Additional: American Library in Paris

Check out the free books at the left.

This is a bit out of order but when we went to Paris we stopped by the American Library in Paris (I have a bag!) to speak with the Librarian there. The library was opened in 1920 by the American Library Association as a place for American soldiers to find literature in their own language. In 1940 while most libraries in France are closed due to Nazi involvement the American Library in Paris remains open and attracts French users.

By the end of the war the ALA no longer has any involvement in the library and it becomes a private enterprise. It is considered a place for English speakers and also for those wanting to learn the language. In 1955 the library opens the first collection of Braille books in English on the continent.

This library is very unique. It is situated in an out of the way place and the first thing we were all impressed by was the free books outside the front door. We (as in I) may have gotten a bit dizzy (was this all the heat?) from the excitement at that moment and had to be reminded there was more inside the actual building. We discovered that this library is used far and wide as a wonderful resource for American literature and a chance to hone English language skills. It was a really interesting little library with a lot of history.

The information I have provided here is just a brief snapshot of what this library is all about. I really encourage you to head to their website here and read some of their fascinating history for yourself.

Maughan Library

The Maughan Library is the only one of King’s College’s libraries which covers non health related subjects and which is located north of the river. The building it is housed in is actually leased because it is on royal land. It was opened in 2001 and houses four libraries which have combined their materials into the one space. The building was built in 1851 and used to be the public record office. It was the first building to be fire-proof and because it used to house public records it is load bearing to handle all of the weight. The collection holds 750,000 items and is used mainly by the students at the Strand campus. The collections are 92% full and they are in the process of making the entire collection self-service for the users. Library of Congress Classification is used for all of the materials.

We were given a tour by Michael who showed us the Round Reading Room which was modeled after the British Library when it was housed at the British Museum. It has been used numerous times for film (Da Vinci Code) and television because it looks like a library is traditionally thought to look.

We went to the Foyle Special Collections Library and were shown some of the collection by Hugh, Assistant Librarian. There are 150,000 items in the special collections which mainly consist of printed books. They conform to BS54 standards in regards to temperature, security, etc but the collection is open to the public as long as identification is given. Because not all of the items have been entered into the electronic catalog they still have the card catalog. The materials are strongest in the medical and theological disciplines. Their acquisitions budget is quite small so they only purchase 10-15 item a year.

Additional: Zoological Society of London Library

After a brilliant couple of hours at the London Zoo we had a nice tour and talk at the Zoological Society of London Library. John Edwards, Zoo Historian and Trustee, gave us a detailed background of the Zoological Society. The administrative offices were originally located in Hanover Square because the area where the zoo is located was considered unsafe because of its remoteness. However, by 1910 the area was deemed secure and the building was built in 1910 which holds the administrative offices and the library. The Zoological Society was founded in 1926 by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles who died very soon after becoming President of the society. This might have been the end of the organization except that the Treasurer who was a very determined man was able to keep them running.

In the beginning the library was little more than a shelf of books in someone’s office but now it is the largest privately owned zoological collection in the world. There are 12,000 glass plates in the collection as well as a painting dating from 1629 with a dodo painted from life. The library is open to everyone as long as they go through the proper channels to get a library card. It is mostly used by members of staff and researchers.

Emma, the Retrospective Book Cataloger, spoke a little about her role in the library. She is converting the card catalog into an online database. All books prior to 1860 and after 1993 are on the OPAC which leaves quite a large gap that needs to be completed. The classification scheme that is used is BLISS.

Ruth informed us that the library is the center of information for zoos and their history. They take in literature from zoos all around the world including journals for keepers, zoo guides, annual reports, conference proceedings, and stud books. It is very tricky to get a hold of all of the various materials so they never do any weeding of this collection.

Ann, the Librarian, spoke with us about the Archives which include a record of all animals brought to the zoo. A large number of people doing their family histories have made inquiries at the library to see the staff records which date back from the very beginning of the zoo’s opening. They have press cuttings from when Goldie, the golden eagle, escaped and flew around Regent’s Park terrorizing the small dogs there.

