Dublin, Ireland-The Book of Kells at Trinity College, Dublin Writer’s Museum, and a Humorous Bus Tour 7-25-08

This was the first day of my mini-break not spent traveling. I, with several other library students, decided to go spend a couple of nights in Dublin, which basically included one full day. We got up that morning and met up to take the Double Decker tour bus through Dublin. We were going to use it mainly for transportation between places we wanted to visit, but the driver/tour guide on that particular bus was very entertaining, so we ended up riding it all the way around, which gave us a chance to see a good bit of Dublin and learn some of the history there. We then went to the Dublin Writer’s Museum and got the chance to see original letters, photos, and other personal effects of some of Ireland’s more well-known writers, and quite a few writers that I had not heard of before. Some of the writers included in the exhibit were: Jonathan Swift, Abraham ‘Bram’ Stoker, Oscar Wilde, George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, George Moore, Samuel Beckett, and Elizabeth Bowen.

For more information about the Dublin Writers' Museum, go to: http://www.writersmuseum.com/museum.asp

Then we took the bus back down and across the river to Trinity College, where the “Book of Kells” is kept on display. We paid a pretty hefty entrance fee, but figured it was worth it since this was probably the only opportunity we would ever have to see the book up close. Apparently we picked a bad day/time to visit the exhibit, because it was packed with other tourists, every one of which wanted to stand around the glass case that housed the book, along with three other manuscripts, and remain there as long as possible. I don’t blame them for wanting to get a closer long look at these items, but the exhibit case was not that big and there were a lot of people waiting for their turn. I made my way into the crowd to get a peek at these amazingly beautiful and ornately detailed manuscripts, then I went up the stairs to the Long Room, which is the main part of the old Trinity College Library. The old library is beautiful, with two stories of book cases full of old leather-bound books, and the main walk lined by marble busts of Ireland’s famous writers (one of such was Jonathan Swift), artists, musicians, politicians, etc. There is also a case with the oldest surviving harp in Ireland in it, from the 15th century. Apparently this is the harp that is represented on Irish coin money.

For more on the Book of Kells, please see: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/heritage/kells.php
For more on the Long Room, please see: http://www.tcd.ie/Library/heritage/longroom.php

Holyrood Park, The Museum of Childhood, and the Underground Tour 7-23-08

This morning we took a bus out to Edinburgh, then walked down the Royal Mile to the Holyrood Palace and made our way across to the Holyrood Park. I was with 3 other library students, as we climbed up the mountainside towards Arthur’s Seat. It was a bit of a climb, and unfortunately I did not make it all the way to the top, but I did make it ¾ of the way up, and stopped at a cliff-side to admire the view. As I was taking the view of Edinburgh and the Strait beyond that, I thought that it would be a great time to call my mom, who was just waking up, as it was 6 am in Mississippi. It was a beautiful view and I just wanted to share the moment with someone I loved.

The other three library students returned after their descent from the top, and we made our way back down and then back up the Royal Mile to the Museum of Childhood. Although some were not as impressed by the displays, I found the number of items in their collection impressive, and the condition of the toys, for the most part, was pretty good. I was sad that some of their interactive games were not functioning, as were a few other children that I saw visiting the museum. There was a display of children’s novels, and one of the books included was “Alice in Wonderland”. There were some unusual toys, including one doll based on the book “Struwwelpeter”, which looked like it might have been the inspiration for Tim Burton’s “Edward Scissorhands”.

For more about the Museum of Childhood, along with other museums in Edinburgh, go to: http://www.cac.org.uk/

That evening I met with another library student and we went on a tour of Edinburgh’s underground city. It was pretty cheesy, and touristy, but we did get to hear some good “ghost” stories and did get to view and walk through a small portion of the underground.

Glasgow, Scotland- University of Strathclyde & Bridge Library- 7-22-08

We took a bus from Edinburgh to Glasgow for a day trip to the University of Strathclyde. The first part of the day was a combination of lectures and discussions from Dr. David McMenemy (Course Director for MSC Information & Library Studies at the University), Christine Rooney-Browne (Graduate Student doing research at the University), Alan Poulter, and Alan Dorset (from the Centre for Digital Library Research).

