Information & Publications

As a support function, this series of pages is intended to provide visitors with access to our ever-expanding wealth of information resources.

Since its inception, the Observatory continues to expand on the collection of books and authoritative journals concerning matters of end-of-life care. To-date, the Observatory Library houses palliative care journals containing a total of more than 5690 listed articles. Some 930 books also adorn our shelves in the Resource Room on the Unversity Campus, making both journal and book combined an enviable collection. To complement our journal articles, we also have a growing number of "loose articles", consisting of a wide range of other research materials from photocopied articles to neswpaper cuttings, available in paper or digital form, which includes multimedia.

Until now, this resource could only be searched by potential researchers physically visiting our facility. At the end of December 2006, an active, on-line database will allow visitors to search for reference materials within our library from the comfort of their own computer.

At the moment, we are also fortunate to hold archive papers of Dame Cicely Saunders, Robert Twycross, CDT James, Richard Lamerton, Victor Zorza and a collection of papers from St Joseph's Hospice.

As a result of several former projects, the Observatory has a collection of over 300 oral history interviews. The data obtained from these interviews has helped us to form rich pictures of the development of end of life care in the Hospice History Programme, a Travelling Exhibition, St Joseph's Hospice Centenary and a growing series of articles and books. Our list of publication outputs can be viewed by selecting "Our Publications" on the right of this window or by clicking here.

It is also hoped that we will soon be able to make available a series of authorised interviews - very much in the vein of "podcasting". Again, where authorised, transcripts of interviews will also be made available in PDF and Flash Paper form.

On a monthly basis, we host a "Cluster" meeting on campus, where persons involved or simply interested in palliative care research are warmly invited to attend. See our Cluster Group pages for more information. Within these pages, it is intended to make available presentation materials and news items for those who are unable to attend.

We also own a publishing name, Observatory Publications, and are proud to have four books already in print.