Unexpected donation of Dutch English language textbooks – Jan van Griethuysen

donation_from_jan_van_griethuysen.xls

A couple of weeks ago we received an unexpected and very welcome donation of Dutch English language textbooks from Jan van Griethuysen. He accompanied the box of books and other materials (which he has listed in the file attached to this posting) with the following touching note:

The Hague, Holland 20th Oct. 2009

"Writing to you now is someone whose pastime it is to visit such events as car-boot-sales and flea-markets in search of old things, in this case usually books and papers, worth donating to archives and museums. What I find, mostly Dutch material, of course, I then give to the most appropriate institution.

Some time ago now, searching the internet for a place to which I could give a particular book I had found, I happened across your ELT-archive, and well aware of all the old English course-material I had seen in the past, I decided in future not to ignore such material, but to buy it for you. And so in the year that followed I stockpiled English-language teaching-books, found quite randomly at the flea-markets and jumble sales I had been to, until I had so many that it seemed time to go in search of a suitable cardboard box. I found one, and so it is that I can now surprise you with this, admittedly rather motley, collection. In my ignorance I may well have bought entirely unsuitable things, and so please feel free to discard anything you do not consider appropriate.

And that is all - I can but hope that I have not wasted your time, and that a percentage at least of this unexpected donation will prove to be worthy of accession to your ELT collection."

These materials are indeed very relevant to our collection, and will be catalogued and shelved in due course. Thank you very much, Jan!

Richard Smith : 16 Nov 2009 15:04 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

2nd edition of ELT Archive catalogue uploaded

Writing about web page http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/research/collect/elt_archive/catalogue/the_warwick_elt_archive_catalogue_2nd_edition_part_1.pdf

A second edition of the Warwick ELT Archive Catalogue (of published materials up to 1979) has now been uploaded to:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/research/collect/elt_archive/catalogue

Here is an extract from the Preface which indicates what is new about this edition:

Further work on cataloguing, primarily by Sheila Verrier, has been greatly facilitated by a British Council research grant (Jan.-Dec. 2009). Cataloguing conventions have been rationalized, and a large number of additional items have been incorporated into the collection from donations or storage. The present edition of the catalogue lists all items on shelves (‘published items’) by alphabetical order of author. There are now 3,643 separate published items in the catalogue (almost all of them books), up from 2,727 items in the first edition of the catalogue.

Thanks, Sheila, for all your work on this, and thanks again to The British Council for the financial support which made this possible! We'll be announcing publication of Part 2 of the catalogue later this term (this will be a catalogue of genuinely 'archival' materials).

Richard Smith : 26 Oct 2009 12:53 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Updates since April

Lots of things to report - but little time to write about them here until now!:

* The British Council project, which is helping to enhance the Archive (see http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/research/collect/elt_archive/elt_projects) is continuing till the end of December. We're about to publish a second edition of our catalogue of published items (Sheila Verrier has been doing a lot of work cleaning up the existing catalogue and adding / shelving new items). The British Council (in the person of Adrian Odell) has been sending items to add to our collection of materials relating to ELT projects. And we've developed an online database of UK-funded (in particular British Council administered) ELT projects, which we've opened to public view at: http://www.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/CELTE/eltarchive/Archive/index.php.

* Dario Banegas, an MA student from Argentina, kindly volunteered to start cataloguing our collection of 'genuinely archival materials'. Working very quickly and efficiently, he has catalogued important items including materials relating to ELT in East Africa (1960s) donated by Chris Brumfit; materials relating to the development of the Strategies coursebooks and other learning materials, donated by Brian Abbs; and items from the Dakin Collection. We'll be publishing lists of these items on the website shortly.

* The British Council has borrowed a number of items from us with a view to scanning them for their Teaching Engish website, as part of 75th anniversary celebrations.

Richard Smith : 22 Oct 2009 13:15 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Clare Bentall's (2003) PhD thesis on the STEP Project in Mozambique

Writing about web page http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/research/projects/archive-elt-projects/

Many thanks to Clare Burstall, who has sent us a copy of her PhD thesis (2003) on teacher-learning in the STEP project in Mozambique. Together with Adrian Odell of the British Council we are attempting to build up a special collection of documents (in particular evaluation reports) relating to UK-funded projects over the last half-century.

Richard Smith : 15 Apr 2009 15:06 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

English Today – Andy Gillett

Many thanks to Andy Gillett for donating an entire set of the journal English Today from the first issue up to the present

Richard Smith : 15 Apr 2009 14:30 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

British Council support for research project

Writing about web page http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/al/research/collect/elt_archive/research_projects

We're very pleased that at the end of 2008 The British Council agreed to financially support our project proposal entitled An archive and a record of UK-funded ELT projects, 1950 onwards. This project,, which is to be led by Richard Smith and Shelagh Rixon, aims to systematically increase the stock of knowledge relating to UK-supported ELT projects undertaken in different parts of the world since the 1950s. We shall do this by building an archive of reports and other documents relating to UK-funded ELT projects and by constructing an inventory/chronology, and a bibliography, on this basis. The project will be completed by summer 2009.

Richard Smith : 13 Jan 2009 15:16 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

Donation of Dunford Seminar reports by Rod Bolitho

Writing about web page http://www.warwick.ac.uk/go/elt_archive

Thanks to Rod Bolitho we now have an almost complete set of Dunford House seminar reports from 1978 to 1996. Now we're only missing the report from 1989 (if a seminar was actually held that year).  Thanks again, Rod!

We are hoping to start up work next year on some research tracking the history of ELT aid projects. If you were involved in such projects and have project reports you would like to donate to the Warwick ELT Archive, please let us know.

Richard Smith : 19 Dec 2008 18:38 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem

ELT films from Thessaloniki

Writing about web page http://www.warwick.ac.uk/go/elt_archive

On 17th July five boxes of ELT reel-to-reel films were transported to the Warwick ELT Archive, in the back of a lorry delivering tiles to Stoke. These films came from the British Council in Thessaloniki. Thanks to Carol Everhard of Thessaloniki for spotting that these films should be safeguarded (during the Council's move to new offices), and to Barbara Hewitt, Head of Research and Consultancy at the British Council  in Manchester for agreeing to sponsor their transportation.

Dear Mr. Smith,

Further to our telcon, below mentioned truck nr.

- E 1037 BP / E 4642 EA ( Red Volvo with a red trailer )

Is currently in the area as advised and will wait for you until 13:00 hours as you have mentioned.

Attached you may find the photos regarding the consignment of 5 Cartons boxes including tapes on behalf of Mrs. Everhard / British council Thessaloniki, Greece.

Please don't hesitate to contact me direct at my mobile nr. for any further detail or clarification.

We remain always at your disposal

With best regards

Alexander Evangelides

Pan. Evangelides Ltd.

International freight services

Thessaloniki Greece

Richard Smith : 19 Dec 2008 18:11 |  Comments (0) |  Close comments |  Report a problem