Dr. McMenemy began by giving us some history and statistics on libraries in the area. He told us that although the University of Strathclyde opened under that name in 1964, it began in 1796 as Anderson's Institution. They currently have 25,000 students, with 50 % of the students being library students. The university has been teaching library science for 60 years. There are 4,515 public libraries total in the UK, and 846 academic libraries. The public libraries in the UK are legally obligated to provide a "comprehensive and efficient" public library service for any one who lives, works, or studies in the community, due to a Public Libraries and Museums Act. All of the publicly funded libraries are governed by parliaments. He is currently researching how to reduce the significant drop in borrowing statistics, how to attract non-users, how to reduce the digital divide, how to reduce the issue of non-professionalism in the workplace, and how to measure services effectively.

Christine Rooney-Browne then discussed her research. She is currently trying to create a way of measuring the social value a public library has to the community it serves. She gave the examples of using the library as a place to break cultural barriers, a place to give the elderly an escape from loneliness, and using the library as a place of support, particularly after a natural disaster. She explained that currently the statistics on libraries only show the economic values determined by things such as Government Audits and Contingent Values. She says that the Social Values should be just as important, if not more important in measuring the value of a library to its community, and that these Social Values could be measured by Social Impact Audits and Self-Assessment toolkits. She also is in the process of conducting surveys and Quantitative Research to record the results of libraries in different situations and areas.

Alan Poulter then discussed FRILLS (Forensic Readiness for Local Libraries in Scotland). He said that they offer IT training, online/CD/DVD courses, and they address the "Digital Divide". They have enforced an Acceptable Use Policy and done reviews, surveys, and interviews to get input on how to improve it.

Alan Dorset then wrapped the lecture up by discussing the Centre for Digital Library Research. It opened in 2000, and it is set up online at http://cdlr.strath.ac.uk. They have set up several online reference resources, including: BUBL, CAIRNS, Glasgow Digital Library, Shaman, and AILT4. He then showed us the sites and how they were set up to find things.

After lunch we then visited the Library at the Bridge. The Library at the Bridge opened in July 2006, so it is still new, but so far, the positive effects it has had on the community outweighs the few problems that they have had with scheduling and other problems that have come up due to the combining of several different ideas under one roof. It is a partnership of Glasgow City Council, Culture and Sport Glasgow, John Wheatley College, and the Greater Easterhouse Arts Company. The community was in need of a positive force to encourage and enlighten them. The Bridge Complex contains a public pool and recreation area, a multipurpose conference room that can be converted for stage use, a theatre, a recording studio, a costume workshop, a public library, a community college library, a café, and the college. It offers many options, such as swimming classes, dance classes, concerts, theatrical performances, and other numerous community classes. It is one of the top six best issuing libraries in Scotland. The complex cost 8.5 million pounds to build, so it did not come cheap, but the effect it has had on the community has been worth it. They have 33,820 books currently in stock.

Edinburgh, Scotland-National Library of Scotland & National Archives of Scotland- 7-21-08

Our first tour of the day was at the National Library of Scotland, which is just a short walk down the Royal Mile from the castle. Emma and David were our lecturers/tour guides. We began the tour with a presentation on the history of the John Murray Archive. The collection was developed in 2002, and cost 32.5 million pounds, thanks to John Murray VII. He wanted to make resources more accessible and simpler to the common people. He also wanted to teach people how to use a catalog, research, and read Victorian handwriting.

They hired a curatorial staff, museum curators, and costume-makers to assist with the project. There was a good bit of discussion about how to display manuscripts, what methods would work best to interpret and explain the manuscripts, making them child-friendly or more interactive, as well as the issues of conservation, lighting, height, and environment. They found that labels telling the age and purpose of inclusion, made easier to understand, aesthetically pleasing, and making things relate to current times would benefit users most. They also made things interactive, using light and shadow to highlight items and create dramatic environment. They have done market research and continue to do so by asking for comments or suggestions from visitors.

