Category Archives: Books

To fail is to learn

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Frank Norman

After leaving school I worked in a library for a year and was in the music and drama section for six months. Towards the end of that time I was trusted enough that they let me prepare some orders for … Continue reading →

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Cat Zero – book review

Posted on August 20, 2018 by Frank Norman

This lablit novel is set in a research institute in north London. The story is centred on a virology research lab and its work. An old lady dies. A cat dies. More cats die – could it be suspicious? Artie … Continue reading →

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Librarygeddon

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Frank Norman

The Library, the collection When it’s done right it is a wonderful thing. The collection dedicated to meeting a specific need: carefully selected, sensibly arranged, appropriately indexed, comprehensive in its coverage and range of formats. It is precisely calibrated to meet a … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Collections, Libraries and librarians | 2 Comments

The Lasker book prize

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Frank Norman

Well, not really. The 2016 Lasker~Koshland Special Achievement Award in Medical Science has been given to Bruce M. Alberts for “Discoveries in DNA replication, and leadership in science and education”. The citation on the Lasker Foundation website says: In his … Continue reading →

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Book sequences

Posted on August 23, 2016 by Frank Norman

You may have seen some of my #nimrlibrarybyebye tweets. These were a sequence of tweets showcasing books that we have been transferring to other libraries. Each tweet included a photo of a book or a handful of books. I will … Continue reading →

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One hundred years old

Posted on September 16, 2014 by Frank Norman

Just a few years back it seemed unlikely that we would ever celebrate our centenary. We were to be rejuvenated exterminated absorbed into a new Institute.  Back in 2007 when this project was announced we expected that 2013 would be the beginning … Continue reading →

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Winton Royal

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Frank Norman

The Royal Society Winton Prize for Science Books award ceremony took place on Monday night. The event is open to anyone so I went along – I like to feel part of the great science communications endeavour. But I had … Continue reading →

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Old technology wins out

Posted on October 21, 2013 by Frank Norman

If there is  one thing I hate more than confusing new technology, it is confusing old technology. While it can sometimes be a bit confusing trying to get misbehaving PDFs to print, that’s nothing compared to doing battle with an … Continue reading →

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Book prizes

Posted on October 8, 2013 by Frank Norman

Book prize season is upon us. Prizes can be controversial things and there is often a dollop of subjectivity in the decision-making, but book prize shortlists can be useful for the lazy person (like me) as they offer a suggested … Continue reading →

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MRC publishing – 100 years on

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Frank Norman

It may have escaped your notice that this year is the 100th anniversary of the Medical Research Council, and there has been a cornucopia of celebratory activities to mark the occasion.  One aspect that has not been much remarked on … Continue reading →

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