British History Online Focus Group

Not knowing quite what to expect from an invitation to join a British History Online focus group, a gaggle of slightly trepidatious graduate library trainees arrived at the IHR on Tuesday afternoon armed with their laptops and were treated to a few hours of gentle mental exercise with one of the leading digital history resources.

We were introduced to the online resource which is run at the Institute of Historical Research by Bruce Tate, Project manager at British History Online, and Jonathan Blaney, its Project Editor. BHO is essentially a digital library which aims to provide primary and secondary sources for the history of the British Isles between the middle ages and c.1900. The team have, to date, digitised more than 1,000 sources and choose these sources based not only on their centrality to historical research, but also their interconnection. The resource also has a strong element of collaboration since users are able to annotate and correct the digitised sources, greatly enhancing their value to the history community. Notable BHO collections include the Journals of the Houses of Commons and Lords, as well as a huge amount of local history sources which draw from the IHR’s Centre for Metropolitan History and Victoria County History, to name but a few. They've even made some nifty online tutorials to help even the most technology averse historian along, which you can see here.

What’s really great about the resource though is the fact that on top of digitisation Bruce and Jonathan are also always looking to develop text analysis features designed to allow historians and researches to search and organise their findings in new and exciting ways. And it was in this area of text analysis features that we, enthusiastic knowledgeable and digitally literate (hmmm) early career librarians that we are, came in. Goodness help us.

In actual fact the features we tested were all manageable, intuitive, and interesting enough for us all to navigate easily and have an opinion on. So we started off with looking at ways the journals of the Lords and Commons could be searched and manipulated to give the user a quick colour coded visual representation of when and how frequently a searched-for topic (eg. Naval budget, war, cattle etc) was talked about in the Houses across a specified period of time. Elsewhere, we created social network diagrams which used the correspondences between individuals in the records to show how connected people in the houses were. Another great resource was BHO use of online maps to organise local history sources, something that can be played around with here

In addition to us trying out the resources and commenting on their usefulness as (broadly) cogent and (seemingly) intelligent young people, it was also a really interesting opportunity to be asked, as library professionals, to consider what other kind of interactive digital resources our respective library users value, or might value if only they had the opportunity. The energy behind the projects was infectious and certainly encouraged me to think about the role of today’s librarian as being - at least in part - a trainer or facilitator in these ways.

Thanks to Bruce and Jonathan for arranging such an interesting afternoon - and for keeping us happy with timeouts!

The Library of the Institute of Historical Research

Tuesday 7^th May 2013

After an interesting feedback session with the British History Online team, we headed upstairs for a tour of the Institute of Historical Research’s Library with Mike Townsend, Collection Librarian.

We were treated to a trip up the Tower, where Mike had dug out some of the library’s treasures, which he felt represented the work of the library at the IHR today. This was a really interesting and useful way of telling us about the library and illustrating the work it does. Plus we all enjoy an old book or two: Diderot’s Encyclopedie, a major Enlightenment work, certainly caught our attention! The key themes illuminated were collection management, discovery and promotion.

The IHR is currently reclassifying its material and is increasingly discovering new gems among its collection. They have been uncovering items which have never been catalogued, which is quite incredible. As well as cataloguing and classifying these works, the IHR has been working diligently to ensure that these works enrich their current collections, publicising them on their website, seeking out themes and trends, and writing interesting blog posts. For example, see this fascinating post by the lovely Katherine Quinn: http://www.history.ac.uk/news/2013-03-22/british-west-indies-slavery-problem

Collection subject guides have been created highlighting topics within the IHR’s vast collections, including books and e-resources. One example Mike gave us was the History of Food and Drink – this topic encompasses a great array of material, with works ranging from swan offal to cannibalisation. (http://www.history.ac.uk/library/collections/food-history).  I really admire the fact that the IHR is striving to engage with its collections to make them more accessible, user-friendly and engaging, particularly for readers who wish to browse. It struck me as a great demonstration of 'adding value'! 

However, the reach of the IHR's Library has been limited to some extent by being short-staffed. Mike explained that they have been unable to go to universities to promote their materials or to spread word of their extensive and exciting collections. Things are looking positive for the future however, when they will be moving to new premises, as they are planning a grand launch to promote their materials. It’s encouraging to see that in a difficult climate, the IHR is still expanding and it is working hard to reach more people and to promote its collections.