We ended the tour with John who spoke about the photographs which the library has in its collection. This was absolutely fascinating and because John has written a book on the subject he was very knowledgeable. The first photos in the collection of the zoo date back from 1864 by Frank Hayes. His photos include the first baby elephant to come to England, Jane. In 1850, the first hippo in Europe since the Romans arrived. Unfortunately, in 1960 the hippo habitat was demolished and they have not had hippos at the zoo since then. In the late 1860s Frederick York took several photographs for commercial purposes using stereoscopic technology which edits the bars of the cage out of the picture. He took photographs of the quagga which looks like a zebra and is the only ones taken of the live animal because it is now extinct. He has several pictures of extinct creatures such as the Syrian and African wild ass. The animal that really struck me as amazing was the pink-headed duck from Bangladesh which has a perfectly spherical head with a shell pink under its wing. The creature has only been photographed in black and white by TJ Dickson and unfortunately is extinct after being wiped out by British Armies.

National Archives of Scotland

We met with Margaret McBride, Educational Director, who gave us a comprehensive background of the National Archives of Scotland. The goals of the Archives are to preserve, protect, promote the nation’s records, and provide an inclusive and accessible archive. The materials are separated into two divisions: record services and corporate services. The collection consists of 70 km of records dating from the 12th century of all different kinds including electronic resources. The main building, the General Register House, opened in the late 1780s and includes the Historical Search Room where users request records and Scotland’s People Centre where users come to trace their family history. They do have an OPAC but not everything has been uploaded into it yet. Many items have been digitized so that they are readily accessible to the public.

They have several projects in the works right now. They are in the process of digitizing all records for the Church of Scotland. The website is still in development and can be located here. They are also digitizing the Registers of Sasines for legal researchers interested in land deeds. As a form of census they digitize valuation rolls every fifth year for the whole of Scotland which gives information about who is living where and at what particular time they are living in the area.

Dunfermline Carnegie Library

The library in Dunfermline was the first public Carnegie library and it was built in 1883. Andrew Carnegie’s mother, Margaret, laid the foundation stone and a bust of her is in the foyer of the library. The library was such a huge success that on its opening day all of the books were taken out for lending. At one point this was the main repository for non-fiction books but now this is a branch library and they only take selected books into their collection. This helps to cut down on the amount of material which helps with the problem every library has: limited space. They used to have a music library but with the advent of the Internet and easy to download music it was deemed not viable and has since been dissolved. All of the materials in the department were sold off and the room is now used as an exhibition display.

The Dunfermline Carnegie Library is the busiest library in Fife but there is no parking which is a huge inconvenience especially to the elderly who travel from far away. There are 28 staff in total but whenever there is a shortage of staff in other branches they have to send someone from Dunfermline to help with coverage which creates scheduling dilemmas. There is not much conservation work being done right now as there is not enough money in the budget. However, the closed access section of their special collections is kept climate-controlled to help preserve the materials. The items are not cataloged using Dewey Decimal but organized by Fife and subdivided by subject.

The reference library does not get much use because of the Internet, however, the computers located in the room do get a lot of use. Next to the reference library is the special collections which houses a collections of Robert Burns works and memorabilia. These materials were collected by George Reed for over 40 years and donated to the library. It is still an active collection as new materials are still donated to be added to the existing collection.

Edinburgh Central Library

We were met with great enthusiasm at the Edinburgh Central Library. Not only did they set us up in a room for a presentation but we were given free tote bags. The first presentation was given by Alison Stoddart, Digital Library Developer, and was about Web 2.0. The library’s virtual library was started less than a year ago but has given the users a useful alternative to coming into the library in person. The two main purposes of the virtual library are to give access to the users and to raise the profile of the library. You can reach the site here. The library has a blog which is updated daily as well as a twitter and flickr. By making connections outside of the library they can extend their user base and get information about the library out a lot quicker.

The above presentation was followed by Annie Bell and Colm Linnane who gave a talk about Reader Development, or Reader’s Advisory to Americans. The whole point of their department is to engage with the readers and find out how the library environment can be improved. One of the ways in which they try to meet the needs of the readers is through author events which are given every month. Through these author events they can bring in well-known and burgeoning authors who can come in and discuss their works with the readers themselves. They have implemented an online program called “Front Line” which instructs library personnel how to engage with the readers. What I found to be really interesting is that Colm works outside of the library with the residence homes, or orphanages, to try to encourage the young people to take an interest in reading. A program like this is right up my alley and one of the main reasons that I want to work in a children’s library.

