I spent the morning with a fellow library student touring Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, which is a short walk from our dorms. We got the opportunity to see some behind-the-scenes action, because during the tour inside the theatre, the stage-hands were busy setting the stage for the production that afternoon. It was interesting to learn the history of the building, and the tips for which areas were better seats. I was pleased to learn that you can pack a picnic and bring it to the show. We were also allowed to take pictures. It was also informative about society during Shakespeare's time; for example, we learned that, since there was no indoor plumbing at the time, a bucket was passed around in the audience, for bathroom purposes (ewww).
http://www.shakespeares-globe.org/
That afternoon we visited the National Art Library and the Victoria & Albert Museum. Our tour guide was Francis, a librarian, who showed us the Account desk, Reading room, Periodicals, Special Collections & Manuscripts, the collection of Sales & Exhibition catalogs, and the 3 galleries which contain most of the book collection. She also led us through the staff section, where they catalog items and order acquisitions.
They use Dewey classification for most of the book collection, but organize other items such as the exhibition catalogs by Country, Catalog, Year, or Size. The Victoria & Albert Museum was founded in 1852, but the library was established in 1837 at the Somerset House, then relocated to the museum once it was founded. The catalog they utilize is the Horizon system, which allows patrons to search by subject, artist, serial number, or exhibition year.
We also got the opportunity to see, touch, and photograph some rare books, including: the Journal of Henry Cole (curator of the museum), the Universal Catalog of Books on Art, The Hypnophotackiophile (not sure about the spelling, but it was published in 1444), but most importantly, Jonathan Swift's annotated copies of Gulliver's Travels, a simile of Leonardo Da Vinci's sketchbook, and corrected proofs, in Charles Dickens's handwriting, of David Copperfield.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/nal/
I then went to the Natural History Museum for a brief visit with another library student, where we got to see some amazing gemstones on display, as well as the Natural Disaster and Global Warming areas, and the prehistoric dinosaurs.
That evening I had Fish & Chips with mushy peas at Black Friar Pub off of Fleet St. with a couple of library students.
For more on Black Friar pub: http://www.pubs.com/pub_details.cfm?ID=154
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