The calm carpeted library itself seemed a lovely traditional place to visit. People were working hard and there was a nice ambience – very different from the bustle of the business library I currently work in!

After a brief tour, Mike took us into a study room to give us an introduction to cataloguing. After kindly furnishing us with a guide to cataloguing and classifying, he spoke about the importance of these skills to librarianship and the emphasis on ‘cat and class’ at UCL. Mike told us that the more subject knowledge you gain, the better your cataloguing can be, as you can include more subject headings, insert extra notes and provide further information to make each entry rich in detail. He tried to impress upon us the importance of cataloguing skills, particularly if you end up as the sole librarian, and spoke of MARC21, entries and fields. 

It was great to hear Mike sound so positive about an area I’ve always perceived to be rather tedious, so that was encouraging. As a host, Mike was interesting, engaging and lively. Another enjoyable Tuesday afternoon! 

Visit to the Natural History Museum Library, 30th April 2013

Last week a smaller group than usual – others of us caught up in the start of summer term rush – journeyed to South Kensington to visit the Natural History Museum Library. And sorry to say it, but those who couldn’t make it missed a treat. So much so that I am going to write this blog post as a top ten reasons why being a NHM librarian is such a splendid and glamorous thing. Starting with:

1.    The Museum itself. What a place to work! Usually I am more of a V&A girl and haven’t crossed over to this side of Exhibition Road for many years, but those dinosaurs got me as soon as we walked in. Aside from the obvious attractions, the details in Waterhouse’s architecture keep you continually entertained. Terracotta animals and plants are dotted about the building, with extinct creatures in the east wing and living in the west. The NHM started life in the 18^th century as part of the British Museum, moving to the current site in the mid-19^th century, and now houses the most important natural history collection in the world, an animatronic T.rex, and a library.

2.    The variety of visitors. The primary role of library is to support the research of the museum – there are PhD students based there, and MSc students at nearby Imperial College who are linked with the museum. Alongside the academic research that is done in the library, visitors ranging from families from Australia wanting to know more about the first fleet, to Sir David Attenborough himself come to access the library’s collections. Anyone can register and is free to join. Visits are by appointment only so they don’t have many casual callers, and a quiet, serious research environment is fostered.  Readers can request anything from the collections, but first edition Darwins needs a good reason before they are retrieved!

3.    Working in a museum library. This is a bit different to many people’s experience and perception of library work. There are elements of the academic environment (working with students and academic staff) as well as other facets that might usually be associated with public library, such as public outreach. The library also serves a number of independent researchers, including art students. NHM library and archives are members of MLAG, the UK Museum Librarians and Archivists Group – a good place to start looking if you are interested in working in the sector.

4.    Learning opportunities. As a reference library where material is retrieved in advance and invigilated, staff here have an amazing opportunity to interact with visitors and talk to them about their research. We spoke to staff about their own academic backgrounds, and found that not everybody had a science background.  The best way to learn about the subjects covered by the library is to get to know the collections – the more you retrieve from the store, the more you can absorb, often by learning from readers and their research. Again, did I mention Attenborough? NHM staff can gain specialist subject knowledge in various areas. Which leads me on to…

5.    Moonlighting as an author. NHM used to have several small libraries littered across the museum, covering various the subject areas of natural history: botany, zoology, ornithology, entomology anthropology, palaeontology, and mineralogy. Each library had its own team, and staff came to specialise in these areas. Some years ago it was decided that the libraries should merge and centralise into a more conventional academic-style structure. Still, the various expertises remained, and to make use of this library staff are now heavily involved in curating the Images of Nature gallery within the museum, and in the publication of the accompanying catalogues. We met special collections librarian Andrea Hart who spoke to us about her involvement in the soon-to-be-installed exhibition and catalogue, utilising the women’s collection (we had a sneak-peek at some amazingly vibrant coloured drawings of natural history and ethnography by Olivia Tonge from the early 1900s). Andrea is able to make use of her knowledge and research skills to write and be published – an unusual opportunity. Similarly, Hellen Sharman was able to write on her own specialist subject of ephemera, in an article in the museum’s magazine Evolve.

