July 22: Barbican Library

On Wednesday, we visited another public library (yay!): the Barbican Library.

 

  

The Barbican Library is the largest library in the City of London (the 1.12-square-mile city/district within the metropolis of London that is considered the original part of the city). The library resides in the Barbican Centre. According to its website, the Barbican Centre is "Europe's largest multi-arts and conference venue presenting a diverse range of art, music, theatre, dance, film and creative learning events. It is also home to the London Symphony Orchestra."

According to our tour guides, the library is just a tenant here...not really part of the Centre. This seems to have a mixed result: people coming to another event at the Centre may discover the library as well, and even when the library is closed, customers can still access the automated library return and a couple of the library's computers just outside the door.

There are also opportunities to encounter famous people: we were told that Benedict Cumberbatch was in the building, rehearsing for Hamlet.

But then the library is also tucked away in the complex (and on the complex's website), making it a little hard to find. Also, the library isn't completely closed off. The main floor of the library is really a mezzanine open to one of the Centre entrances downstairs. There was a graduation at the Centre that day, so there were crowds (or what sounded like crowds) of people milling around and talking downstairs, which got distracting at times. But there was also a jazz band playing a little later. I wouldn't mind visiting a library and browsing the stacks or reading with some live jazz playing in the background.

 

The library has a unique mix of customers. Very few people actually live in the City of London--only about 9,000. But over 330,000 work in the City, and the library caters mostly to those customers (it lends out a lot of nonfiction). The library is working on building its children customer base with lots of programs. In fact, we were only able to peek our heads in the Children's Library because they had a STEM program on that day.

We did sit down at some point to hear from a member of the Children's Library staff about the programs offered there. (They provided refreshments. More cookies! I'm starting to think that all public libraries do this. I must remember this for when I work in one.) The children's library hosts visits from local schools and nurseries for rhyme times, story times, and other programs (the kids can also take out books during these visits). The Children's Library also hosts a summer reading program, reading groups for three age ranges, as well as after school clubs. The library also participates in a Book Start program, similar to Edinburgh Library's, where children receive packets of books at birth and at preschool age. They also have a Reading to Succeed program, where they pair young readers with adult partners to help improve their literacy skills.

Because it is in the middle of an arts center, the library has an extensive arts collection, as well as a music library. I thought it interesting that both public libraries we visited had music libraries. Like the Edinburgh Central library's Music Library, the Barbican Music Library has exhibition space. They had an exhibit on the BBC Music Library when we visited.

The library has an extensive collection of music books, magazines, scores, CDs, and DVDs on topics ranging from playing technique to the latest pop stars. The library boasts a large collection of magazines from musical societies, which they often get for free because the societies see it as an opportunity for free advertising. And the library has a collection, called Unsigned London, of CDs by local artists who have not signed with a label. It also provides practice pianos and listening booths for customers to use.

Like the Edinburgh Central Library, the Barbican charges a fee for customers to "borrow" CDs and DVDs. Unlike Edinburgh, the Barbican doesn't have a Concession level of membership, so everyone pays the same...which is fair, I suppose. I did ask whether customers who couldn't afford the fees would be able to listen or watch an item in the library. Customers may listen to a CD at one of the listening booths for free. However, because of licensing agreements, they are not allowed to watch a DVD in the library for free, as it would be considered a "broadcast" and he library would have to pay a fee. There is an exception for video tutorials: legislation requires that libraries provide educational material for free. Our guides told us that, if there was such legislation for all media, they probably wouldn't be able to afford their collection.

This, and other conversations that day, had me thinking about access--especially as I think about my research into public library services for customers who are homeless or economically disadvantaged. It seems most public libraries in the UK charge fees for access to CDs and DVDs. In addition, many of the children's programs and access to the catalog (at least when accessed from outside the library) are restricted to library members only. Membership is easy to obtain...as long as you have an address.

The Barbican Library does provide ways around this: children who attend school in the city can apply for membership, and some local shelters, hostels, and community centers will provide letters to vouch for their clients. And anyone can come in and use (most of) the materials and access the catalog and computers in the library for free. Unlike Edinburgh Central Library, the Barbican Library doesn't have different levels of membership, and they don't have any policies for waiving borrowing or late fees. But they don't seem to see this as restricting access to some people. The people I spoke with saw this as providing equal service to everyone--a level playing field. The same rules apply to everyone. Which, I suppose, is the whole idea behind a public library: to provide equal access to the same information and education. Though, when access to certain resources is tied to an address or fees, which not everyone has access to, I don't know how level that is. There's lots to think about here.

