Online digital library JSTOR will begin offering free access to its catalogue of journals, papers, and books:

“The Register & Read program will now allow individuals to register for the service, but members will only be able to read three items every two weeks. Users won’t be able to see JSTOR’s whole library either: free accounts will only have access to 1,200 journals from 700 publishers. In exchanges for free access, users will have to enter their personal details at signup that will be shared with JSTOR along with its partners, giving them insight as to who’s reading specific material.”

For more, read the full article at The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2013/1/9/3857628/jstor-opens-up-limited-free-access-to-its-digital-library

To sign up to JSTOR Register & Read: http://about.jstor.org/rr

By examining art printed from woodblocks spanning five centuries, Blair Hedges, a professor of biology at Penn State University, has identified the species responsible for making the ever-present wormholes in European printed art since the Renaissance.

To read more about this discovery: http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2012-news/Hedges11-2012

Many thanks to Anne Scott for forwarding this fascinating news item.

A few festival/markets announcements which may be of interest to members:

Abbey Medieval Festival
Medieval Banquet: Saturday, 29 June
Medieval Tournament: 6 & 7 July, 2013
Caboolture, Country Valleys, QLD

The Abbey Medieval Festival, is Australia’s largest medieval festival that commences with the Abbey Medieval Banquet.

For full details about the Abbey Medieval festival, visit the following website: http://abbeytournament.com/

Ironfest
April 20 and 21, 2013
Lithgow, NSW

Held annually in Lithgow on the closest weekend to Anzac Day, Ironfest brings together artists, designer/makers, blacksmiths, performers of all kinds, musicians, historical re-enactors and machine enthusiasts & hobbyists from all over Australia, and the world.

For full details about Ironfest, visit the following website: http://www.ironfest.net/ 

Manakau Medieval Market
Levin Showgrounds 
9 February 2013 (Always held on the second Saturday in February)

Every year around 20,000 people flock to the Levin Showgrounds for the Medieval Market. Come along and savour the wares of the food sellers, watch the authentic knights in battle and enjoy a beautiful summer’s day relaxing and having fun.

Ye Olde Manakau Medieval Market Charitable Association was set up 19 years ago so the funds raised can be used by ye merry villagers and needy guilds in the shire. Money raised by the Market Day is distributed back to the community as charitable grants.

The Medieval Market is held at the Levin Showgrounds which are 80 minutes drive North of Wellington and 40 minutes South of Palmerston North.

For full details, visit the Medieval Market website: http://www.medievalmarket.co.nz

The British Library in London has declared the digital images in its Illuminated Manuscripts collectionto be public domain. 

The Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts content is now available for download and reuse. Although still technically in copyright in the UK (and a number of other common law territories) the images are being made available under a Public Domain Mark which indicates that there are no copyright restrictions on reproduction, adaptation, republication or sharing of the content available from the site. 

For full details, see the Guidance Notes at this link: http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/reuse.asp

Most of the illuminated manuscripts in the Harley and Sloane collections already have images uploaded into the digital collections. (The only major BL collection of illuminated MSS not yet digitized is the Cotton collection.) Note that the emphasis here is on the illuminations; most MSS have not been digitized in full, though you can check the separate collection, BL Digitised Manuscripts to see if they have what you’re looking for. (There is a good selection of Harley MSS in this latter collection.).

The York Medieval Fayre 
Sunday 4 November 2012
9.30am to 4.00pm
Avon Park, York
Western Australia

Entry $5
Children under 10 Years Old are Free when accompanied by an adult.

• Knights in Flashing Armour
• Lords & Ladies in Costume
• Medieval Sword Play
• Blacksmiths
• Face Painting
• Modern Day Fencing Tournament
• Birds of Prey Exhibition
• Live Entertainment
• Food and Craft Stalls
• Spot Prizes

For details please contact Will Butun on:
Phone: (08) 9641 1177
Email: will47@westnet.com.au

For details of the Medieval Banquet Dinner which will be held on Saturday 3rd November 2012, visit the following website: http://theyorkmill.com.au/medieval

This is a smoke, pet, and alcohol free event.

Subscriptions are now available for Volume 63 of the Bibliographical Bulletin of the International Arthurian Society. For the first time, the BBIAS will be available on CD or in the usual print version. Subscriptions will be a maximum of $AU25.00.

