Explore the Virtual Reading Room

We will give an introduction to our Virtual Reading Room service and the opportunities to integrate it into your research and teaching. This will be followed by a demonstration of the VRR accompanied by a talk by Dr Michael Durrant with selections from Senate House Library’s rare book collections.

Programme

14:00: Introduction by Argula Rublack (Academic Librarian: History)

14:05: Overview of the VRR equipment and services by James Hill (Customer Service Supervisor: Special Collections) and Dr Karen Attar (Curator of Rare Books and University Art)

14:20: VRR demo with talk by Dr Michael Durrant

‘Her Booke’: Mrs Morgan, Lady Norcliffe, and Sister Martin in Senate House Library

This short talk will explore two copies of Charles I’s bestselling memoir, Eikon Basilike (1648/9), currently held at Senate House Library. It will trace the books' long histories of female ownership, highlighting the special roles they have played in women's lives during significant milestones such as birthdays, marriages, and deaths.

14:35: Q&A and opportunity for hands-on interaction with the VRR equipment with a selection of rare books from Senate House Library’s collections

This event will take place in the Seng Tee Lee seminar room in Senate House Library and online via Teams.

If attending in person, tea, coffee and refreshments will be provided.

This event is free to attend and open to all but booking is essential.

What is a Virtual Reading Room?

Senate House Library’s Virtual Reading Room enables researchers to make online appointments to consult our Special Collections and Archives remotely, no matter where they are based. Appointments take place via video call on Microsoft Teams and are facilitated by a staff member of our Special Collections Reading Room team, who will share your requested materials through a high-resolution camera. The service is free and open to all library members as well as external researchers.

Find out more about our Virtual Reading Room

Dr Michael Durrant is a Lecturer in Book History at the Institute of English Studies. His research has focused on the lives of early modern book-trade professionals, the creative functions of ornamental initials and the printer's device, and user-generated modifications of pre-modern book objects.