6.    Art collections. Unlike in many other museum and gallery structures, the art collections in NHM come under the wing of the library and archives. The library’s special collections (more of which shortly) encompasses rare books, manuscripts and art works. You might not think of it, but the museum has the third largest art on paper collection in the UK. You can have a look at their online picture library for an idea of NHM image collections.

7.     Conservation. Now for some photos. This is one of the special collections items that Andrea was kind enough to get out for us. I’ve gone for the oldest, which is in fact the second oldest book in the collection: Pliny’s Natural History from 1472. Note the vellum binging and handsome furniture.

We also saw botanical illustrations by Arthur Harry Church, Kew Gardens botanical artist Franz Bauer, Ferdinand Bauer and Georg Ehret. With such important, and in many cases delicate, examples in the collection, staff take conservation seriously. All prints are mounted on acid-free boards, and hinged with Japanese paper & wheat starch paste. This means that should they be needed for exhibition, water can be applied to the hinge, and the artwork removed from the board without damaging the paper. All boards are tissue interleaved and stored in solander boxes, and kept in the special collections store which has UV-filtered lights. Perspex mounts and book supports are used to display rare books; and smaller pieces such as photographs are stored in polyester archival sleeves, meaning that any annotations or other useful content on the reverse of the item can be seen whilst minimising manual handling of the originals.

8.    Digitisation. Having been involved in the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) since its inception five years ago, the NHM is still working as part of this project which aims to digitise biodiversity literature to create an open access resource for researchers. Within the library there is a digitisation workstation, including this hard-to-miss scanning unit known as a scribe.

Out of copyright published material can be requested, and any of these requests held by the library can be digitised here and uploaded to BHL website as tiffs, later converted to JP2 files.  The pressure that these units put on the books is potentially quite destructive, so special collections items are not included in this project.

9.    Social media. They are ever so modern at the NHM, and have all the social media covered. I could make a pun here (something on the subject of tweeting about ornithology...); instead I will draw your attention to the NHM blog, NaturePlus. The library’s part of this blog is widely used, with new acquisitions updates and special items of the month, as well as more discursive pieces written by different library staff. They do also use Twitter...  @NHM_Library. If you look closely you might even see a twitpic of us “lovely graduate trainee librarians”!

10.  Performing. As if all of this wasn’t exciting enough, the library also get involved in the public engagement programme in the museum. There have been live video links to lecture theatre (on the other side of the museum) to showcase interesting items from the collection that can’t be removed from the controlled conditions of the reading room – for example William Smith’s geological map from 1815 (for a sense of the scale of it, see this blog post). Joining up the library with the museum’s public events is a really effective way of unlocking the collection, and must be great fun for the staff members who get to show their extrovert side in doing it!

So there we have it. Huge thanks to Hellen Sharman for organising such a great visit. 

Harriet.

RNIB Research Library

On Tuesday 16^th April, a few trainees and myself descended on Judd Street to visit Robert, the librarian at the RNIB Research Library. Upon entering the building I was struck by the shop, full of a diverse range of things designed to enrich the lives of blind or partially sighted people. There were large print Scrabble boards in Braille, telephones, vibrating watches, dice, and audible footballs amongst many other things. The library leads off of this shop:  when entering please beware of the wall of Sooty and Sweep’s staring back at you; they can give quite a fright. However, you shouldn’t be frightened as it is just part of the large assortment of Sooty and Sweep collection boxes that the RNIB has.  The RNIB has famously used the Sooty and Sweep characters, though unfortunately they have lost or misplaced the original documented agreement to use the image.

The RNIB is the largest library in the UK for people with sight loss and offers a wide choice of fiction and non-fiction books in audio, Braille and giant print for adults and children. As well as providing this vital service it also acts as a veritable treasure trove for researchers. One member of staff mainly runs the library, but two others have recently been recruited. The computers in the library have technological aspects, which I am certainly not used to in the library where I work – the computers can tailor to the needs of the individual user and can be customized with varying conditions. For example, the JAWS screen software can increase the size of the text seen on the screen as well as change the colour of a document to make it more accessible.

