The Wiener Library

Although I've worked close to The Wiener Library for the Study of the Holocaust and Genocide for several years now, I'd never actually visited. It wasn't until a colleague told me about the weekly library tours, which take place every Tuesday lunchtime, that I thought to visit. We ended up making it a bit of a work thing: three of us went one lunchtime, to be followed by the other two a week later.

The Library, formed in 1933 by Alfred Wiener, is Britain's Holocaust library and the oldest collection of its kind in the world. It holds over one million items, including illustrated and rare books, press cuttings, photographs and eyewitness testimonies.

Our tour included the main Library reading room, with considerable collections available on open access for the use of readers. Items stored elsewhere in the building, including photographs and fragile items, can be requested. Members of the public can use the Library, open on weekdays, free of charge, though first-time visitors do need to bring some ID. You need to become a member if you want to borrow books.

We were taken downstairs to view the stacks, and were able to see several fascinating items which our guide brought out to show us. One was a Nazi colouring book and another was a book of photographs of Hitler and assorted small children: both were bizarre and rather chilling. There were also some documents relating to Jewish refugees who came to the UK.

The Library runs a programme of temporary exhibitions on the ground floor. The current exhibition is Fragments of a Lost Homeland: Remembering the Armenian Genocide which is on until 25 February. This exhibition focuses on one particular family around 1915 who recorded their experiences before, during and after the genocide in letters, diaries and photographs.

The Wiener Library is well worth a visit, even if you don't need to use the research facilities. Tours run on Tuesdays at 1pm, and you can visit the temporary exhibitions during regular opening hours.

ARLG Southern British Library Tour

Recently I went on a visit to the British Library organised by ARLG Southern. The visit comprised a library tour, which really interested me because although I have visited the BL several times, it's always been as a visitor to the exhibitions: I'm not a member and I've never been in the reading rooms or behind the scenes.

The British Library Piazza. Source: Jack1956 on Wikipedia

The British Library, which is a relatively new institution that only came into being during the second half of the twentieth century, is the national library of the UK and the largest library in the world in terms of items catalogued. The building holds around 170 million items from numerous countries and in every language in the world. Information is held in multiple formats: print books and ebooks, manuscripts, journals, newspapers, magazines, audiovisual recordings, playscripts, patents, databases, maps, prints and drawings. The collections include around 14 million books, and the Library holds ancient historical items dating back as far as 2000 BC.

British Library Foyer

The Library is a Legal Deposit Library (the others are the Bodleian at Oxford, the University Library at Cambridge, the Trinity College Library in Dublin and the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales), meaning that it receives a copy of each book produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland, including several overseas books distributed in the UK.

Our tour, which was delivered by a very knowledgeable and entertaining guide, began in the foyer where we learned about the library's beginnings. The BL originally started out at the British Museum: the famous Round Reading Room is where famous people including Marx used to study. The British Library Act of 1972 enabled the BL to be established in 1973, although materials were dispersed around London and around the country for several years. When deciding upon a location for the eventual library site, there wasn't much choice available: it would have to be within walking distance of the British Museum in Bloomsbury, so that the rarest and most valuable books could be carried there by hand, as they were not permitted to be transported on vehicles. Eventually the site at Euston Road was decided upon: located next to St Pancras Station, it used to be a goods yard.

The Library was designed by Colin St John Wilson, and the building has met with a mixed reception (apparently Prince Charles hates it, but the Queen is a fan). Looked at from the right angle, it resembles a ship. It was made a Grade I listed building earlier this year, so it is now recognised as a landmark of design: however it is not without its problems. Wilson spent so much of the Library budget on expensive marble, containing fossils, to be laid outside on the piazza (meaning that it is extremely slippery in the rain) that there wasn't enough left for decent shelving, resulting in some collapses as the second-hand shelves couldn't bear the huge weight of the books.

It is impressive, however, that most of the books are stored underground: the stacks run several storeys beneath the ground, stopped only by the tube that is even further down. The Fleet River also runs nearby, so that the lowest floor does flood on occasion.

From the foyer we were taken to the Members' Area in which you can register to become a member of the Library. Anyone can register so long as they have the appropriate ID: you don't have to be an academic. Near here, there is a book handling system which delivers books users have ordered to the surface by means of a conveyor belt. Staff collect book requests, remove them from the shelves and send them up to the Library.

The book handling system

We went upstairs and were able to get a brilliant view of the King's Library, made up of 65,000 printed volumes and numerous pamphlets, manuscripts and maps collected by George III between 1763 and 1820. The glass tower was inspired by a similar structure in the Beinecke Library in New Haven, Connecticut.

The King's Library

From the old to the new: our next stop was the news room where readers can view newspapers and watch a live news feed. We explored the Library considerably, taking a look at the many busy - but extremely quiet - reading rooms.

Reading Room

Before leaving, we had a quick look at a Library video in one of the quietest corners of the building - left "unfinished" to show off the brickwork.

I really loved my tour: I learned a great deal about the British Library that I hadn't known before. Public tours are available and I do recommend signing up.