The last presentation was given by Karen O’Brien about the library’s special collections and conservation. The materials kept in the library range from as far back as the 15th century. All materials are available to the public but because of this it can be difficult to keep the material in perfect condition. Preservation is done by an outside agency and the item must be in dire need before it is sent out because it can be very costly. She emphasized that if you work in conservation you have to be able to justify your reason for sending something out to be preserved. Of course, there are ways to help preserve materials such as acid free envelopes and archival boxes which is relatively inexpensive and easy.

National Library of Scotland

We did not have a tour guide for this library as they had a self-guided tour with exhibits. The collection currently on exhibit was given by John Murray. In 1768 John McMurray (later Murray) started a bookstore on Fleet St which became the world's most influential publisher. Some of his clients included Jane Austen, Arthur Conan Doyle, Walter Scott, and Lord Byron.

I learned a lot about some of the authors which used John Murray as a publisher. For example, Lord Byron was very image conscious and somewhat vain. He had a lame leg so in order to cover it up he would wear long trousers which was not really done in those days. He was a fashion trendsetter and created a new romantic hero called the"Byronic Hero." He was considered to be irresistible to women of his day.

My favorite author, Jane Austen, was also featured in the collection. Most of the information I already knew but I was unaware that in her time girls sent messages using their fans at balls rather than speaking outright to men. I wish she had incorporated that into her novels!

At the end of the John Murray exhibit was a room which gave all of the history of the National Library of Scotland. It formally opened in 1689 and was an extension of the Faculty of Advocates. By the 1920s the upkeep of the collection was too much for the private body and so the library was given to the nation as the National Library of Scotland in 1925. There are 15 floors of storage but by the 1980s these were full and so in 1995 the Causeway building was added. New materials are taken in there and the map library which is one of the world's largest is held there. Some of the statistics of the library: 14 million books and manuscripts, 2 million maps and atlases, 300,000 music scores, and 6,000 new items every week.

Bodleian Library

Above is our tour guide, Ian.

Recognize this room? It's the Bodleian Library but it's also where two scenes from Harry Potter were shot. In the Sorcerer's Stone it was the Infirmary and in Goblet of Fire it's where they learned to dance for the ball.

We had a fantastic tour guide, Ian, which took us through both the Old and New Bodleian Libraries and gave us a lot of background about them as well as Oxford University itself. In the 11th century Oxford was the center of education because of the King's palace and the churches located nearby. At this time, education was a means to an end: a job with the church or crown. In 1167, after the French and English King had a falling out, all of the English students in Paris were made to leave the country. They relocated to Oxford even though there was no official university there at the time. A guild was set up because of competitiveness and in the 1200s the first colleges were founded. These colleges were controlled by the university and now there are 39 of them with students from 120 different countries.

Oxford University is the oldest university in the English speaking world and the Bodleian Library is the oldest public library in Britain and the second largest. It was named after Thomas Bodley who fought for it to be a deposit library and contributed much to the design of the original library. I took 64 years to build because there were so many wars which depleted much of the country's funds. Alumni were asked to contribute as well as the King. The King had no money but he did offer his protection. The library was finally finished in 1444 and the first collections consisted of 281 manuscripts given by Humphrey Duke of Gloucester which he brought from Italy. In 1515, King Edward VI ordered that all images of the Catholic faith be removed from he library and there was a huge book sale. Only 3 manuscripts from the original collection remain.

The library is for reference and does not lend its materials. When books are requested they are sent underground through tunnels by a pulley system from storage to the reading rooms. There is limited space and to cope with this they have sent those items which are least requested to their Swindon storage facility 30 miles away.1 million pounds has been spent to restore books and Google has given money to digitize manuscripts.

Dewey Decimal Classification is not used to organize materials. Instead, materials are organized by size and arrival date to the facility. However, a new display area is slated to be created by 2015 which would mean users would have access to materials and therefore the classification scheme would have to be changed. For right now, the largest problem that this library faces is a well heard problem by now: limited space for a large amount of materials.

National Art Library, Victoria and Albert Museum

The above is entitled "I Pledge" and is created using words from the Pledge of Allegiance. It's a new trend called book art.