The library offers a wealth of historical documents available for research; this ranges from official documentation, annual reports, journals and embossed manuscripts, as well as objects and photographs. The library houses a unique and valuable collection of historically important material relating to the history of blind people and the organizations working with them, including RNIB and many local societies and care homes; this means that the library is also an important resource for people researching family history.

The library is free to join and use, except, that is, for the brilliant Talking Book Service, which is produced by RNIB Talking Book Studios in a professional audio facility based in Camden, London. They produce audio books and magazines for both RNIB services as well as commercially. 
Library users can borrow six books at a time, and the loan period is three months, with postage free. The Talking Book Service includes unlimited access to over 20,000 audio books and the loan of a DAISY player. Unlike audio books on normal CDs, readers can use the DAISY technology to skip to a new chapter, or the next paragraph, and insert a bookmark. Books are delivered and returned free of charge under the Articles for the Blind scheme. And these can even be sent to a different address, in addition to your home address (this can even be a holiday address).

In the archive in the cellar of the building we saw a lot of photos and raised Braille maps. One photo depicted women hand stitching Braille books together, which was particularly enlightening. We also came across an 1838 New Testament in Braille, another highlight.  In the 19^th Century the only books that were produced for blind or partially sighted people were largely religious texts. The Research Library and Archive have recently been brought together to make their full potential available, which has meant that this site has acquired a lot of new material previously held at Peterborough. Walking around the archive, the amount of work that needs to be done is clearly visible. There are shelves and shelves of boxes of un-catalogued objects; additionally the library management system is undergoing a transition to an archival-based system. It seems that Robert is keen to take on the challenge, though, and he certainly won’t get bored:  there are plenty of interesting things to be distracted by!

ARLG London and South East: A Seminar on Support for Researchers: how librarians can support the REF, bibliometrics and data management

This came up today on LIS-LINK:

There are still a few places left on the following event

To book a place please contact sarah.lawson@ucl.ac.uk as soon as possible and by May 1st at the latest.

ARLG London and South East:  A Seminar on Support for Researchers: how librarians can support the REF, bibliometrics and data management

Wednesday May 8th, 6pm for 6.30pm start till 8pm.

Venue: The Ewart Room, CILIP HQ, Ridgmount Street, London, WC1. Nearest Tube station is Goodge Street on the Northern Line. http://www.cilip.org.uk/contact-us/pages/map.aspx
Free admission for both CILIP members & non-members, due to the generous sponsorship by Any Book Library Services

Speakers:
Monique Ritchie, Research Librarian, Brunel University. She will speak about her new post supporting researchers, the Research Data Management Project and UKRISS

Andria McGrath, Research Information Specialist, King's College London: "Library research support partnerships". She will speak about working with IT and Research management as well as academics.

Agenda:

6-6.30 pm. Registration, networking, tea, coffee, & biscuits.
6.30 pm. Short talk by Mr David Buckley, Liaison Officer, Any Book Library Services, followed by Chair's introduction to our guest speakers.
6.40-7.10 pm. Andria McGrath's presentation.
7.10-7.40 pm. Monique Ritchie's presentation.
7.40-7.55 pm. Discussion & question time.
7.55-8 pm. Chair's thanks to our speakers & close of meeting.

SLA Europe, BIALL and CLSIG Open Day

A few of the trainees spent the day at CILIP headquarters for a series of presentations, most of which pertained to law librarianship. Below are the main points I got from each speaker with a link to their presentations.

Jacky Berry: Librarian, BMA

Google is not God; it is important to find and use authoritative resources. Therefore librarians still have a key role to play.

The profession is stereotyped, which can be frustrating. Jacky suggested that she was offered one (corporate) job because she was the only candidate who did not look like a librarian!

Jacky changed jobs and sectors every few years with support from TFPL. Examples include higher education, architecture, law and medicine. Having subject experience was of little significance compared to general skills like management, empathy and communication, though Jacky did say that having worked with lawyers was considered useful. She would have liked to try working for the BBC, MI5, newspapers and charities, and is considering voluntary services overseas.