July 15: Edinburgh Central Library

This was one of my favorite days—for two reasons. This was our first official visit to a public library in the UK. It was also the last class before my birthday…which led to one of the most, if not THE most, memorable moments of the whole trip for me.

While we waited for our visit to officially begin, the professors presented me with a birthday card that everyone had signed, and then everyone sang Happy Birthday...only, because we were in the Edinburgh Public Library, they had to whisper it!

I will never forget this chorus of 20+ librarians whispering Happy Birthday to me in the entrance to the Edinburgh Central Library. It. Was. Awesome. 

 Photo courtesy of Dr. Welsh, taken by Dr. Griffis.

Anyway…back to business: the Edinburgh Central Library.

 Entrance to the Edinburgh Central Library. This is a Carnegie Library. Andrew Carnegie insisted that any library he funded have the words “Let There Be Light” placed above the entrance.

First, we broke into three groups for a tour of the library. Later, we met back in a conference room for refreshments (I love public libraries!) and some presentations. 

One of the things I like about the layout of this building is that the Children’s Library is separate from the rest of the library. There’s a room for each age group, plus a separate craft room for messy activities and events. Kids can practice being quiet (or not, depending on the activity) without being disruptive to (or disrupted by) adult library users elsewhere in the building. Each room is decorated to inspire the imagination. The room for children under 5 has illustrations on the walls and windows by Catherine Rayner, and the room for those aged 5 to 11 has circular cut-outs in the walls that the children can curl up and read in. (I might have tried it if I were certain I’d be able to get back out.)

The main floor houses the Lending department. This department houses all materials for every subject except music, art, and Edinburgh/Scotland (these materials each have their own departments elsewhere). Everything is available to borrow. Our guide explained that, in the past, you would have had to go up to a huge counter and tell a member of staff what you wanted. Now, the shelves are arranged using retail principles, with certain items on display to catch a reader’s eye, and patrons can help themselves.

The Reference department holds the same types of collections as the Lending department. This room serves as the main study space, but also as a function room after hours—staff will move the tables out of the way to hold functions here. 

While much of the catalog is digitized, some items are still in the original catalog, which is kept along one wall.

There’s a special Art and Design Library upstairs that houses all materials related to fine arts, painting, sculpture, etc. This space is a combination lending and reference library that also has display space for showcasing original artists. We weren’t able to see this space, but our guide told us that the library has a special collection of Japanese works—the Dyer Collection—which includes a 40-foot scroll of Tokyo. There are images of it on the library’s Capital Collections site.

The Music Library just opened in May 2014 (my pictures of this area are too blurry). This department contains various media covering all genres of music—even whale music. They have books and films about music and musicians, sheet music, and full orchestral scores that local orchestras and choirs can borrow (up to 80 scores per concert). The Music Library has a unique mix of music-related materials in its collection: a rare collection of 18^th century Scottish bagpipe music, instructions for Edinburgh country dances, and memorabilia from the mid-20^th century Edinburgh Jazz scene. (The Edinburgh Jazz Festival was set to begin that weekend. I wish I’d been there to see it.) A Holocaust survivor, who also served as cantor in a synagogue in Edinburgh, even donated his sheet music to the collection. There’s also a performance diary in which local groups can promote upcoming performances, and the library has a digital piano and a computer with a piano keyboard for those who want to come in and play or compose music.

This is mostly a lending collection, though patrons are charged a fee to “borrow” video and audio recordings. I asked whether those who couldn’t afford it had a way to view or listen to the materials in the building. Our guide just said that seniors and those unemployed were classified as “Concession” status (it’s a different level of membership) and could borrow items at a discount (which still isn’t free…). 

The Edinburgh and Scottish Collection is housed on a lower level and is filled with ephemera…concert programs, maps, prints, and newspaper clippings. Our guide told us that the librarians used to go through the paper every morning and clip stories related to Edinburgh. The collection has Gaelic language courses, laminated maps for hill walking, and photos of Highland life. And it has voters’ rolls and tax registers, documents from Scottish Parliament, a collection of graveyard inscriptions, and other Scottish genealogy materials. 

