“Landscapes Below: Mapping and the New Science of Geology“, a new exhibition curated by Allison Ksiazkiewicz, is now open. Featuring the biggest-ever object (1.9mx1.6m) to go on display at the Library — George Bellas Greenough’s 1819 A Geological Map of England and Wales (the first map produced by the Geological Society of London), as well as a visually stunning collection of maps from the earliest days of geology – the exhibition explores how these new subterranean visions of the British landscape influenced our understanding of the Earth. All the maps belonging to the library are going on display for the first time.

The exhibit runs from November 24, 2017 to March 29, 2018 at Cambridge University Library’s Milstein Exhibition Centre. Admission is free. Opening times are Mon-Fri 9am-6pm and Saturday 9am-16.30pm. Closed Sundays. Also please note that it is also CLOSED 24 December 2017 to 1 January 2018 inclusive (i.e. between Christmas and New Year).

Aabenraa, Danemark

Aabenraa’s name comes from aaben strand, or Danish for “open beach.” Denmark had long used “aa” to represent a Danish vowel sound that’s elusive for English speakers, but is kind of similar to the vowel in our word “caught.” But in 1948, the country decided to reform its spelling, replacing “aa” with “å”. That’s how this vowel is written in every other Scandinavian language. As a result, the Danish Language Board recommended that Aabenraa rename itself “Åbenrå.”

In 1955, Denmark decided that their new letter “Å” would be the last letter of the alphabet, coming after “Z” in the dictionary. Aabenraa, which was accustomed to being the world’s very first town alphabetically, was unenthusiastic about moving to the very bottom of the list overnight. Read this fun and informative article at Condé Nast Traveler to find out more!

Nike, UNIQLO, Ray-Ban – just some of the familiar names for fashion lovers. Ever wonder where the names come from? Did you know that NYX should be pronounced “nicks” after the Greek goddess of the night? Or that ASOS stands for the company’s original name “As Seen On Screen” and “ghd” simply stands for “good hair day”? Check out the infographic at Beauty Flash for more information on how some of the top brands got their names.

The Western Association of Map Libraries is an independent association of map librarians and other people with an interest in maps and map librarianship. The November issue of the WAML Information Bulletin is a special issue commemorating the organization’s 50th Anniversary.  Along with articles, book reviews, and new mapping of Western North America, this issue features a special segment dedicated to the late Mary Larsgaard. The issue can be found at the WAML website here.

The ANS’ own Cleve Evans, a recognized expert in baby names, is featured in an online article called “How Do Baby Names Become Popular?” in Romper magazine.

He explains that naming trends in the U.S. are driven by the desire of most parents to choose a name that’s “different, but not too different.” Parents achieve this, consciously or not, by slightly shifting the sounds of names that were popular a decade ago. The impact, while subtle, is absolutely visible in the yearly baby name round-up.

Read on to get the rest of the story!

The BBC is facing an angry reaction in Afghanistan after it changed the name of one of its local language Facebook pages to BBC Dari, one of the official names of the Afghan version of Persian or Farsi but one rejected by many local Persian speakers. Many Persian speakers say the name Dari has been imposed historically by the traditionally dominant Pashto ethnic group, as an implicit denial of Afghanistan’s place in the wider Persian-speaking world.

The head of the BBC’s Afghan service, Meena Baktash defended the use of the term Dari, noting that it was the official name of the language in Afghanistan. She said the change was intended to link the Facebook page to the BBC Dari radio service, which was launched in 2003 and which, together with the BBC Pashto service, occupies an important place in the crowded local media landscape.

Click through to read more of Al Jazeera’s coverage of this politically charged onomastic issue.

Bath Spa University offers the only UK MA program to integrate the study of both Crime Fiction and Gothic, and is now accepting applicants for 2018/19. Led by the International Crime Fiction Association’s director, Dr. Fiona Peters (Reader in Crime Fiction), this special program will introduce graduate students to the advanced study of two popular genres that have entertained and informed culture from the nineteenth century to the present day. The program is not only interdisciplinary, but also international, and will present students with an imaginative choice of texts from Britain, Europe ,and the Americas. For more details and a link to the online application, visit their home page at Bath Spa University.

On the 22nd of July 2011, the peaceful Norway experienced one of the deadliest attacks on its soil since the Second World War. Within a 24-hour period, the lives of 77 Norwegians were lost at the hands of the right-wing white supremacist Anders Behring Breivik. This autumn, it was formally announced that Breivik had officially been granted the right to change his name to Fjotolf Hansen. It is also under this new name that the mass murder is registered as the owner of a Geofarm, which the killer had used as a front for the purchase of the fertilizer he used to construct his homemade bombs. The defense lawyer who announced the name change refused to disclose the reason or reasons for his client’s change of nomenclature.

Many pieces of US legislation are given clever names to increase their appeal. An excellent example is the 2001 “Act to deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools, and for other purposes” that is better known today by the acronym USA PATRIOT ACT. Almost two decades later, the suggested name of another legislative act has made the news. In an effort to draw positive attention to an upcoming financial act, the current president suggested the name: “The Cut-Cut-Cut Act”. Instead of inspiring broad support, the suggested name spawned widespread ridicule. As a result, lawmakers have lobbied to scrap the onomastic proposal and name the act instead after its sponsor-in-chief.