

It is always wonderful to see art work as part of the most popular items in MediaHub. The Death of Hector is a particularly spectacular example. It is one of two tempura panels painted by Biagio d’Antonio c.1490–1495 and shows a scene from Homer’s Iliad relating to the Seige of Troy.

An image of a tempura panel called 'The Death of Hector' by Biagio d'Antonio c. 1490–1495, which depicts a scene from Homer's Iliad showing the Seige of Troy.

The Death of Hector. The Fitzwilliam Museum, 2008.

The MediaHub zoom feature really does improve the viewing experience, especially when there is a lot of detail. You can see the results below, with a close-up of the foreground of the painting. Try this brilliant feature for yourself!

A close-up of a tempura panel called 'The Death of Hector' by Biagio d'Antonio c. 1490–1495, which depicts a scene from Homer's Iliad showing the Seige of Troy.

The Death of Hector. The Fitzwilliam Museum, 2008.

Another very different kind of art found on MediaHub’s Most Popular page is that of pop art. The tenth most popular item is a News at Ten report from an American Pop Art Exhibition which was held at the Tate Gallery in London in 1968. Some very interesting views are expressed on whether Roy Lichenstein‘s work should be considered art, a debate which still goes on today!

An image taken from an ITV News at Ten report on an American pop art exhibition being held at the Tate London in 1968.

Pop Art Exhibition. ITV Late Evening News, 1968.

This news item coincides with BBC Four Goes Pop, a week-long celebration of Pop Art across BBC Four, Radio and Online from the 21st August to the 30th August 2015. It also coincides with the ARTIST ROOMS: Roy Lichenstein exhibition running until the 10th January at Edinburgh’s Modern One (Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art), just down the road from EDINA.

HEALTH

One particular health issue of interest last month is the superbug MRSA (meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). In MediaHub you can find images of the bacteria, as well as reports on the MRSA crisis in hospitals and measures to tackle it.

A screenshot taken from an animation showing the structure of multiple-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

MRSA. Getty (Moving Images), 2008.

Another popular item related to health is that of a very short film of Marie Curie at Work, shot back in 1924. Marie Curie was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity and was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She was, in fact, the first person and only woman to win two Nobel Prizes (for Physics in 1903 and later for Chemistry in 1911) and is still the only person to win Noble Prizes across multiple sciences. It is also the case that there are 5 Nobel Prizes in the Curie family! It is wonderful to be able to see her in action, which somehow makes you realise even more what a great scientist she was.

Last but not least!

The most popular item is a short moving image of a futuristic dashboard of a Ford Explorer complete with GPS system, as shown at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2008. It’s popularity is likely due to it being used in our MediaHub iOS webinar presentations. The new MediaHub iOS App is free to download and enables you to use MediaHub on the move through your iPhone or iPod Touch. The webinar shows you some of the features of the app and how you might use it in your own teaching, learning or research.

A screenshot of a futuristic dashboard of a Ford Explorer shown at the Detroit Auto Show in 2008.

Dashboard of Ford Explorer. Getty (moving images), 2008.

We hope you have enjoyed taking a closer look at Jisc MediaHub’s most popular for August 2015 and look forward to finding out what other items, searches and subjects become popular in the coming months. Thank you for continuing to use MediaHub and bringing to people’s attention the wonderfully diverse resources it provides access to.

ETV Collection Withdrawn

The ETV (Educational and Television Films Ltd) Collection, which includes 156 films from the political left from across the world, is to be withdrawn from MediaHub by Friday 31st July 2015.

MediaHub Site representatives should have already been informed that this would be the case via email late last year. The Jisc license for exclusive access to the ETV (Educational and Television Films Ltd) Collection expired in October 2014 but an extension had been agreed with the rights holders, BFI until the end of the 2014/15 academic year. In line with the terms of that extension of the license, the ETV Collection will be withdrawn from the MediaHub service, as part of our scheduled maintenance period during late afternoon (5pm onwards) on Thursday 30th July.

BFI will be continuing to make access to the ETV collections available but this will be through a separate offering, which we believe will be available for the 2016/17 academic year. We recommend that you contact BFI directly for more information on this.