******************************

After our tours, we all returned to a meeting room for tea, coffee, and cookies (even the shortbread sandwich cookies with the jam in the middle; I LOVE those) while we listened to some presentations. 

I realize this post is already painfully long (there’s just too much good stuff!), so I’ll try and just recap key things from the presentations:

Collection Development

Karen O’Brien talked about the library’s collections and shared some great advice:

• Look for materials that will add value to the collection for years to come
• Collect items of national value
• Don’t purchase or accept things you know you can’t take care of
• Collect in all formats
• Conservation: if you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything
• If you’re lucky, some important collections may draw money to support their own preservation
• Use media whenever you can, let the public know about your collections, and make them fun and easy to use

Developing Business to Develop Readership

Sarah Forteath, the Library’s Business Development Manager, talked about some key initiatives she is proud of. These are the ones I found most interesting:

• Partnering with Dyslexia Scotland to put on events to raise awareness and attract more people to the library, where there are special collections and programs for people of all ages with dyslexia (e.g., Chatterbooks reading groups for kids aged 8-12)
• The Reading Rainbows Program, a book-gifting program that provides gift bags with two books for each 4-year-old in the city; the library partners with Children and Families to distribute these bags to nurseries in areas of deprivation; the libraries also conduct activities and events around these books
 

Digital Initiatives

Alison Stoddart spoke about the library’s dedicated digital team (which includes a staff photographer) and the technology the library utilizes to organize its collections, provide access, and advertise its services.

The libraries in Edinburgh are part of City of Edinburgh Council, so the library’s primary web presence is a page with basic information on the council’s website. (This has been the case in all the public libraries I’ve researched here: the library is presented and, it seems, treated as one of the many services provided by the local council—not as a stand-alone entity, like you might find in the US. You seem to end up with less information on the web—and access to online library resources for visitors who aren’t library members—but more connectivity and inclusion with the rest of the services in the town.) To remedy the lack of information and access, the team developed Your Library, which provides links to the library's online services and collections.

The library uses free media, like Eventbrite, and social media sites (Facebook, Twitter) to advertise its services and events online. Alison said that a key to breaking down any resistance to the use of these methods is to get the staff involved in populating these sites.

The library also has a blog, Tales of One City, which keeps readers up-to-date on what’s going on at the library. I’ve been following it, and they post something every few days. They inspire a lot of excitement for the unique collections and programs the library has to offer. They just published a story about a set of World War I scrapbooks found in the collection. The library was able to find out who donated them and where the family is now. Such a cool story. 

In addition, the team is working hard to digitize the library’s collections. The library has a website, called Our Town Stories, which provides a curated narrative of the Edinburgh historical collection. 

As I mentioned earlier, the library also has a Capital Collections site. This site gets over 100,000 visitors a year, and the library even sells images through this site.

Edinburgh Collected is a site where people can contribute their own personal memories and photos to the library’s digital collection. There’s also a mobile version so members can contribute photos and stories as they happen. What a great way to get people involved in making connections and contributing to local history!

July 9: National Maritime Museum Library and Archive

There was a tube and train strike on Thursday, but it didn't affect us much, as the class took a Thames River boat down to Greenwich for a visit to the National Maritime Museum Library and Archive.

We were split up into two groups again. My group started with a look at some of the the items in the archives. Among the many items on display, Mike Bevan, the Archive Manager, showed us some materials related to a sea captain named Henry George Kendall, to show us how these materials would be of use to a researcher coming to the library and archives. The archive has Kendall's extra master certificate (there was no formal qualification process for mariners until the mid-19th century).

The archive also has a letter from Kendall requesting a duplicate certificate, as the original was lost when his ship was torpedoed and sunk.

These documents can be extremely helpful for those researching their family histories, as the documents can list vessels the person served on, key events that took place on those vessels, the person's home address, and even a physical description of them. If you go on Ancestry.com, the digital collection of master certificates available there come from the National Maritime Museum! I almost wish I had some maritime history in my family. One could certainly learn a lot of detail about their ancestors here.

