Are you interested in the books that people read, thought about and collected in our local area hundreds of year ago? A new opportunity to investigate the parish libraries of Abingdon, Henley, Buckland and Didcot has just been announced at the University of Reading. These collections of books — some of which once belonged to medieval chained libraries — are now held at the University’s Special Collections. They offer a unique insight into the intellectual culture of the Thames Valley during the early modern period. We are looking for a PhD student to undertake a project on the parish libraries as part of the University of Reading Collections-Based Research Doctoral Training Programme.
The successful candidate will have his or her fees paid and will receive a bursary of £3000 per year for three years (or part-time equivalent). The project is due to begin in October 2014 and the deadline for applications is 29 March. To find out more, please click here: Collections-based Studentship on four local parish libraries
For more information about the Parish Libraries and the Collections-Based Research Doctoral Training Programme, please follow the links.