Under the terms of the current licence, any authorised users at subscribing institutions who have downloaded films from the collection (before 31st July 2015) may continue to use them for teaching, learning and research as long as no further copies are created. In addition, if any teaching or learning materials have been created using parts of the collection, they can be deposited into Jorum in perpetuity or into your VLE.

You can find out more about the usage of this material beyond the term of the licence here: http://jiscmediahub.ac.uk/terms.

If you have any questions about this, please do contact us:

30th Anniversary of Live Aid

This year it is the 30th anniversary of one of the greatest rock shows ever to have taken place  – Live Aid. On the 13th July 1985 the world’s most successful rock musicians performed in London’s Wembley Stadium and Philadelphia’s John F. Kennedy Stadium in aid of people affected by famine in Ethiopia, Africa.

Tickets for the Wembley concert were £25 – a lot of money back in 1985! Despite this, the 72,000 places available were quickly sold out. Some people wanted to attend for the charity, some for the music, and some for both reasons. Also, as one woman said in a short news report, Band Aid Rock Show, “It’s making history”. It certainly did!

A photgraph of the crowd in front of the stage at the Live Aid charity concert, Wembley Stadium, London, 13th July 1985.

Live Aid Stage1985. Getty (Still Images), 1985.

There are many great images from Live Aid found in Jisc MediaHub, which really capture how special the event was. Tens of thousands attended the two concerts, with millions more watching on TV, making it the biggest benefit concert in history.

A photograph of the crowd at the Live Aid charity concert, Wembley Stadium, London, 13th July 1985.

Waving Fans at the Live Aid Charity Concert. Getty (Still Images), 1985.

It was a ground-breaking event in a number of ways. An estimated 1.9 billion people from 150 countries watched both concerts live, so it is one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time.  The 16 hour pop marathon began at midday on the 13th July in Wembley Stadium, with the London finale taking place just before 10pm, while the Philadelphia concert continued until 4am (British time).

Live Aid saw top musicians and recording artists come together for one cause. The image below shows, left to right, George Michael, event organiser Bob Geldof, Bono, Paul McCartney, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Jody Watley, Andrew Ridgeley and Howard Jones.

British pop acts gathered on stage for the finale of the Live Aid charity concert at Wembley Stadium in London, 13th July 1985.

Live Aid Finale. Getty (Still Images), 1985.

There are several really informative radio reports on the famine in Ethiopia, the organising of Live Aid, the event itself and the impact it had. Some examples are reports on Bob Geldof after Ethiopia Trip, Live Aid concert plans, Live Aid Concert, and Bob Geldof on Live Aid. These are all part of London Broadcasting Company/Independent Radio News Audio Archive Collection. The archive consists of 7,000 reel-to-reel tapes in a collection that runs from 1973 to the mid-1990s, and is the most important commercial radio archive in the UK.

Reports on the famine in Africa

The landmark Live Aid concerts were inspired by the need to raise money for famine relief in Ethiopia. There are several news reports in MediaHub on the 1984 famine. The report below, from a relief camp in Korem in Ethiopia, shows the desperate situation facing the Ethiopian people. Thanks to the raising of awareness and funds, some aid was being provided, but the distribution of food and clothing was being hampered by the lack of transport.

Film still showing a young child wrapped in a cloth shivering in the cold in an Ethiopian relief camp

Ethiopia. ITV News, 1984.

Another report on the Ethiopian famine shows that there were many more thousands of people who were not even able to get into the relief centres.

A year after Live Aid there was a famine in Western Sudan, and within these ITN Sudan famine rushes there is an interview with Bob Geldof on this desperate situation and what he intended to do to help.

Band Aid charity single “Do They Know it’s Christmas?”

The actual famine relief fund and awareness-raising effort started a year before Live Aid in 1984 when Bob Geldof saw images on television of the starving in Ethiopia. He called up Midge Ure, singer of the group Ultravox, and as a result co-wrote the song ‘Do They Know it’s Christmas?’. The single was recorded by a “super group” of fellow musicians under the name of Band Aid. The news report below shows some of the stars recording the song and the accompanying photo shoot.