We visited the Victoria and Albert Museum where the National Art Library is housed which focuses on art and design. Kirsten, the Assistant Librarian, gave us a tour which included a history of the library and its aims. We began in the Center Room which is where all inquiries are made and where requested materials are given to the readers. Also, there is a section where you can make copies (nothing before 1900) and/or take digital photographs.

There is no classification scheme at the National Art Library. Because there is limited space materials are shelved according to size. There are findings lists which tell where runs of books are by number. These lists are used by the two people assigned for retrieval duty. As the library is open to the public all materials are available. However, this does not always mean that the visitor will have the original in hand. Because many of the materials are quite valuable, such as Dickens's original manuscripts, the visitor is given a digital copy to encourage preservation.

The library was established in 1857 when the museum opened as the South Kensington Museum. However, it was not until 1884 that a proper space was built for the library. Unfortunately, the demand for space is not peculiar to this library or even to just the library. The West Room used to house library storage but three years ago when the museum needed more space it partially took it over and now houses the 20th century collection. There are still some books shelved along the walls and there are bars across to discourage the public from pulling them from the shelves. As an added inconvenience to library staff every time one of these books is requested the bars must be removed using a screwdriver.

After our tour with Kirsten we sat down with Francis to look at some of their special collections which included various examples of the early printing presses. She explained to us how important preservation and conservation is to their library. Like most other libraries they use acid free envelopes and melanex baggies for storage.

Below is yet another version of Alice in Wonderland and is housed at the National Art Library.

The London Library

We met with Stella Worthington from the Preservation and Stack Management Department in the London Library. She gave us a brief history of the library as well as some statistics. There are 18 miles of shelving which includes 1 million books. The Preservation and Stack Management Department has the responsibility of taking care of the books, especially the rare materials. There are 35,000 rare books which have been processed thus far. The conservation studio was specially designed by the department with extra long drawers and cupboards all around the room. The London Library is a lending library which deals mostly with the Humanities. All materials post 1700 is on open shelves which is very rare. The other goal of Stella's department is to improve storage conditions. Right now the temperature is not as regulated as they would like but the hope is that in the future they will have better conditions for the rare collections. Also, they have to setup precautions against infestations which include making sure the stacks stay as clean as possible.

After meeting with Stella and getting to see some of the conservation techniques that they employ we went on a walking tour with Jane, Deputy of the London Library. She informed us that they are a members library which means that you must pay a membership fee in order to use their services. Materials are organized by subject and size on color coded stacks. Printed lists of all the materials are in the process of being put into the online catalog. The building is steel framed and the book stacks are part of the structure.

We ended our walking tour at the Carr Room where we met with Helen O'Neill, Head of Reader Services. Thomas Carlisle founded the library in 1841. There is 15 miles of shelving which makes the London Library the largest lending library in the world. The loan length for materials is 2 months and there is no limit on renewals. Because there is a subscription fee there are no late fees. The classification scheme is unique to the library and there is still 42% left remaining to be cataloged online.

The employees were enthusiastic and very knowledgeable about their subjects. I can unequivocally say that this was my favorite site which we have visited thus far and I am going to try to subscribe as soon as I get back home.

National Maritime Museum Library

The Caird Library was opened in 1937 to the public in the Maritime Museum and was founded by Sir James Caird. The collection is comprised of rare books, charts, manuscripts, journals which cover everything from immigration, piracy, navigation, astronomy, voyages, naval architecture, merchant/royal navy, and geneological sources. Modern materials are considered anything after 1850 of which there are 100,000 items. There is over 4 miles of shelving in the archives. It is a publicly funded institution. There are 3-4,000 visitors every year when they are open 6 days a week. As there is renovation being done at the moment they are only open for 3 days during the week.

We were separated into two groups and I went with Martin to talk about the archives (manuscripts). We saw several fascinating materials including an atlas from 1696 written by a pirate on The Trinity which had all the hazards marked. He also had a book of signal codes from 1800 which had lead shot in the spine so that it would sink if the ship was captured. Unfortunately, the ship it was on was captured and the battle was so quick (15 minutes) that there was no time to pitch it overboard.

Hannah talked to us about rare books. She had a copy of Domestic Medicine from 1779 which was bound in sail cloth and taken by mutineers to Pitcairn Island. The most fascinating were the little books bound in wood which were different editions of the account of the loss of The Royal George.