The Learning Outcomes mentioned were: Knowledge & Understanding, Skills, Attitudes & Values, Enjoyment & Inspiration, Creativity, Activity, Behavior & Progression.

The archive presents documents from 1768-2002, and contains 20,000 authors, with 150,000 items total in the collection. The collection has been built through 7 generations of the Murray family, and all were interested in different subjects: Publishing, literature & poetry, geography, science, and travel. It is the most expensive archive in the world, worth 45 million pounds (1.2 million pounds per item).

We then discussed issues pertaining to conservation, such as repairing and preparing items for use. They are digitizing the collection; they currently have 15,000 images. They are also making copies of documents for travel exhibition purposes.

For more information about the National Library of Scotland or the John Murray collection, please see: http://www.nls.uk/

Our visit that afternoon, after a brief walk through the park below the castle, was to the National Archives of Scotland. Margaret McBride was our tour guide. She gave us a lecture with a power point presentation, then toured us through the facilities. The Archives are a National Government Agency, headed by the Keeper of the Records of Scotland. They are under the responsibility of the Minister for Europe, External Affairs & Culture Department. They are there to promote, preserve, protect, and make accessible all items in the archive. They have 30-40 archivists, 3 buildings, 160 other staff members, and 5 websites.

There are 2 divisions in the archives: The Record Services Department, which keeps Government Records, Court & Legal documents, Private documents, and do Outreach Services; and the Corporate Services Department, which handles Accommodation for tours and such, Financial and Administration services, Information & Computer Technology, Conservation services, and Reader services.

The General Register House cost 12,000 pounds to build in the 1870s. Both the General Register House and West Register House have Reading Rooms, but the Thomas Thomson House is used for storage, binding, cataloging, and conservation purposes only. The conservation area is similar to the Conservation Centre at the British Library, except they also have vacuum tubes for dust removal.

Their functions are to: select public records and decide if they are worth permanent preservation, acquire historical records of national importance, divert, devolve, or transfer records to appropriate repositories, and arrange for disposal, preserve records, promote public access, provide advice, develop a standard archival & record management practice in Scotland, and deploy resources as needed.

They have over 70 kilometres of records beginning with the 12th century. They have an electronic catalog, card/paper catalog, and 5 websites to assist with research. They do ask for feedback to customize services for better customer usage. They also have partnerships with Botanical Gardens, Lifelong Learning Classes, and hold Community Classes for outreach. In the next couple of years they will be reopening as "Scotland's People Centre."

The website for the National Archives of Scotland is: http://www.nas.gov.uk/

Stratford-upon-Avon-Shakespeare Center Library & Archive, Holy Trinity Church, Royal Shakespeare Company's 'Taming of the Shrew'- 7-18-08

We took a bus out to Stratford for a tour of the Shakespeare Centre Library & Archive. Our tour guides were Claire Maffioli, Deputy Head of Catalog, and Jo Wilding, from the Rare collection. We were first shown into the Catalog/Search room, which is located next to the Reading Room. Ms. Maffioli informed us about the details of the collection, explaining that it included sections that were once separate: Records, Library, Local Collection, and Shakespeare Collection. Local information includes items such as maps of Stratford, photos, historic documents, and genealogical information. The Shakespeare information includes collections of The Shakespeare Trust, the Royal Shakespeare Company's collection of production notes and performance programs, criticisms of the productions, prompt books, history of the plays performed by the company, and music used in the productions.

There are some more frequently used and common resources housed in the reading room, but the rest of the collection is contained downstairs in the basement, in closed strongrooms with temperature control, flood and fire protection, and much theft prevention. They have about 3,000 readers visit per year, but over 6,000 inquiries per year by email or telephone. Their patrons include school children, genealogy researchers, people researching real estate, and fans of Shakespearean actors. They have an online catalog, but it only contains things published since 2000. Anything before that is looked up in an old-fashioned card catalog.