Film still of Simon Le Bon, Tony Hadley and Sting around a mike singing "Do They Know It's Christmas?"

Ethiopia Charity Record. ITV News, 1984.

Proceeds from the sale of the single (tens of millions of pounds, huge amounts in 1984) went to pay for shipping costs for all aid sent to drought stricken areas of Ethiopia, provided money saved by charities was used on further supplies for famine victims, as this Band Aid Relief  News at Ten report details.

Honouring Bob Geldof

In 1986 Bob Geldof was given an Honorary Knighthood for his humanitarian work. He also received a Man of Peace award in 2005, which was presented at a ceremony in Rome’ s Capitoline Hill by former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni. This award was in recognition of Geldof’s dedication to African issues, calling for debt cancellation and fair trade. As well as helping to organise Live Aid, Geldof organised the Live 8 concerts on 2nd July 2005  in cities around the world, including London and Rome, to raise awareness about Third World poverty.

Live 8 consisted of 10 concerts featuring over 1000 musicians from across the globe and asked people not for their money, but for their voice. These concerts were very deliberately scheduled to coincide with a high profile G8 conference and summit which was being held in Scotland, with Live8 publicising the Make Poverty History campaign which also held protests and marches across the UK around the G8 talks, including a protest in London addressed by Nelson mandela.

Singer/campaigner Bob Geldof being presented with a peace award by Mikhail Gorbachev in Rome 2005.

Singer/Campaigner Bob Geldof gets Peace Award. AP Archive, 2005.

Other charity concerts

Since Live Aid there have been a number of other charity concerts that show similar ambition and scale. Here are some examples which are found in MediaHub.

NetAID

NetAID was a charity set up by the UN and Cisco Systems to fight extreme poverty.  To launch the new anti-poverty initiative three concerts were held across the world, including one at Wembley Stadium, London on October 9 1999, in which George Michael performed.
A photopgraph of George Michael performing on stage at NetAID.

George Michael Performs Live on Stage at NetAID. Getty (Still Images), 1999.

AIDS awareness

As well as charity concerts in aid of famine and poverty, there have also been concerts (at all scales) to raise awareness of AIDS. MediaHub coverage of these include radio reports on the Concert of Hope held on World AIDS Day and organised by the National AIDS Trust (World AIDS Day Charity Concert), and the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS awareness organised by the three remaining members of Queen in memory of their lead singer who died of AIDS in 1991 (Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert; Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness; Roger Taylor and Brian May on Freddie Tribute).

Closer to home

There have also been a number of concerts and other events for the Prince’s Trust, a charity that supports 13 to 30 year-olds in the UK who are unemployed or who are struggling at school and at risk of exclusion. The charity was started by Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, back in 1976. Below is a news report on a rock concert to celebrate 10 years of the Prince’s Trust and to raise money for the charity.

Still from a news report showing the Prince and Princess of Wales, surrounded by British rock stars, cutting a cake celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Prince's Trust.

Rock Charity Concert. ITV Late Evening News, 1986.

Other supporters of the charity included Michael Jackson, who presented Princess Diana and Prince Charles with a ‘Bad’ tour jacket and framed CDs at a Prince’s Trust charity event in London, and Barry Manilow, who became a goodwill ambassador for the charity.

Live AID setting the precedent

There has been some significant and fair criticism of the Band Aid, particularly evident around the 30th anniversary re-recording in aid of Ebola relief efforts – see for example Bim Adewunmi’s November 2014 Guardian article – ranging from the peculiarity of a Christmas lyrics for a country with a substantial Muslim population, the allegation that the lyrics promote a helpless and inaccurate image of both Ethiopia and Africa, to concerns about the absence of African performers in any of the Band Aid line ups, particularly the most recent release. However, there is no doubt that many of these criticisms partly reflect the huge success and enduring cultural memory of Live Aid and Band Aid in raising awareness and publicity – as well as a substantial amount of money (estimated at around £150 million to date) – that was genuinely beneficial for Ethiopia and the other African nations that the Band Aid Trust has continued to support since its inception.