The library has a blog (yay blogs!) located here.

For a bit of a laugh, here I am posing with a statue inside the National Maritime Museum.

British Library

We started off the day by heading to King's Cross and posing at Platform 9 3/4 to celebrate our love of Harry Potter.

We were taken through the British Library and given a tour by Heather Morley. She informed us that it was opened in 1998 after being removed from the British Museum Reading Room where it was housed from 1857. The maps in their collection are second only to the Library of Congress. They receive 8,000 publications every day as everything published in the United Kingdom must be collected. The basement goes down 75 feet to the tube level but only half of the collections are stored on-site. The Northern line of the tube runs through the middle of the storage shelves and therefore they had to be reinforced to withstand the vibrations. There are a total of 200 million books in the collection which can be accessed using the online catalog.

In order to use the facilities you have to register for a reader pass and prove a need to see specific materials. You have to demonstrate that you have looked at other venues and were unable to find the materials anywhere else. The books are sent throughout the library using a trolley system that moves within the walls. During all the time this system has been in use no materials have been lost. They have their own cataloging system which is organized based on size not subject. The library has a tri-fold purpose: collect, conserve, and record the existence of materials.

Many famous people use the library for research. Heather said that Johnny Depp has used the oral recordings to practice his English accents for roles.

Many rare items are kept in the British Library. They have everything from the Magna Carta, original lyrics written by the Beatles, and many variations of Alice in Wonderland. I learned that there have been several different versions of Alice in Wonderland and each version has different illustrations which were amazing such as Ralph Steadman and Mervyn Peake.

British Museum's Paul Hamlyn Library

This library was the first public library in Britain. It was founded in 1753 by the Irishman, Paul Hamlyn, and has gone through many changes and renovations over the years. Charles Hoare, our library guide, said that since his supervisor started working there 20 years ago they have moved 14 times! The British Museum was the first to have electrical lighting as they had previously been using only natural light (the gas lamps were thought to be too dangerous for the books). Materials in the Paul Hamlyn Library are available to members of the public as well as to staff members.

The reference library, or central library, is located in the long room which was built in 1860 as storage for the overage which would not fit in the main section of the library. To enter the space we went through a false door which looked like books and made me feel like I was in an old Batman episode. The primary focus is collecting and there are 25,000 volumes in the reference library. These are cataloged using a homegrown classification scheme instead of Dewey Decimal Classification. They have most of their materials cataloged using the electronic database but each department has its own archive and not all of them have input online.

The library has hosted many famous readers including Charles Dickens, Karl Marx, and Vladimir Lenin. In 1973 the library and the museum were separated and the British Library was created.

Additional: Charles Dickens Museum

A small group of us which are not focusing on archives visited the house that Charles Dickens lived in from 1837-39. One of the employees, Peter, met us and gave a brief history of the house and man that lived there. While he lived in this house he had his first child and wrote several famous pieces including Oliver Twist and The Pickwick Papers. This is the only house still in existence which he lived in. Several personal effects including furniture and books are in the house. A video was showing in the basement, which used to be the servant’s quarters, which gave the history of his life. Charles was born in Portsmouth on February 7, 1812 to John Dickens and Elizabeth Baron. He lived in Chatham at Ordnance Palace where he spent many of his happiest childhood years. Much of what he saw in Chatham made appearances in his books such as The Leather Bottle, a neighborhood pub.

His family had many financial problems as his father was not adept at finances so by age 12 years he was put to work in a blacking factory labeling jars. It was at this time that the rest of his family was sent to debtor’s prison where they remained for nearly a year. Most people believe that this traumatized him and is why he dwelled so often on the poor person’s plight in his novels. However, the family soon rose out of poverty when a grandmother died and left all of her money to them.

In 1835 he was engaged to Catherine Hogarth and by the time they married he had become a public figure because of his work. The Pickwick Papers had sold 40,000 copies in a month which earned him considerable fame and a little money in which they could buy the home on Doughty Street where the museum is situated. When Catherine moved in she also brought her 17 year old sister, Mary, whom Charles doted on especially. When she died suddenly it utterly devastated him. He wore her ring for the rest of his life, kept her clothes, and wanted to be buried with her when he died. This experience altered him and it is easy to see his feeling of loss every time he writes the death of a leading female figure in his books.

