News and insights

The twentieth century marked a pivotal time for medicinal advancements but, when it comes to procedures to prevent the spread of infectious diseases, little has changed in over a century. Examining two global pandemics we consider the idea of social responsibility during the outbreaks of Plague (1918) and Coronavirus (2019).

AM's Felix Barnes and Courtney Priday explore the vital role of primary sources in fostering information literacy and critical thinking. By examining archival material and using tools from metadata to contextual essays, AM collections empower users to critically evaluate historical sources, encouraging informed perspectives on the past and its relevance to today.

Film offers more than entertainment, it captures fleeting, candid moments that reveal the rhythm of everyday life in the past. Wanderings in Peking, from AM’s China on Film: Twentieth Century Sources from the British Film Institute, offers a glimpse of 1930s Beijing, revealing a city where tradition meets progress, with the camera often capturing its most compelling stories unintentionally.