Although there have been many benefit concerts around the world, Live Aid remains the greatest, due to its ground-breaking nature. If you were lucky enough to be at Live Aid or have vivid memories of the day it took place thirty years ago do let us know by leaving a comment. Hopefully, this post will bring back lots of wonderful memories. If you were not there, I hope you enjoy finding out about it and other charity concerts which are covered in Jisc MediaHub.

Introducing the new MediaHub App for iPhone and iPad

Today we are very excited to announce the launch of the new MediaHub iOS App, which enables you to browse, search and save items on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad.

If you want to download the app and have an iOS device then head over to the App Store here. The app is free to download!

The MediaHub iOS App Featured screen for June/July 2015

The Featured screen in the MediaHub iOS App.

Who is the MediaHub App for?

The app is for any user of MediaHub based at a subscribing university or college and using an iOS device (an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad/iPad Mini).

In order to provide you with the appropriate search, preview and bookmarking functionality the app is limited to those from institutions that support UK Federation login.

When you first download and set up the app you will be asked to login with your username and password. Once you have been logged in – which may take a few seconds – you are ready to go and you will remain logged for several months before you will be asked to reauthenticate. This helps ensure that our licensed content remains secure, without compromising the speed or ease of browsing through the app.

Is there an Android version?

We know that MediaHub users have or access a wide variety of mobile devices and we are currently building an Android App at the moment to ensure more of you have access to MediaHub whilst on the move. We expect the Android App to be available later this year.

What can you do with the app?

As the MediaHub App will be of most use when you are away from your laptop or desktop machine, rather than include the full range of functionality available on the web service, the app has been designed to enable you to search or browse for content on the go. Use it on your commute, when filling time between lectures or meetings, or when you get that great idea and want to quickly save an item to look at or include in your presentation later.

The app allows you to:

  • Browse featured content – the highlights from our collection which also appear on the front page of MediaHub.
  • Browse the most popular items – this is always an interesting and entertaining way to explore our content, as readers of our Most Popular blog posts will already be aware.
  • Search for MediaHub content – with the option to filter by format (video, image or audio), and to search external collections. You can also choose how your search results are ordered, by relevance, title or distance from a location – either your own current location or a location you have selected on a map.
  • Preview and view MediaHub items – including being able to watch videos in full (although we recommend that you do this via a wifi connection to minimise possible data charges).
  • Favourite MediaHub items for later use –  when you favourite an item in the app, it will also be added to your favourites list when you next login to the MediaHub service website. And similarly anything you have previously favourited in the service, will be synced to the app. So, you can search, browse, and select items whilst on the move, then download and edit into presentations, lecture notes, student projects, etc. when you are next editing these on your laptop or desktop machine.
  • Share MediaHub items – via email and phone messaging.

To give you an overview of the MediaHub App and how it works we have created the following user guide video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

How can I provide comments, questions or feedback on the app?

We welcome all of your comments and feedback on the MediaHub app, and on any aspect of MediaHub.

There are a few ways you can share your thoughts on the app:

Leave a comment and/or rating in the App Store

This will not only help us, but will also mean that your fellow MediaHub users hear your comments, constructive criticisms or top tips about the app. We would really appreciate your comments and ratings in the App Store as these can really help other new users to find the app, decide whether it is the right choice for them, and get an idea of how it is being used by others.

Leave a comment on this blog post

We will be keeping an eye out for comments and, like the App Store, any comment posted here will also benefit your fellow MediaHub users who may well have similar questions. We can then reply publicly  – and may update this post with new information as a result.

Join us for a Webinar!

To mark the launch of the MediaHub iOS App we will be holding several short webinars on the app, what you can do with it, and how you might use it in your teaching, learning or research. We welcome your comments during the webinars – or send in your question ahead of time and we will ensure it is included.

We regularly run MediaHub webinars and you are always welcome to participate and comment.

Contact us privately via the EDINA Helpdesk

If you would prefer to ask your question in a less public place, or have a very specific problem, question, etc. then you can contact the MediaHub team via the EDINA helpdesk: email: edina@ed.ac.uk or by phone: +44 (0)131 650 3302.