I was surprised and saddened to find out that they are not government-funded, but rely on charity for funding and financial support. I feel that this endeavour is something that this country should really cherish and appreciate. The formats of items in the collection include photos, videos, books, periodicals, catalogs, production notes, and theatrical paperwork. They do rely on assistance from volunteers, which would be an excellent opportunity for a student such as myself (hmm, possible future plan). They send all of their Inter-Library Loan requests through the British Library in London. They have over 50,000 books, and subscribe to about 20 periodicals currently. They also participate in community outreach and tours.

We then were shown some amazing items from their rare books collection, thanks to Ms. Wilding. The most amazing item was one of Shakespeare's first folios published in 1623, which they have 3 of in their collection. We also saw a few other items: a 1619 2nd quarto of Midsummer Night's Dream, a 1597 medicinal plants book, a 1661 facsimile of Bottom's Midsummer Night's Dream play review, a playbill from a 1692 production of Faerie Queen, a 1716 copy of "Pyramus & Thisbe," a 1889 photo of Francis Benson, other 1889 photos from a Midsummer Night's Dream production at Swan Theatre, a 1550 Edward Hall book that could have been used as reference by William Shakespeare, a 1587 Hollingshead book, a 1603 pocket atlas, a 1572 map of London, a 1658 Topp's Bestiary, a 1951 Henry VI Angus McBain photo, and a 1879 poster for Much Ado About Nothing production. This visit was a definite highlight in my life.

I then saw Shakespeare's Birthplace, although I did not tour it. I did make it to the Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare is buried, but the church had closed before we got there. We had a lovely walk along the Avon and then met at the Courtyard Theatre for a modern interpretation of "Taming of the Shrew" performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. We got back into London late from a long day, but I was so content and fulfilled with the day and I know that it will be something I will always remember.

For more information about the library, homes, and theatrical productions in Shakespeare's Stratford-upon-Avon, please see: http://www.shakespeare.org.uk/

Oxford, England- The Bodleian Library, English Faculty Library of Oxford University, and Eagle & Child pub visit 7-17-08

We took a train to Oxford for a day trip to visit the Bodleian Library. We got to see a lot of the behind the scenes operations at the library, which was amazing. The college is self-governed, with 125 other colleges in the University. It was first opened in 1220 as a divinity school taught by friars, and became a teaching college in 1750.

The library's history is fascinating. It originally started as a library in 1320, in what is now a vestry and meeting room for the church. Between 1424-1488, Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester, donated over 281 manuscripts, and a new library was added to house them. This library is now in the second floor of the Divinity School. Duke Humfrey's Library was then cleaned out in 1550 by a visiting Dean of the Christ Church. Sir Thomas Bodley visited the library in the 1590s and then offered the library money to refurbish the collection as well as repair the building. A collection of over 2,500 books were added and a librarian was hired. It opened in 1602, with a printed catalog made available in 1605. In between 1634-1637, another extension was built called Selden End, after John Selden, who donated 8,000 book. Dr. John Radcliffe then left funding to purchase land for a new building, books, and a librarian, so in between 1737-1749, the Radcliffe Camera was built (this is the building most people see pictures of and think is the Bodleian, it is pictured above). It was not until 1860 that the Radcliffe and Bodleian were combined.

In the early 1900s there were an average of 100 people using the library per day, and by the end of the 1800s there were over 1 million books in the collection. Between 1909-1912, the underground storage area was created for shelving. This was the first of its kind.

The class was split up into 2 groups for our tour of the Bodliean, and, luckily, I was on the "super-deluxe tour", because our guide, Mr. John Cross took us to see many parts of the library.

He took us to the Duke Humfrey Library, and explained that the Coat of Arms created for and displayed in the library had an open book and Latin words for "God is my illumination." He explained that all of the books contained in the original collection were chained to the bookcase to keep them from being stolen. He then took us into the Radcliffe Camera and gave us a tour of the first floor reading room, and informed us that there were some computers in the middle for research use and some "ready-reference" items also available for quick access. The catalog does an author search only, so the research must know detailed information particular to what they are searching for. He then lead us to the underground stacks beneath the camera, where he explained that the Bodliean was the first legal repository in England, so they have everything published in England from 1610 to the present. He then took us through the underground tunnel that connects the camera to the main library building, and showed us the vacuum tubes that book requests were made through before electronic means were available. He also showed us the mechanical conveyor system that routed books through the underground tunnel from one part of the library to another, and the lift that assured the book would arrive in the reading room it was requested from. He then toured us through several of the 7 floors of stacks, including one floor which contained metal cages for housing microfiche and other formats.