Many visitors to the library and archives are family historians researching their genealogy, while others are professional researchers and writers. The library has a video on its web page (I couldn't embed it here) that features library users explaining what they like about the library and its collection.

One of my classmates asked Mr. Bevan about his background: how had he come to work as a librarian at a maritime museum? Did he have a particular interest or background in the subject? His answer was no; his career path serendipitously wound its way there. This shouldn't have come as a surprise. I've heard so many similar stories since I started my master's program--of librarians who started in one type of library and switched to another with little background knowledge. Learning is just part of the job. 


At the museum, the librarians and archivists teach themselves and each other about the collection: each staff member writes an item for the Item of the Month feature on its website once a year and one or two blog posts for the library's blog. I'm looking forward to being part of a profession where you are encouraged to learn as you go, and there's always something new to learn and pass on.

July 6: St. Paul's Cathedral Library

I left my heart in the library of St. Paul's Cathedral...

...and my camera in Stratford-upon-Avon. So, photos for the next few posts have been kindly donated by classmates or borrowed from the Internet.

Joseph Wisdom, the Librarian, showed us around St. Paul's Cathedral Library. He was lovely. He didn't just talk about the collection, but reminded us (well, me, anyway) of the purpose and philosophy behind library service.

We started in the Cathedral itself, where he pointed out a carving above a large wooden door leading to the library upstairs. The carving is of a book (presumably the Bible) with a heart above it, perhaps conveying the idea that the message of the Gospel needs to be given with love, or there's no point. Mr. Wisdom said that that is true of any type of service. In anything we do, we should do it with love.

Then, he brought us up a long spiral staircase to the upper floor--the BBC was there, setting up to film a memorial service in honor of victims of the July 7, 2005 bombing.

The library/archive of St. Paul's Cathedral collects any materials, artifacts, and even ideas related to the Cathedral, conceptually. The library operates under separate legislation from that governing a museum. It follows the direction of the Church...to a point. For example, if the Church decides to have an exhibit and hires outside contractors to set up the display, Mr. Wisdom must sometimes insert himself into the conversation and place limits or make suggestions to ensure that items from the collection are kept in safe condition. Sometimes they'll have to change the display conditions or create copies of the items instead.

We passed through a large, open area upstairs that is serving, for the moment, as a holding area for certain items. Then we went into a room--the original "library in the north tower"--that houses a huge, working model of a design created by Christopher Wren when he was pitching his ideas for the Cathedral. The design was rejected, because it looked too much like St. Peter's Basilica and they wanted something a bit less...Catholic.

Image from https://www.stpauls.co.uk/history-collections/the-collections/the-library. Model of cathedral design in the center.

Then we saw it. The "library in the south tower."

What do you think of when you think "old English library?" That's exactly what it looks like. Shelves and shelves of ancient texts, busts on tabletops, furniture from various periods. And as we walked through the doors, the Cathedral bells began to ring. Seriously.

Image from https://www.stpauls.co.uk/history-collections/the-collections/the-library. 

It even smelled important and historical. Actually, Mr. Wisdom pointed out that what we were smelling--"eau de bibliotheque"--was the smell of decaying leather. So, while many of us enjoyed the smell, it's actually not good for the collection. They try to control the environment as much as possible. Food and drink--even plants--are forbidden in the library, as they can bring in or attract bugs that eat starch. Bug traps are set up everywhere, and temperature and light are controlled. They even limit the numbers of people allowed in at a time.

And yet, as fancy as the library is, it is open to anyone. Anyone is welcome to come and use the library, from the most important scholars to the "common folk."

The library has no classification, to speak of. The large books are shelved toward the bottom, and the small ones are shelved toward the top. They are sort of grouped by subject, but they aren't organized any more than that. Mr. Wisdom commented on how we librarians (or librarians-to-be) like to systematize everything to the minutest detail, but that that's not always realistic. The goal is to make the collection accessible. It's a good reminder to me not to forget about the forest when I'm busy trying to rearrange the trees

Image from https://www.stpauls.co.uk/history-collections/the-collections/the-library. 

He also taught us the proper way to remove a book from a shelf. You don't grab from the top of the spine (or you'll eventually pull the spine off). Instead, you're supposed to push the books on either side in, place fingertips on either side of the book, and pull the volume toward you.