Who built the MediaHub App?

The app was built by the MediaHub team, based at EDINA. Not only did they build the app, they also baked a MediaHub App cake to celebrate its launch!

Image of the MediaHub team with celebratory cake

The MediaHub Team, from left to right: Catherine Fleming; Lorna Campbell; Mark Allan; Tim Stickland; Viv Mayo; Nicola Osborne; Niall Munro.

Where can I find the Terms and Conditions?

When you download the app you will be agreeing to the terms and conditions for the MediaHub App. You can read these in full via the App Store, and you can also read and save a copy from the link below. At login we ask you to agree to terms and conditions for Grapevine, the MediaHub bookmarking and personalisation service. You can read these in full via the link below. As with the web service, all use of MediaHub content must comply with the MediaHub Terms of Service.

If you have any questions about how to use the MediaHub App, the MediaHub service in general, or how to use any image, video or audio item that you have found through the app or service, please get in touch with our colleagues on the EDINA helpdesk, who will be happy to answer your questions. You can contact us via email: edina@ed.ac.uk or by phone: +44 (0)131 650 3302.

What does the MediaHub iOS App Look Like?

The screenshot at the beginning of this post, and the images below, give an ideas of how the app looks on an iPhone.

The MediaHub iOS App Search Settings screen

The MediaHub iOS App Search Settings screen

The MediaHub iOS App Search results screen

The MediaHub iOS App Search results screen

The best way to find out how the app looks and works is by using it! So, please do download the MediaHub iOS App, try it out, and let us know what you think!

Exploring Jisc MediaHub – May 2015 Most Popular

It is great to have the opportunity to look more closely at what has been most popular in Jisc MediaHub over the past month. There are always fascinating themes running through the top 10 searches, items and subjects. In May 2015 the most active theme was ‘unrest, conflicts and war’, with the Rwandan Genocide, Spanish Civil War and Bloody Sunday being specific examples. Other notable themes are health, the environment and places. The month of May also brings with it several timely areas of interest, including May Day and VE Day. There was also a particular interest in the North Highland College’s Johnston Collection, as shown by the popularity of the subject ‘human interest’.

A screenshot of Jisc MediaHub’s “Most Popular� page, captured on Wednesday 27th May 2015.

Jisc MediaHub’s “Most Popular� page, captured on Wednesday 27th May 2015.

So, we begin our exploration of the May 2015 themes with our second most popular subject, after ‘environmental education’.

Unrest, Conflicts and War

This is a consistently active theme in MediaHub. Last month’s most popular lists all include searches, subjects and items on the Rwandan Genocide, a mass slaughter of Tutsi  and moderate Hutu in Rwanda by members of the Hutu majority from April 7 to mid-July 1994, resulting in an estimated 500,000–1,000,000 Rwandans being killed.  This interview from Channel 4 Early Evening News with Alvaro de Soto,  Adviser to the UN Secretary General at the time, talks about the Rwandan Civil War, genocide and the displacement of the Tutsi in Rwanda. Another popular item is this News At Ten report from the city of Goma in Zaire (now part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo) which appeared to have been completely abandoned and was only a few miles away from the refugee camps where a million displaced Rwandans had fled to.

Image of Rwandan refugees in a refugee camp near Goma, Zaire.

Rwanda: Civil War. ITV News, 1996.

Bloody Sunday has been another popular search, likely because of ongoing interest in judicial process around the original event, as well as continued debate of the associated inquiry.

Bloody Sunday was an incident which took place on 30th January 1972 in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland. British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march against internment (imprisonment without trial). Interest this month may well reflect press attention in the run up to June 15th, which marked the fifth anniversary of the publication of the report of that Inquiry into what happened that day. The Inquiry was chaired by Lord Saville and ran from 1998 to 2010 at an estimated cost of over £2 million, making both it’s findings and the process of undertaking the Inquiry the subject of debate and controversy.