Charles Dickens loved to work and besides writing he also directed and acted in theatrical works as well as gave readings of his books. Because he worked such a demanding schedule it was often remarked that he looked much older than he actually was. On June 8, 1870 he had a stroke and the very next day he died. The country mourned for the loss of its beloved author and to this day his books are still seen as some of the best ever written.

The Barbican

Today we visited the Barbican which was given as a gift to the United Kingdom and is located in the International Arts Center. John Lake, the librarian, took us on a tour of the library and gave us a brief history of the building and collections. The library is used primarily by the residents which live nearby and those working nearby who come on their lunch breaks. User demographics are slanted toward male English speakers who are currently employed.

In order to increase use they have employed several devices: quick pick displays to entice, propellers to lead to other sections, upholstered chairs to encourage reading, and reading groups. There are currently 7 reading groups; 4 for adults and 3 for children. In the past the library has tried to generate interest for a teen group but there was never much interest.

After viewing the main part of the library we met with Richard Jones, Assistant Librarian of the Music Library. As a musician, I really enjoyed seeing some of the scores that they had as well as the diverse selection of CDs. According to Richard, since the creation of the Music Library in 1983 the users have been mostly comprised of students and researchers. They have the largest selection of CDs in London at 16,000. Classification has proved difficult as it can be troublesome to group some works under one specific genre.

The tour of the Barbican ended at the Children’s Library with Amanda, the Children’s Librarian. This library caters specifically to those users from age birth to 14 years. The fiction section is broken up into three groups: 5-10 years, 10-12 years, and younger teens. Non-fiction is loaned out to teachers for school projects as there are no school library services in London which can cater to this need. Also, the library hosts reading groups three times a week for different age ranges: birth-18 months, 18 months-3 years, and 3-5 years. Every summer they host a reading challenge which gives prizes to the children after they read each book. This year they got an artist, Guy Bass, to illustrate Space Munglers Trumps cards which are played like Pokemon.

At the end of the evening we all met back at the Barbican to view a performance about Edgar Allen Poe’s life entitled Nevermore. The best way to describe this fantastic piece is that it was like Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands meets Stanley Kubrick’s The Clockwork Orange. I heard someone say it was coming to the states and if that is the case I will definitely be seeing it again. I have not seen anything at all like it before and I loved it.

St Paul's Cathedral Library

I had my first experience riding a double decker bus today. I felt like I was riding the Knight Bus from Harry Potter...only the driver drove a little bit better.

The first order of business once I had arrived at the Cathedral was to do the tourist thing and try to get as many pictures as possible of the church and the fountain as possible. We were split into two different groups so that half of us could go to the library and the other half could explore the cathedral. I was immediately drawn to the sculptures spread throughout the space. It is always amazing to me how someone can take what is essentially a hunk of rock and carve out something so magnificent. While wandering around a couple of us ran into these two women volunteers of ALMA. There is a City of London Festival which is on right now that ends this week. They had several prints (done with oil and inkjet transfer on jute) and a few statues (made from guns) which were done by artists from Mozambique and Angola. We got some pamphlets about an exhibit being held at St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate which features the garments which are worn by the women of those countries. We are going to try to visit it by Friday.

Joe Wisdom, the librarian at St Paul's, took us up what seemed to be a million stairs (which are supported by the walls and adjoining stairs) to the "backstage" area of the cathedral. We passed by an area where excavated stones are being cleaned into the space where the old pulpits are kept. It was strange seeing these decommissioned pieces sitting dormant in the dark recesses of a church.

The library was just as spectacular as I imagined it would be and the smell of those old books was fantastic. Joe Wisdom explained to us that 85% of the library's collection has been cataloged (most imported through OCLC) but some of it has to be manually entered to preserve the providence, or originality, of the item. When in charge of a special or historical collection, he advised, that you should never get rid of the old catalog when creating a new one.

The highlight of the tour was the 12th century psalter, the earliest item in the library. This book was from before the 1666 fire. We all took turns staring at this illuminated masterpiece which literally took my breath away. I think I could have wandered around for hours and still have found more to see.



Picture credit goes to the St Paul's Cathedral Library website.