Liverpool In Print - An online bibliography of Liverpool's history

"Liverpool in Print seeks not simply to upgrade the fragile sheaf catalogue of the Liverpool Local Studies Collection with its 156,000 or so individual items into electronic format but also to develop a new kind of resource for the study of urban history: a readily accessible bibliographical database with comprehensive coverage and a number of aids and guides for readers and researchers. Here it will build upon the proven track record of research collaboration between the School of History at the University of Liverpool and the Liverpool Record Office, currently working together to select the images, illustrations and maps to accompany the text (now complete) for Liverpool 800; culture, character and history, jointly commissioned by the City Council and the University of Liverpool, to mark the 800th anniversary in 2007 of the granting of letters patent to the borough. This research momentum will be carried forward as the Principal Investigator for Liverpool in Print (Professor Belchem) is the editor of Liverpool 800 and the Bibliographical Editor (Dr Murden) is currently its Post-Doctoral Research Assistant. Drawing upon the bibliographical and technical knowledge acquired by the research team on Liverpool 800, the Liverpool in Print project will undertake further research that will add significantly to the existing descriptive annotation in the catalogue. This will deal with such matters as competing editions, disputed authorship, misleading titles and other technical issues along with cross-referencing where useful and helpful. Through searches, questionnaires and visits, Liverpool in Print will also develop a listing of additional printed material on Liverpool held elsewhere in major libraries, record offices and repositories throughout the United Kingdom. In similar manner, the Principal Investigator and the Bibliographical Editor will build upon the knowledge and expertise acquired during the preparation of Liverpool 800 to provide bibliographical essays based on the individual chapters, thereby offering a useful introductory overview of chronological and thematic aspects of Liverpool's past.
Entering the data into an appropriate electronic format as part of a wider initiative to create a web-based bibliography of printed material relating to Liverpool will not only save this unique resource from deterioration but will also enhance the accessibility of the collection it describes tremendously. Where access to the current sheaf catalogue is restricted to those who visit the Record Office, Liverpool in Print will be available over the internet, facilitating instant resource discovery among the wider research community and the general public not only of holdings in the collection but also of additional printed material on Liverpool held elsewhere. The inclusion of descriptive annotation, supplemented by the bibliographical essays based on the Liverpool 800 chapters, will expand significantly the level of information contained within the existing catalogue, further enhancing its value to the research community. It will be the indispensable first point of reference for research into all aspects of a city with a remarkable history.
A model for other urban bibliographies, the database will prove a key resource for researchers drawn from across the humanities and social science disciplines as well as encouraging greater use of the Local Studies Collection by the media, non-academic researchers and other readers. The first point of reference for all matters Liverpudlian, the database will also be of considerable value to those concerned with broader issues and themes of urban history, demographic history, migration history, ethnic history, maritime history, labour history, family and community history resonating and extending beyond Liverpool.
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