In Jisc MediaHub there are a lot of resources – particularly news coverage – including footage from Bloody Sunday, reports on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry and anniversary events. Below is one example of these, a photograph of a march in Londonderry on 3rd February 2002, where thousands gathered to retrace the steps of the Bloody Sunday marchers thirty years before.

A photograph of some of the thousands gathered in Londonderry 03 February 2002, to retrace the steps of the Bloody Sunday marchers of thirty years ago.

Thousands gather in Londonderry 03 February 2002, to retrace the steps of the Bloody Sunday marchers of thirty years ago. Getty (Still Images), 2002.

The sixth most popular search is ‘Spanish Civil War‘ (which took place from July 1936 to April 1939), with some very interesting search results, including posters from the Imperial War Museum Spanish Civil War Poster Collection found in the VADS/CultureGrid collection, news reports on the conflict such as Spanish Civil War 7th Edition (Gaumont British News collection), interviews with people who were there, and even commemorative plaques and sculptures! The sculpture below is of ‘La Pasionaria‘, Dolores Ibarruri (1895-1989), who was a Spanish communist who came to symbolise Republican resistance against fascism during the Spanish Civil War. It can be found in the City of Glasgow. On its pedestal it says it

pays tribute to the courage of those men and women who went to Spain to fight fascism / 1936-1939 / 2,100 volunteers went from Britain; 534 were killed, 65 of whom came from Glasgow.

Photoograph of the sculpture called 'La Pasionaria', a stylised female figure, representing Dolores Ibarruri, in a long dress, standing with legs apart and arms raised.

La Pasionaria VADS Collection: Public Monuments and Sculpture Association. Culture Grid.

This image is part of the National Recording Project (NRP) of the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association,  providing images and textual information giving core data on over 9,000 public sculptures and monuments in a geographical area covering 75% of Britain. This collection is part of VADS: the online resource for visual arts.

Environment

The environment – and environmental education – was a very popular subject area in May. A very wide range of environmental issues are covered in MediaHub, from pollution and climate change through to wildlife, natural phenomena and landscapes. In particular the images in our collections show how amazing the natural world is, for example the 2007 photograph of Antarctic icebergs shown below. There are also items in MediaHub directly covering the negative effects people are having on the planet, such as the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill off the Alaskan Coast in 1989.

A photograph of icebergs stranded in a shallow bay and an emerald pool of water in the Antarctic Peninsula.

Icebergs on the Antarctic Peninsula. Getty (Still Images), 2007.

‘Cheetah’ was the eighth most popular search last month. Here is a wonderful still image taken from a short film of a mother Cheetah standing guard over five young cubs in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania. If you take a look at the record for this item you will notice the MediaHub location feature. This enables you to easily see where the Serengeti is located and click through to other items in MediaHub which have the same location.

An image of a mother cheetah on a mound in the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, standing guard over five cubs

Mother Cheetah and Cubs. Getty (Moving Images), 2007.

Places

Italy, London and the more specific King of Prussia Hotel in Heanor are all popular places people have searched for in Jisc MediaHub. Heanor is a town in Derbyshire, where The Market Hotel on the Market Place was, until the outbreak of World War 1, called the King of Prussia when its name was changed for obvious reasons. In October 2009, the hotel had another revamp and is now just called The Market. As always with such specific and individual items it would be great if to find out why this particular image below was so popular last month! Just let us know in the comments below or share your theories on Twitter with the hashtag #MediaHubTop10.

A photograph of The King of Prussia PH, Market Street, Heanor, c 1890s.

The King of Prussia PH, Market Street, Heanor, c 1890s. Picture the Past (via Culture Grid).

Many people in May searched for items on Italy, probably as a result of the current migration crisis across the Mediterranean, particularly triggered by instability and conflict in Syria, Lybia, Afghanistan, Eritrea, Sudan and surrounding areas. Try selecting “Newsfilm” when you search MediaHub for footage around those countries to get a sense of historical context to the current spike in migration. Looking further at MediaHub’s substantial resources on the history and politics of migration and the UK , I was surprised to discover that women were only able to apply for visas to bring in their husbands or fiances in 1983 (under the British Nationality Act), before then only men could bring over their spouse from another country. Of course the law, processes, tests and costs of citizenship have, of course changed a great deal since then and continue to be the subject of animated public debate.