So, now you know.

July 2: Royal Geographical Society

In the afternoon, we visited the Royal Geographical Society (RGS).

Statue of Ernest Shackleton outside the RGS. 

There's a statue of David Livingstone on the other side of the building.

The RGS was founded in 1830, according to its website, to "promote the advancement of geographical science." The RGS collects data from field expeditions. In its earlier days, it sponsored major expeditions (led by Shackleton, Scott, Livingstone, and Hillary, to name a few), so it has special collections of those. The RGS still funds some expeditions. It also publishes materials and provides educational programs. Staff members even write educational inserts for cruise companies.

We were brought into the Society's library, which has been in its current location since 2004. There used to be separate libraries for maps, pictures, books, etc., with separate catalogs for each. Now, all the collections are housed together, organized into one catalog (which is available online), and the staffs have been brought into one library.

The library houses well over 2 million items (they really don't know because there are just so many), comprising around 1 million maps, 500,000 images, 250,000 bound volumes, and 500 boxes of archived materials. 

Eugene Rae, the Principle Librarian, talked us through a "hot and cold showcase" set out on the tables in the library, so named because the display had artifacts from African expeditions on one side and polar expeditions on the other. We were not allowed to take photographs of the collection, so I only have the images above of the outside of the building. I was so disappointed, because I would have loved to have shown my brother pictures of:

-  A compass used by David Livingstone during an expedition to find the source of the Nile.

- The hat Livingstone was wearing when he was found by Henry Stanley in 1871.

- Stanley's hat from that meeting, along with a pair of his boots from his expedition to find the source of the Congo in 1874.

- A sextant used by John Hanning Speke when he discovered Lake Victoria and the source of the Nile.

- A pair of Inuit boots and sun visors brought back by William Parry from an expedition to find the Northwest passage in 1924.

- A fox collar used by the McClintock Arctic Expedition, whose purpose was to track down the lost Franklin Arctic Expedition. The idea was that McClintock's men would catch foxes, put these collars on them, and somehow the foxes would help them find the lost explorers. Yeah...it didn't work.

- Ernest Shackleton's balaclava helmet from his 1901-1904 expedition to the Antarctic.

- The Bible Shackleton had with him during his 1914 expedition.

- Some items (boots, wristwatch, penknife) found on the mummified remains of George Mallory, who died near the top of Mount Everest in 1924. His body was discovered by an American film crew in 1999. 

 

Eugene said that he learns about items in the collection as he lends them out (many of these artifacts travel the world as parts of various exhibits). It must be amazing to have this, sort of, "history of adventure" at your fingertips all the time.

July 2: British Museum Arcives

On Thursday morning, we visited the British Museum and toured the archives.

Fun Fact: The round room at the center of the Great Court of the museum, shown above, used to be the reading room for the British Library, before it moved in 1973. It's closed while they figure out what to do with the space, but you can click here to see what it looks like inside.

Francesca Hillier, the museum archivist, took us down into the basement of the museum to see the archives. I think this was my favorite tour so far--not necessarily because of the collection, but because I got a sense of her professional approach to the haphazard collection she's inherited.

The museum was founded in 1753, but it has only had a professional archivist for the last 15 years. The archives consist of a chain of rooms of shelving, containing documents and materials dating back to the when a board was first convened to create the museum.

The earliest letters and minutes of the museum's first board of trustees are bound together in volumes, without any apparent reasoning for why certain items were chosen or bound together. The documents are all different sizes and are taped in in places. If someone requests a copy of one of these items, Francesca has to cut them out in order to make a copy. Not all like documents are bound together. There are sets of volumes organized by "Departments in General," "Departments in Particular," and by specific department.

After 1914, documents were boxed (not in archive-quality boxes). These contain things such as lists of heads of department, copies of Acts of Parliament that govern the museum, agreements for purchasing items, details on arrangements for exhibitions, excavation records (including one signed by Lawrence of Arabia), requests for funding for expeditions. Francesca mentioned one document where a person applied for funding to purchase guns and ammunition to protect their finds from the locals (this was in the Middle East, I think); the funding was granted.