At the BMA library Jacky project-managed the movement and rebranding of the library, bringing it into the 21^st century and making it a part of the organisation’s strategy. Before and after photos are included in her slideshow.

Sam Wiggins: Information Officer, Norton Rose LLP

Just apply for things and make the most of opportunities. Be proactive rather than wait to be asked. This includes applying for voluntary roles to gain experience and show your commitment to the profession. Keeping a blog and tweeting also demonstrates current awareness and motivation.

 It is not necessary to meet all the criteria of a job advert if you argue your case.

Sam asked employers what they look for in graduate-level candidates, and the main criteria were enthusiasm, fresh ideas, up-to-date digital skills, people skills, drive to achieve...and cheaper labour. Experience and specific training were not expected.

Emily Allbon: Law librarian, City University London

Compared to working for a law firm, the job of an academic law librarian is NOT to do the research for the students but to teach them how to do it for themselves. Emily does a lot of training sessions and even sets coursework for the students. There are a lot of meetings and committees. Emily pointed out that by choosing this position over one in a law firm she was able to have more responsibility earlier on.

Problems for the sector include: tightened budgets across higher education and increased publisher costs (also publishers splintering); balancing the needs of teaching and research; space limitations; the balance of hard copy and electronic; outsourcing; improving standards of legal information literacy and last but not least engagement with students.

It is important to get involved and try new things. Emily set up Lawbore, the online resource for lawyers. It provides a web-guide to authoritative resources, a range of tutorials, and a blog to keep students up-to-date with new developments in law. Lawbore is now hugely popular not only with City students but on an international scale. Emily is also involved in BIALL (more committees!), which has been great for networking and keeping in the loop.

Sandra Smythe: Senior Information Officer, Mishcon de Reya

Law librarians still specialise, either by department (cataloguing, acquisitions etc.) or by subject. However in smaller law firms, in which the teams are much smaller, librarians may have to cover several or even all areas themselves.

Work for a law firm is research-heavy. Enquiries can relate to the law, companies, people, press, current affairs... There is a lot of training to provide for new trainees, new joiners plus any additional training needs for new resources, refresher courses etc. There is relatively little cataloguing to do; firms tend to have their own systems and these can be quite relaxed.

A law firm is a professional work environment. Advantages include:  good resources, interesting work, relatively well paid (subject to the firm). However the work is demanding, time sensitive, and in some firms librarians are treated as “only support staff”.

Sandra does not have any law qualifications but her employers have not expected her to have prior experience of law, only information management. She spent 12-18 months at three different firms before settling at Mishcon de Reya. She took the opportunity to be responsible for the firm’s intranet and the job has grown with her. The knowledge management department has also tripled in size since she started.

Danny Rees: Librarian, Wellcome Library

Danny appreciates how lucky he is to work in such a well-funded library. There is a huge variety of material that, as a librarian, he gets the chance to handle. Although apparently it is best not to know what some of these things are worth! 

It is also an intellectually stimulating environment, with lots of opportunities to learn and to get involved with projects. The library is constantly organising exhibitions, talks and other such events. Danny’s advice is to get out of your comfort zone.

Marie Cannon: Information Officer, Trowers & Hamlin LLP

Marie is “currently in my first professional post as an Information Officer for the law firm Trowers & Hamlins”... see her blog for details about how she got there.

Regarding library school, Marie advises students to make the most of the tutors and especially get to know your personal tutor as you may want to use them as a reference. In her experience, employers are not interested in which modules you chose, so it is best to pick your favourites and get the best mark possible. Make sure not to miss opportunities to build your CV in your spare time – during her degree Marie won the SLA Europe Early Career Conference Award (ECCA) 2012.

Marie also encourages librarians to embrace social media. Twitter, a blog, LinkedIn and 23 Things are all great ways to gain (and demonstrate) current awareness and can provide you with great support...even job opportunities. Further to this, it is important to develop your own digital brand so that when employers look you up online you make a good impression.

 Simon Barron: Project Analyst, British Library

We are living in a digital age, in which technology is developing very quickly – so much so that training in any specific programme is soon out-of-date. Therefore librarians should make sure they are experts in two core areas: people and information.