But for some people searching for this month maybe, like me, Italy has a special place in their hearts and they were planning to go on holiday there. Below is a still image taken from the wonderful short film showing a ceremony and football match which took place in Italy in 1931. I recognise the place where the football was being played as the Piazza Vecchio in Florence, as I have just visited there!  What a wonderful backdrop and just look at those stripy shorts!!

A still image taken from a short film showing a football match being played in the Piazza Vecchio in Florence, Italy in 1931.

Football in Costumes – Ceremony in Italy. Gaumont Graphic, 1931.

“May Specific” Items

There are always popular searches, subjects and items very specific to the time of year, and May is a particularly busy month for these. Victory in Europe (VE) Day was the Public Holiday celebrated on the 8th May 1945 to mark the end of World War II. Below is an image of a triptych, showing civilians gathered under the trees outside Buckingham Palace celebrating VE-Day. According to correspondence held by the Imperial War Museum this painting was one of several offered by the artist, Leila Faithfull, to the War Artists Advisory Committee, they purchased it for £45.

An image of a painted triptych showing civilians gathered under the trees outside Buckingham Palace to celebrate VE Day

VE-Day Celebrations Outside Buckingham Palace. Imperial War Museum, 1945.

There are another couple of May-related popular items. One is a short film called All Around the May Poll, showing people going to vote in the General Election of 1929 and the masses of people in London awaiting the results – the title is a clever play on words! The other item is a short piece of film reporting May Day in Havana, back in 2007, which shows thousands of Cubans taking part in the traditional May Day festivities in Revolution Square.

A image of Cubans in a May Day rally in Revolution Square, Havana.

May Day in Havana. Getty (Moving Images), 2007.

Health

‘Health’ was another popular subject last month, especially the programme called Outbreak! Case Studies in Clinical Infection: Commensals and Pathogens which provides visual, written and spoken descriptions of the many organisms which may be present in and on the body. The film, which is one of our restricted access medical materials, is part of the University of Sheffield Learning Media Unit collection which covers a wide range of subjects and programmes, and is useful across the academic subject range, including medicine, bio-medical science, chemistry, life sciences, biology, sociology, environmental and earth sciences, archaeology, music, law, geology, civil engineering, English language and the performing arts.

And finally…

You may have noticed that the eighth most popular subject is ‘human interest’ and wondered what results this would return. If you try searching for this you find, amongst other items, a large and fascinating collection of photographs from the North Highland College Johnston Collection. This collection represents the work of three generations of Caithness photographers who captured images of life in and around the area between 1863 and 1975, and so provides a unique record of this part of the far north of Scotland, its industries and people. Many of the photographs are studio portraits, including the one below of three children taken in around 1905.

A photograph of three children - one girl in white suit and hat, and her two brothers in black sailor suits with white collars, taken circa 1905.

Three children – one girl in white suit and hat, and her two brothers in black sailor suits with white collars. North Highland College, 1905.

It is really interesting to look at old photographs to see what people used to wear and what different locations used to look like, especially considering that at that time not many had cameras.  It certainly makes you realise how we take for granted the ability to take photographs, and not just using cameras but also our mobile phones! If you have any interesting photographs, old or new, why not  share them via the Jisc MediaHub community?

Did you know that you can also leave your own comments on interesting images, videos, or sound items? To view or add your own comments to an item just view the full record page – for example the photo above – and click on the “Comments” tab. From there you can either read what others have commented, or you can add your own comments to an item. If you are already logged in you just add your own comment and click “Submit”, otherwise you’ll be taken to the login box before seeing the comment form. You can choose to make your comments private, or you can share them with the whole MediaHub community.

As always, we would love to hear your thoughts on why some of the items above are popular, as well as in what ways you are using what you have found in MediaHub – leave your comments below or share your tweets with the hashtag #MediaHubTop10, alternatively you could choose to add your comments or responses on the items themselves!