CILIP in Surrey Visit to St Paul's Cathedral Library

On Tuesday I took the afternoon off work to attend a CILIP in Surrey visit to the Library at St Paul's Cathedral. I actually looked at cathedral libraries and archives for my Masters dissertation, so I was really excited at getting the chance to see one. We were shown around by the Librarian, who took us up to the Triforium level behind the South West Tower, where the Library is located.

The original Library was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666: though it was not housed in the Cathedral itself, it was located nearby, and fell victim to the blaze. A few manuscripts were saved, however, and were taken to the new Library, which now contains over 30,000 items. The Library is located in a room designed by Sir Christopher Wren, and the wall carvings make reference to the ecclesiastical subject of the tomes contained within. The Library's collections, which relate to Wren, the building of the new St Paul's, the history of the Church and the Church in the city, can be used by anyone who needs to make use of them.

In some ways the visit was more of a behind-the-scenes tour, as we got to see parts of St Paul's hidden from the average visitor, including the gallery at the back used for TV cameras during special events, the collection of historic fonts, and the large model of one particular design for St Paul's. It was fascinating to be able to learn about this unique library and the space in which it is housed.

ARLG London Visit to the RADA Library

I signed up to the ARLG visit to the RADA Library as I love the theatre, and thought it would be very interesting to have the chance to explore the library of one of the most famous actor training grounds. The Library is located at 18 Chenies Street, London, WC1E 7PA, very near in fact to the CILIP headquarters. It was established in 1904, initially via donation, including some from Bernard Shaw. In 1995 the Library was moved to this purpose-built space. In recent years, a cataloguing programme has ensured that all essential stock is now catalogued.

The Library has over 40,000 items including more than 12,000 plays, which form the core of the Library's service and are sorted, in A-Z order by author, on shelves in the middle of the space. Other books relating to particular authors, such as biographies, are shelved with works by that author, while other supporting material such as history and acting/directing manuals are shelved separately. The Library also has a selection of DVDs and videos, a music collection and links to digital resources including Drama Online, Digital Theatre and the RADA Accents Archive.

We were given a talk by the Library Manager, James Thornton. He explained that the Library is for the use of staff and students, with full-time students able to borrow up to 8 items at once. Books must be returned or renewed within 4 weeks. The Library is open six days out of seven during term time, including some late evenings. A cash deposit is required from students before they are able to borrow, which I thought quite surprising. External researchers are discouraged, as the resources are there primarily to support RADA students: they can use them if needed but are charged £10 per day.

After a look around the Library, we were shown some of the archives: RADA has registers of all students dating back to its founding, and we were able to see some of these including the entry for John Gielgud. It's exciting to think how many well-known actors have passed through RADA's - and the Library's - doors.

Thanks to RADA and ARLG for a fascinating visit.

Registering for Chartership

It seems fitting that I mark my 100th post on this blog with the announcement that, after months of thinking about it, I've finally registered for Chartership. I've found a mentor, attended a Professional Registration Workshop at CILIP, and paid my fee. I had my first telephone meeting with my mentor this morning: she seems lovely and I'm confident that we will have a good working relationship.

My first task is to complete the PKSB before our next meeting at the end of October. I'll write another post then on how I found the process.

ARLG London and South East Visit to the Wallace Collection Library and Archive

Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to participate in a visit to the Wallace Collection Library and Archive, organised by ARLG London and South East. The Wallace Collection is located within Hertford House, near Oxford Street in London, and is an impressive collection of paintings (particularly 18th century French work), furniture, porcelain and arms and armour. It grew from the private collections of the first four Marquesses of Hertford, and was bequeathed to the nation by Lady Wallace (widow of Sir Richard Wallace, son of the fourth Marquess) in 1897.

The Library began as a research library for curatorial staff, though it is now open to the public by appointment. It contains around 20,000 books, periodicals and exhibition catalogues relating to the artworks in the collection, as well as the De Walden collection of rare fencing books, which it holds on long-term loan. The Archive has files relating to the history of the collection and related material. Both the Library and Archive employed professional staff only comparatively recently.

We were taken on a tour of the Library, which is more complicated than it sounds: the "proper" library is in the basement, but there are other rare books in a cabinet within the museum, and more on the top floor within staff offices. Like many libraries there is a problem with lack of space, and staff also have to face challenges from members of curatorial staff, who like to have "their" books with them. Like many museums, the Library is not always seen as a priority - museum concerns take centre stage. However, despite this the Library is doing well, with the collection almost fully catalogued. I really enjoyed this fascinating visit.

CILIP South East Visit to the Inner Temple Library

I visited the Inner Temple Library with CILIP South East. The Inner Temple is one of the four Inns of Court, the others being Middle Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn. The Inns are unincorporated associations which have existed since the 14th century, and majorly contribute to the recruitment, training and professional life of barristers. They hold the exclusive rights to call candidates to the bar of England and Wales.

The Library is mainly used by practising barristers, though it is occasionally used by students. It is used by members of all four Inns of Court: each Inn's library specialises in a different kind of law so that the books are not duplicated, a sensible arrangement. The Library itself is very attractive, a calm, quiet place in which to work.