The archive holds records for the British Library reading room (they're not kept at the library). There are reading card applications from John Lennon, Karl Marx, and Oscar Wilde, among many others. We were able to see Bram Stoker's reading card (I wasn't able to snap a picture in time). There are shelves of rolled-up maps and other images, because they are too large to fit elsewhere in the space.

You can tell this archive is rich in material, it just isn't organized in a way that people can find anything, because the museum never had a professional who knew the proper way to do it. Nothing is digitized or cataloged, so there's no way of knowing all that the archive contains. They're at the very beginning stages of creating an online catalog of the archive. Francesca was professional in her talk, but I couldn't help but get a sense of how frustrating it must be to be responsible for archiving such a huge, haphazardly organized mass of materials using different storage modes--few of them archive quality.

Many of the queries Francesca receives concern the provenance of an object in the collection or challenges to the museum's ownership of an object. Because there is no catalog to speak of, and various items are bound or boxed in different places, she must search by hand through the most likely places and hope she can find something. This makes it incredibly hard to prove whether the museum actually owns certain items or whether they were acquired by other means. Because it is challenged so often, Francesca has a section of shelving dedicated to records on the sculptures from the Parthenon, so at least she knows where they are.

Francesca is the only archivist. She manages the archive with the help of one or two helpers.

And this is just the central archive. Each department has its own archive just as haphazardly organized, with no professional librarian/archivist. Francesca provides guidance to the departments on how to archive their documents, so that the organization will be consistent from department to department.

Because the museum is primarily an object-based collection, it is less concerned with the documents below, which provide valuable information about them...if  one could find them. With limited funding, cramped archive space, and miles of materials to sort through, Francesca has her work cut out for her. Though, she seems to have the mettle to advocate for her department and steer the museum toward a more organized, well-cared-for archive.

July 1: London Library

On Wednesday afternoon, we visited the London Library.

I recognized the building when we came upon it, as I'd seen it in an illustration and read a description in the book The Professor and the Madman as the place where the idea for what was to be the Oxford English Dictionary was first introduced. (Before our London adventures began, we each had to read two books and write reviews of them. This was one of the books I reviewed.) In its early days, only two or three societies were allowed to meet at the library, and the Philological Society was one of them. It was at one of their meetings at the library that a member gave a talk and proposed the creation of a comprehensive English dictionary. 

The London Library was founded in 1841. It is a subscription lending library, serving around 700 members. Some members come in frequently, and some never come at all; this library will e-mail or mail copies of some materials to its members. From what our tour guide, Mary, said, it sounds like the staff there really develop a relationship with the members and consider their preferences and habits when making decisions about acquisitions and things. Nonmembers may still come and get a day or week ticket to see something in the collection, as long as they can make a case that the item cannot be found anywhere else.

The library has over 72 miles of shelving containing 800 volumes, some dating back to the 16th century. The older shelving was interesting (if not a little nerve-racking). The stacks rest on floors of metal grating (made from American steel, which my brother would appreciate) that clatter as you walk across them. Mary said that this actually helps with air circulation and, in the case of flooding, the rooms drain and dry out more quickly to minimize damage. They are carrying the grating motif throughout the newer additions to the library, to blend the old with the new. 

The London Library came to be because Thomas Carlyle, supported by Dickens, Tennyson, and others, were unhappy with the reading room at the British Museum. Much of the collection is donated, and major (and famous) benefactors' portraits hang on the walls of the staircase throughout the building. There is even a portion of the building called T.S. Elliot House. Elliot was a president of the London Library until his death, and his wife bequeathed a great amount when she died.

The library is in the middle of a capital campaign, in an effort to update and expand the building. As it stands, the library has six floors in the central building and seven floors at the back.

The library has its own classification scheme, which it neat, but can make searching tricky. Some of the materials are still cataloged in the old, bound catalogs (pictured below), not online, so a librarian often has to search in both places. In addition, while they want to stay true to the original catalog, they must modify it slightly to accommodate modern topics. You can see in the second picture how they are still using the older catalog volumes and writing in modifications.

  

While the library restricts itself to its membership (which I'm not always a fan of, when it comes to libraries), the London Library does seem to accommodate anyone who wants to see its unique materials. As hot as it was that day, the library felt inviting, welcoming anyone to come see the treasures it holds, and a quiet place to enjoy them.