Five Reasons We’d Love You To Take Our MediaHub User Experience Survey

For the last few weeks you may have noticed a new link appearing on MediaHub, both in the menu bar (see image below) and popping up as you browse and search, which points to our user experience survey.
Image of the Survey Link in the MediaHub Survey

If you have already taken part, then sincere thanks from the MediaHub team! If not then we hope these five reasons will help you understand why you taking a few minutes out of your day to respond to our survey means so much to us…

1. Tell us how you really feel

Your honest feedback means the world to us. Yes, even the less flattering comments.

In the last year we have enhanced the quality of video provided in MediaHub, we’ve been developing a new iOS App (due to launch imminently), we’ve been working on our help and support resources, we’ve added new external collections… But do you like what we’ve done? The User Experience Survey works a little like a school report for us – it helps us understand if we are focusing on the right areas, if you are happy with our work, and where you think we should be aiming for. Just be honest with us, be helpful, let us know what you’d like us to be doing.

Crowd of happy, rosy-faced clubbers (PYMCA, 2003)

Crowd of happy, rosy-faced clubbers (PYMCA, 2003)

2. Help shape the future

From improved citation information within the service, to those new mobile apps, your feedback throughout the year helps us ensure that MediaHub continues to meet your needs, and those of your fellow MediaHub users, fans, and critical friends. We love talking to you at events, meeting you at webinars, and hearing from you via the Helpdesk but we would love to hear from more of you and the survey helps us to hear from a lot of people all at once. And the more people complete our user experience survey, the better chance we have of understanding what you love about MediaHub, what we could do more of, what we could do less of, what we could do better, and what we should be focusing on in the future.

"Dashboard of Ford Explorer" (Getty Images, 18-12-2008)

“Dashboard of Ford Explorer” (Getty Images, 18-12-2008)

3. Show off your own achievements

One of the things we get most excited about is hearing about MediaHub is used in practice, how you are using our service in your day to day teaching, learning and research. And we are just as keen to help you share your experience and best practice with others, which is why in this year’s survey we are asking you whether you would be interested in providing us with a guest blog post or case study on your use of MediaHub. If you say yes, then your story about how you use MediaHub could be appearing on this very page and inspiring your peers and fellow MediaHub users soon!

We really would love to help you show off your own achievements, just let us know that you’d be happy to take part!

Terry Spink's parents discuss their son's gold medal (ITV Late Evening News, ITN Source, 01-12-1956)

Terry Spink’s parents discuss their son’s gold medal (ITV Late Evening News, ITN Source, 01-12-1956)

4. Help us to support you better

We want to support you whenever you need us to. We are therefore very keen to hear how you find our help and support resources – including this blog. The more we understand what you find useful, and what you would like us to do differently, the better the support we can provide. We are here to help you make the very best use of our diverse array of videos, images and sound, but you are the best people to tell us how we can do that… Do you want more webinars? Would you like more flyers and posters for sharing around campus? Would you like new widgets or digital training materials? Tell us!

Screenshot from the Explore Jisc MediaHub support video

Screenshot from the “Explore Jisc MediaHub” support video

5. Delight the MediaHub Team 

Whether you have lovely things to say, or constructive criticism to share, we love hearing from you. It really truly makes our week!

If you can spare 5-10 minutes from your day to complete our survey we promise you that we will be listening to what you have to say. Your comments help us to plan future developments, they contribute to how we plan future training, support and learning materials, and they also help us to reflect on where our own successes have been.

Some of the people behind MediaHub (L-R: Nicola, Lorna, Mark, Catherine, Niall, Viv).

Some of the people behind MediaHub (L-R: Nicola, Lorna, Mark, Catherine, Niall, Viv).

We will be closing our survey at the end of this week so thank you again for reading this far, and get those responses to us by the 12th June please!

Finally we should also add that we are, of course very happy to hear your honest feedback at any point in the year, not just whilst our survey is running. If you ever have a comment, question or just want to chat with us, you can leave a comment here on the blog, you can email us (via edina@ed.ac.uk), reach out to us on Twitter or Facebook, or give the EDINA Helpdesk a call (on +44 (0)131 650 3302).

Further resources