Those interested in joining the ANZ branch of the IAS are welcome to contact Professor Andrew Lynch to make the arrangements. Payment will be required by September 6.

Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender Index has begun to add images to the 30,000+ resources described and made accessible in the database.  An open access version of the image is included in the Feminae record along with a link to a higher quality picture on a museum website.

Noteworthy data categories include: Donor, Inscription, Related Artwork, and Artistic Material and Technique.

See all images currently available: https://inpress.lib.uiowa.edu/feminae/imagesAll.aspx

For more information on image indexing: https://inpress.lib.uiowa.edu/feminae/MonthImage.aspx

Please contact Margaret Schaus (Editor, Feminae) if you have images relating to women or gender that you would like to make available open access.

Are you considering going to visit the British Library for a research trip this mid-year? Here are some useful tips to make the most of your trip to London for your summer British Library pilgrimage:

Taken from the British Library Medieval and Early Manuscripts Blog

The Medieval and Early Manuscripts Blog publicises exhibitions, digitisation projects, acquisitions and other news from the British Library’s Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts Section and is well worth following.

1.  If you do not already have a reader’s pass, please follow this link on reader registration. In particular, please note that we require new readers and those renewing or replacing a reader’s pass to bring two original identification documents, one showing proof of your home address and one showing your signature. The appropriate forms of identification are listed here.

2.  It’s always worthwhile to check in advance if the items you wish to consult will be available. At any given time, some of our manuscripts may be on display in our Sir John Ritblat Gallery: Treasures of the British Library, and others will be in the temporary exhibition Writing Britain: Wastelands to Wonderlands (11 May-25 September 2012). Many of our manuscripts are also restricted on account of their age, fragility or illumination, and we may require a written recommendation before permission is granted to examine them. We recommend that you contact mss@bl.uk in order to verify the status of your manuscripts. You may also find it helpful to consult our online catalogue.

3.  Please note that the British Library will be closed for public holidays on 7 May, 4 June, 5 June and 27 August 2012. See this link for our seasonal closures.

4.  In summer 2012 the Olympic and Paralympic Games are coming to London. The British Library is situated close to St Pancras station, from where many spectators will depart for the Olympic Park. To avoid travel congestion for its readers and staff, the British Library building will therefore open at 10.00 each day from 26 July until 12 August (and at 11.00 on Sundays). Please see this link on visiting the British Library during the Olympic Games. You can read some stories associated with the Olympics here.

5.  It’s worth repeating the message that we actively discourage the wearing of gloves when handling our manuscripts. The recent coverage of our acquisition of the St Cuthbert Gospel generated much feedback on the thorny issue of when it is appropriate to wear gloves, and we’re keen to continue spreading the message whenever possible!

Sydney Winterfest Medieval Festival
Saturday 30th June – Sunday 1st July
Parramatta Park, Coleman Oval

Festival Website

Admission Costs:
Adults – $15
Children – $10
Under 5 – Free

See history come alive in the school holidays. Watch the combat, cheer for your favourite knights, have a go at “Orc” hunting at the archery range, and come along and learn from the best about history and enjoy the other traditional activities such as Celtic and medieval dancing, food and drink and the arts and crafts fair.

The festival includes: Traditional archery, sword and sport displays, craft markets and stalls, live music, kid’s games and activities, the Full Flight Birds of Prey display, fighting displays including the Red Nose Day Tournament for SIDS and NSW International Sword tournament, and more…

There are prizes and bonuses for best medieval costume, so come in your best medieval dress, and enjoy the fun of the Sydney Winterfest Medieval Fair.

The British Library’s Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts blog publicises their amazing collection of manuscripts. Regular postings tell the stories of the outstanding items featured in the exhibition Royal Manuscripts: The Genius of Illumination (which ran from 11 November 2011-13 March 2012). You can see updates here on the digitisation of the British Library’s Greek and medieval scientific manuscripts, as well as other news and projects. Recent posts have included the discovery of a long-lost medieval cookbook, containing recipes for hedgehogs, blackbirds and unicorns!

The Medieval and Earlier Manuscripts blog can be found at the following URL: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/digitisedmanuscripts