The David Nicholls Memorial Collection, based on the private collection of Britain's foremost Haiti expert, comprises some 4,000 volumes, of which about a quarter deal specifically with Haiti, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean territories.
Under the aegis of Regent's Park College, Oxford, the collection is now catalogued on-line via the University's OLIS system - http://library.ox.ac.uk - and researchers and students are now increasingly aware of what it has to offer. Researchers have come from as far afield as the US, Canada and Trinidad to consult books and pamphlets, many of which are simply unavailable elsewhere.
Particularly strong is the section on Haitian politics, society and culture - areas which David Nicholls explored in several important books. New accessions are added regularly, especially in the Caribbean section.
The advent of the OLIS system has also meant that students in Oxford are able to access hard-to-find editions of works of political science and theology.
The collection is open to all interested students and researchers by appointment (the room in which it is housed is often used for seminars during term time). Regent's Park College librarian, Emma Walsh (emma.walsh@regents.ox.ac.uk) is happy to arrange access for those interested. Borrowing is not allowed, but photocopying facilities are available.