Simon gave some statistics on the huge (and increasing) amount of information that is being produced and talked about the possibilities of storing and organising this digitally. Libraries are working towards building larger library networks online. Simon believes the future for the digital librarian is as a liaison between IT and the library, translating the jargon and ensuring that the online systems are making all the information accessible. He is in favour of automated systems because “humans make mistakes”.

Simon has been an army librarian, e-resources manager and now works for the British Library on their Qatar project. He is a self-taught programmer and another winner of the SLA Europe Early Career Conference Award.

Tracey Dennis: Deputy Librarian, Inner Temple

Working at an Inn of Court (also Middle Temple, Lincoln’s Inn and Gray’s Inn) is a blend of academic and research librarianship as the Inn is used by trainee and practising barristers, as well as judges and clerks. The library therefore offers training and signposting but will also carry out research for some patrons. This can be time-pressured. Additionally the library maintains a daily current awareness service in the form of a blog, and a gateway site of free authoritative websites – because google is not good enough!

It is a conservative and traditional environment in which to work; Tracey enjoys the formality but agrees that it does not appeal to everyone. However the Inn has embraced the modern age in that it subscribes to electronic resources, uses social media and provides wifi access. It also runs social mobility schemes.

In addition to Inner Temple, Tracey has worked at Lincoln’s Inn, the House of Lords and the law firm Lewis Silkin. Often her change of job was motivated by her drive to acquire experience and move up the career ladder.

Fiona Fogden: Freelance Librarian

Start with jobs in a larger organisation so you get the chance to learn from others. Then find opportunities to shine.

Fiona found work experience at her local library during holidays before completing her library qualification. She then worked for the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, then Baker & Mackenzie. Finding that the professional services staff were being regularly restructured, Fiona set up a sideline business offering freelance negotiation training – so as not to keep all her eggs in one basket. In 2006 Facet Publishing published her book: Negotiating Licences for Digital Resources. She continues to work part-time for Linex Systems, a software company, and runs half-day workshops on the topics of Negotiation and Using Excel to Manage your library budget.

Fiona’s advice is to sell yourself – remind your boss of your achievements and aspirations and ask to take on projects. You are always on show whether that be in person at work or socially or electronically. Do your core job well and then you will be given more opportunity to play to any other strengths and interests. As your career matures you can start to specialise and consider more niche roles and opportunities

If you feel you are stuck in a rut, talk to your boss or careers department about why you are not being promoted. She also recommends volunteering for professional bodies (e.g. CILIP), using social media, taking qualifications (Prince2, CIPS) and writing articles. The information sector is large and changing rapidly, so you do not need to follow a traditional librarian’s path. Find the new gap in the market and move into it e.g. Information Architecture, Outsourced service co-ordinator.

Institute of Classical Studies & IHR Digital

Institute of Classical Studies Trip

Last Tuesday we had the opportunity to visit the Institute of Classical Studies (ICS) at Senate House Library, where we saw some fascinating rare books, and were given a highly informative tour of the library by Susan, who told us of its long and interesting history. The ICS has promoted research into the cultures of the ancient world for sixty years, and its materials encompass many different ancient cultures and languages. It runs an extensive programme of events throughout the year, encompassing seminars, lectures and conferences, and publishes a twice yearly journal (BICS) now also available online. It is a renowned resource for many aspects of the Humanities.

  The Institute was first formed as part of the University of London in 1953, and now forms part of the School of Advanced Study. It is housed alongside the Joint Library of the Hellenic and Roman Societies (both which of which have been established since 1879 and 1910.) It has been active in Senate House Library since 1997, in a space custom designed by Richard Simpson, an architect and also Director of Publications for the Institute itself. Simpson designed the space so that it overlooked the classical columns of the British Museum, thus leading the visitor deeper into ‘classicism’ itself.  In 1997 the South Block of the Institute was refurbished extensively, and the Library was moved to the third floor area to allow more room. The floor had be considerably strengthened to hold up the weight of the shelving!

  The Library’s collection policy is as follows: the library is responsible for the ‘primary’ collection of reference-only material (e.g. dictionaries, corpora- a complete collection of writings- excavation reports- i.e. on archaeological sites- books, periodicals and e-resources. The Libraries of the Hellenic and Roman Societies are  responsible for a ‘secondary’ collection of books and periodicals that can be lent out.