At the end of the tour, Mr. Cross informed us that the Bodleian currently houses five copies of the Magna Carta, two of Shakespeare's first folios, a papyrus marriage proposal from Egypt, theatrical production programs; and he briefly discussed the issues of e-resources and told us that, although e-resources are becoming more popular, in England the publication of books has doubled in the past 20 years.

I was very impressed with the amount of "behind-the-scenes" areas that we got to see and tour, and was excited that I had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit the world-renowned Bodleian Library.

The Bodleian's website is: http://www.ouls.ox.ac.uk/bodley

I then went with some other library students to the English Faculty Library of Oxford University for another once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. We actually got to view some of J.R.R. Tolkien's personal papers and collections. One of the items we saw was his personal copy of Beowulf. I, unfortunately, went to the upstairs section at one point to do some personal research on Lewis Carroll, and found quite a few resources, so I took notes and made copies. I was glad that I got some of my own research done, but sad, at the same time, because I was not able to view all of the items in Tolkien's personal collection. I was happy with the couple of items and real signatures of his that I did see, though.

The website for the English Faculty Library is: http://www.efl.ox.ac.uk/

We then went to the "Eagle & Child" pub, which is where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien used to meet and have drinks. I had a pint while looking at the memorabilia on display there.

For more information on the pub, please refer to this site: http://www.headington.org.uk/oxon/stgiles/tour/west/48_49_eagle.htm

Also, I went by Alice's Shop and purchased a few items. It was packed in the store, but totally worth a visit for any Lewis Carroll or Alice fan, which I am. This is supposedly the store that Alice Liddell used to visit for sweets, also called the Old Sheep Shop in the books.

Greenwich National Maritime Museum Library 7-16-08

We took the ferry down the Thames, then went to the Greenwich National Maritime Museum. Our tour guide, Hanna Dunmow, Archive & Manuscripts Manager, told us that a book had been published on the museum titled "Of Ships & Stars". The library was established in 1937 by James Caird, who was in the shipping industry, but was also interested in collecting and preserving shipping records. It is the largest research library on Maritime history anywhere. They have resources on subjects such as piracy, immigration, navigation, merchant ships, royal navy, and genealogy. They also have Lloyd's Captain's Registers of Registered Ships and Yachts, and an alphabetical list of naval officers.
They have over 100,000 books published in 1850-forward, 20,000 pamphlets, 20,000 bound periodicals, 2,000 current periodicals, 8,000 rare books published 1474-1850. They keep their more popular retrieval manuscripts on site, and fill a limit of 5 retrievals requests per day. They have their less-popular manuscript collection off-site, but will make them available with a 2 week notice. They have between three to four thousand visits per year. They have an online catalog, and are in the process of producing a manuscript catalog, and also have e-resources available. They are asked 50,000-80,000 questions per year at reception. 2,000 books are used per year and 5,000 manuscripts are used per year. They also have plenty of email, mail, and telephone inquires.
They library and museum is in the process of a renovation which should be completed by 2012. The renovation will cost them around 35 million pounds. There are 6 full-time staff members in the archives department: 3 special librarians, 2 assistants, and 1 information specialist. There are 12 full-time staff members in the entire library.
We then met Renee (from the Archives Department), and Mike (from the Rare Books Department). They each showed us some items of interest. Mike showed us a letter from Admiral Nelson to the Duke of Clarence, a letter arranging Sir Francis Drake and Sir John Norris to lead the expedition of 1589, Journal of Captain Charles Carlile, Signal book from USS Chesapeake, Journal of Dr. Edward Hodges Cree, South Sea Waggoner Manuscript atlas, William Dampier's collection of accounts on voyages, and a Victualling account from 1558. Renee showed us an essay on the improvement of navigation, and the transcripts for the trail of Captain William Kidd.

The library's website is: http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/nav.2997