Frequently asked questions

I have found an entry on the online catalogue and now I want to visit the Lapworth Museum to see the item. Is this possible?
Yes, we welcome visits from any interested researchers. Appointments must be booked in advance by emailing lapworth@contacts.bham.ac.uk with details of when you would like to visit and the reference numbers of items you wish to see. Please wait for confirmation of your appointment before making any travel arrangements.

Why can’t I find what I'm looking for
If you want to search for an exact phrase (so the words appear adjacent to each other in the text), e.g. John Smith, enter the text within double quotation marks, e.g. "John Smith".
People's names and place names may also vary in spelling and so you may need to try searching for alternative spellings in order to find all relevant records. When making a personal name search, we recommend you search only on surname.
Searching the database will only find the exact words used in the catalogue, so if you haven't found what you wanted it's a good idea to try other related terms. For example, if you are looking for references to a particular paradoxide, try searching for the term ‘trilobite’ aswell.
Another good tip is to search for part of a word followed, or preceded, by a 'wildcard' asterisk to broaden your search: e.g. reptil* will return results for reptile, reptiles, reptilia, reptilian; ‘lectur*’ will return results for lecture, lectures, lectured, lecturing, lecturer.

Have keywords been added to catalogue entries?
Yes, throughout the cataloguing of the Charles Lapworth collection staff and volunteers have been adding keywords/phrases to entries in order to highlight certain themes and improve the discoverability of records. In alphabetical order, the keywords used were:

‘Cambro-Silurian controversy’: Charles Lapworth’s first foray into geological research led to him proposing a new geological time period, the Ordovician. This ultimately ended a long running controversy between supporters of the Cambrian and Silurian time period, which the Ordovician sat in the middle of. This term was added to items with any mentions of Girvan, Moffat, Galashiels, Southern Uplands and Lapworth’s proposal of the Ordovician era.

‘Celebrations’: Mentions of anniversary dinners, any celebratory events or national holidays.

‘Christmas’ and ‘Festive’: Mentions of season’s greetings, anything Christmas or New Year related.

‘Health and wellbeing’: Mentions of people being ill, unwell, living with a disability, mentally exhausted, complaints of any physical or mental ailments. Items relating to Charles Lapworth’s physical and mental illnesses can be found by searching for this term.

‘Highlands controversy’: Charles Lapworth’s research in the North West Highlands of Scotland helped to end a long running geological controversy. This term was added to items with any mentions of the Scottish Highlands, including Durness, Eriboll, Assynt and Sutherland, and the impact of Lapworth’s research in the area.

‘International geology’: Mentions of people, institutions and geological features or research from outside of the UK, e.g. former students who went to work in India, mentions of geologists from outside the UK, correspondence from Canadian institutions regarding graptolites.

‘First World War’ and ‘World War One’: Mentions of the war including people serving in the war, the Ministry of Munitions, geological work being impacted by the war and condolences to people who have lost loved ones in the war.

‘Religion’: Mentions of practising any religion, prayers, any religious person, e.g. a Reverend, faith or denomination.

‘Travel’: Mentions of holidays, vacations, visiting places away from home, trains, cars or any other mode of transport within the UK or abroad.

‘Women’: Items that are to, from or by a woman, or items that mention or discuss women, whether for personal or professional reasons. Entries were not keyworded if there was a very brief reference to a woman, e.g. ‘Kindest regards to you and Mrs Lapworth’.

I’m not sure what I’m looking for. Can I browse the Charles Lapworth archive collection?
Yes, you can. First search for a record, e.g. put ‘CL’ in the search bar and click ‘Search’. From the list of results, click on the Reference Number for any entry, and when the individual entry opens, click on the Reference Number again. You’ll then see the catalogue structure for the entire Charles Lapworth collection. You can browse by clicking the small plus signs, +, next to the series titles. If an individual item interests you, simply click on it to see its full catalogue entry.

Why can’t I see images of the documents in the catalogue?
The catalogues contain written descriptions of the documents in our archive and not digitised images from the collection (except in a few instances).

How do I sort the records in the 'search results' hitlist?
By default, records are presented in Reference Number order but you can sort the list of results according to the field of your choice by clicking on the column heading.

How can I find out more information about an entry displayed in the 'search results' hitlist?
To view a full record description, click on the Reference Number for the entry you require. If you then want to browse the record in its hierarchical context (i.e. how it relates to other records in the collection), click on Reference Number again. Use the back button on your browser to return to the search results overview.

Can I suggest changes to the catalogue?
If you find any errors in the catalogue or you have more information on a particular record, we would welcome your contribution. Please email lapworth@contacts.bham.ac.uk with the reference number(s) and information you’d like to add or amend.