The Library’s total collection amounts to around 138,000 volumes.

Interestingly, books new to the library are organized via size, and via coloured dots which mark out their subject matter. Other material is arranged by the type of source material from the Classical World:

1.       Language and literature

2.       Papyrology (i.e. study of ancient paper) and Epigraphy (study of inscriptions)

3.       Physical evidence (clarified as ‘Pre-Classical’: i.e. Minoan/Mycenaean/Homeric/Etruscan; ‘Ancient Provinces/regions/sites’: Architecture, Art i.e. artefacts such as pottery, vases, sculpture, mosaics, wall paintings, metalwork, jewellery, glass etc.)

4.       Secondary material (clarified as: Ancient History/Politics/Administration- including democracy and slavery- Religion/Mythology/Philosophy/Science and Technology/ Ancient Daily Life- e.g. education, issues to do with women, sexuality, warfare, theatre, performance, music, dance.

5.       Numismatics (i.e. the study of collecting coins, especially ancient coins.)

This particular scheme has been refined from Conrad Bursian’s Bibliotheca philologia classica. The result is a classification scheme has been devised with its own numbering scheme.

The Institute also has a large and ever-increasing fiction section, for fictional work based on or set in Classical times. Authors featured include well-known crime writer Lindsey Davis, who sets her work in Ancient Rome.

  The Library has a staff team of just six, including the Librarian, Deputy Librarian, Senior Library Assistant and the SCONUL trainee. Each member of staff has a particular responsibility, and the trainee has the opportunity to view most aspects of library work during their year.

One of the highlights of the tour personally for me was viewing the Library’s collection of rare books. We were able to see the diaries, notebooks and travel journals of the classical scholar Robert Woods, (1717-1771) and the archaeologist John Bouverie (who died whilst travelling. These items included intricate drawings- of places such as Constantinople- by the Italian draughtsman Giovanni Battista Borra (1712-1786,) detailing classical architecture. These items are owned by the Hellenic Society, and access is limited, so to view them up close was a real treat! Other items worth noting include the David Smith Mosaic Archive, (which are kept up to date through contributions from the Roman Research Trust,) the travel diaries of Mabel and Theodore Bent, and a book dating from 1501.

The Institute of Historical Research

In addition to visiting the ICS, we also attended a talk at the Institute of Historical Research. This was led by Simon and Danny who work for IHR Digital, working with electronic publications like British History Online, Bibliography of British and Irish History and Reviews in History. From them, we learnt about the importance of interoperability- i.e. providing links to other resources, and the importance of organizing your own time and ‘value-added information.’ (I.e. what librarians can provide versus a computer, and the modern way in which librarians can justify their career choice!)

A little technological info: the IHR has over half a million records, coded using MARC records with DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers: these take users to full text records.) They also have RSS feeds from publishers and podcasts for their conference and seminar programme. However, the IHR is currently having to adapt to new technologies such as RDA (Resource Description Access- a new style of cataloguing which will eventually replace AACR- Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules, and means less abbreviation and different cataloguing fields.*)

  Because of such changes Simon and Danny stressed the importance of being flexible in terms of LIS work, being able to handle routine projects/routine, quite methodical work on a daily basis. They also suggested that libraries can sometimes have to justify their existence to get funding. (The IHR itself received funding from the Arts & Humanities Research Council for 12 years, but this has recently come to an end.) According to Simon and Danny, funding for large data resources such as theirs is essential, as is knowing and targeting a specific audience. They also mentioned the importance of information as an online and organized resource.

All in all, it was a very interesting and informative trip, and once again I was surprised at how many different aspects there were to the Senate House Libraries. We didn’t get to see the IHR’s library in the end, but we are hoping to visit in the near future. (Stay tuned, folks!)

Thanks to everyone who was so kind to spend time talking to us and showing us round- and for the lovely kosher cake!

More information on the ICS can be found here: http://library.icls.sas.ac.uk/about-collection.htm

Information on the IHR can be found here: http://www.history.ac.uk/

*By the way, by ‘fields’ I do not mean ‘meadows’!

By Eleanor Keane