Each month, when we send our latest News of Note out into the world, we often wonder if there'll be enough 'news' for the next one the following month.

And yet there always is - which is nice. What's nicer still is that at the time of writing, the sun is bathing the library in warm light here in Blackheath, and for the first time in what feels like centuries, we are not bundled up in several layers as we hunt for pictures, reply to your queries and get on with all the daily library business. Spring, has definitely sprung.

This month we're covering Tatler's swinging sixties, look back at royal visits to Italy and provide a pictorial backdrop to the capital's latest cultural happenings. Read on for a round-up.

Cover Up

It's a Herculean task but scanning images from the ILN archive of magazines continues steadily here at the library.

We know covers (of which there are over 20,000 in this archive alone) are particularly useful. For the news-orientated magazines it's a good way of illustrating people and events in the context of the time.

For magazines like The Sketch and The Tatler, which focus more on gossip, fashion and entertainment, their covers capture the zeitgeist, and act as a visual touchstone for the period. We recently had a blitz on Tatler covers from the 1960s, filling in the gaps and can so far share around 225 covers, though there are more to come.

Do have a browse. You'll find models Jean Shrimpton, Celia Hammond and Jill Kennington among the cover girls, and plenty of fun subjects from cocktails to cats and Cartier!

Royals in Italy

Next month, from 7th to 10th April, Their Majesties The King and Queen will undertake State Visits to the Holy See and the Republic of Italy, incorporating Rome and Ravenna.

We thought it would be interesting to have a hunt in the archive to see what we could find on past visits of British royalty to Italy.

You'll see from this selection that we have a good variety from views of Queen Victoria at the Villa Palmieri in Florence in 1888, to an original sketch by Hardy Amies (pictured) for the dress worn by Queen Elizabeth II for her State Visit to the Vatican in 1961.

I Am The Sixties - Pauline Boty

Do check out a new BBC4 documentary, I Am The Sixties, the first film about pop art sensation Pauline Boty. The programme tracks her original contribution to British art, her feminism, and her position at the fulcrum of 1960s celebrity culture before her career was cut tragically short in 1966 by her premature death at the age of 28.

The programme builds on the revival of interest in her work over the last decade, and features contributors including Sir Peter Blake and Jim Moir. We were delighted to provide several images of Boty taken by Roger Mayne - a photographer always at the heart of cultural happenings - for inclusion in the programme.

See our full selection of Pauline Boty images here. I Am the Sixties is available to view on BBC iPlayer now.

Age of Elegance

Two fantastic royal exhibitions are set to dazzle visitors to London this spring. Newly open is Dress Codes at Kensington Palace which uses a number of garments from the Royal Ceremonial Dress Collection to explore the messages conveyed by clothes.

Go to see a range of royal fashion ensembles including a rare bodice from the 1860s belonging to Queen Victoria, a natty tartan suit from the wardrobe of the Duke of Windsor, and matching Liberty print dresses worn by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret Rose in the 1930s.

Also on display is a spectacular court dress by Reville from 1929, and a Worth debutante gown from 1958 (the last year that debutantes were presented at court).

A fascinating phenomenon from another age, we've pulled together our extensive material on debutantes, court presentations and the essential fashions recommended for taking part in the 'Season'.

Dress Codes is at Kensington Palace until 30th November

Over at Buckingham Palace, The Edwardians - Age of Elegance, will take visitors on a journey through the glamorous world of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, sharing objects and art that reflect the tastes of the period from Faberge collectibles to diamond necklaces.

We are Edwardian experts here at the library with a broad range of images on royalty, society, events, fashion, entertainment, politics and leisure. You can view a selection of Edwardian hits via this link.

Edwardians – Age of Elegance is at the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace from 11th April to 23rd November.

Joanie Latest

Our collaboration with Joanie Clothing, the fabulous online purveyor of groovy retro wear, continues with the arrival of two more T-shirts using vintage slogans from our archive. Working with the company is a real delight and much more than a straightforward licensing transaction with an exchange of ideas between us and the Joanie team resulting in some covetable designs. Choose from 'Let's Parlez Franglais' in navy, or 'The Birds and the Bees' in cream with orange trim.

www.joanieclothing.com.