Handle with care: rare books and information literacy

Dateline: Monday, July 6, 2015
Places:  St. Paul’s Cathedral Library and the National Art Library 
Times:  10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Temperature: 23° C
Song of day: Dear hearts and gentle people by Bing Crosby

Visiting a rare book or special collections library, at institutions such as St. Paul's Cathedral and the National Art Library, is like walking into a treasure trove of primary sources filled with beautiful old books and manuscripts. These visits remind me that such materials are important resources for researchers but helping students gain "primary source literacy" is a challenge for those of us doing information literacy instruction, especially if we only have "one shot" to teach a range of literacies (Daines & Nimer, p. 1). Should we try to include such sources and, if so, what and how to teach?

On the steps of St. Paul's ... like the little old bird woman.

"How to readers take books out of the library?" This seems like an innocuous question but after an hour with Joseph Wisdom, I have a feeling that a teachable moment is upon us. Joseph Wisdom is the librarian for St. Paul's Cathedral and responsible for a collection of ecclesiastical tracts, pamphlets, manuscripts and books that date back to the early 1700s and are consulted by scholars from around the world. During our one-hour tour, I realize that he is trying to share not just information about the history of the library but also something of his philosophy of librarianship ("we should do what we do with love").

During our tour, Mr. Wisdom took us to see Christopher Wren's model of the cathedral the architect envisioned In the 17th century. The current cathedral was built after the great fire of London gutted the old one in 1666.

Prof. Teresa Welsh and Mr. Wisdom in the cathedral library. The light in the library is misty and musty, as is the smell of decaying leather which permeates the room. Old books!

Instead of simply answering my shelf question by describing the borrowing policies, Mr. Wisdom takes the opportunity to demonstrate how to handle rare books. Even though we are at the end of the session, he is still willing to take the extra few minutes to teach us this skill, which is critical to primary source literacy.

"Press in on the volumes on either side of the book you want, grasp your book gently, support it underneath and at 110 degrees from [the shelf] and pull it out. Read it flat so that there is no damage]."

Although the rest of the information about the library and the collection is interesting, it is this moment I will remember--for the skill itself and because Mr. Wisdom took the time to teach, even though he only had "one shot" and thus not a lot of time to do so.

The library holds books and other artefacts, like this "globe" win which there is a miniature of Wellington's funeral carriage.

The lighting in the library is not meant for iPads but Mr. Wisdom was happy to pose in a photo with our group.

Likewise, the librarians at the National Art Gallery take the time to give us some of the history of the library and its collections but also something about handling and using such sources. In showing us the treasured books, photographs and ecclesiastical texts that she has carefully chosen for our visit, Sally Wilson also spends time pointing out the features of the tools (such as book snakes, cushions and special boxes) that are necessary to ensure that these primary sources are handled properly.

The reading room at the National Art Library (left) is the stuff of readers' dreams--elegant, quiet and well lit. Just the place for librarian Sally Wilson to display rare books and demonstrate how they are cared for.

Thoughts
All of these "logistics" are critical to using such sources for research and important for beginners like me to understand if we are to develop a literacy related to such materials. As Daines and Nimer (2015) point out, traditionally the use of such sources has been seen as the limited territory of areas of historical research--art history, political history, social history--and information literacy skills for using such primary sources has been limited to specialized fields. For example, a recent case study at McGill University was a collaboration between a rare books librarian and an art history professor (Garland, 2014).

However, Daine and Nimer (2015) seem suggest that students in other areas could benefit from being introduced to the use of such sources and I am rethinking their use for my subjects. Certainly students in Indigenous Studies, grappling with current issues such as that of the residential schools, might benefit from some preliminary instruction--not just in how to access and handle rare books but also perhaps some of the information seeking behaviour of historians, as described by Duff and Johnson (2002), might be transferable to other disciplines. Even highlighting one source (or using my experiences from this summer) might be worth developing into a session for students.

This would be a challenge--given the tendency of some professors to only allot one-hour "one shots" for information literacy instruction. But it's worth a shot.

References
Danier, G. D.  and Nimes, C. L. (2015). In search of primary source literacy: Opportunities
      and challenges. RBM: A Journal of Rare Books, Manuscripts, and Cultural Heritage
      16(1), 19-34.

Duff, W. M., & Johnson, C. A. (2002). Accidentally found on purpose: Information-seeking
      behavior of historians in archives. Library Quarterly, 72(4), 472.

Garland, J. (2014). Locating Traces of Hidden Visual Culture in Rare Books and Special 
      Collections: A Case Study in Visual Literacy. Art Documentation: Bulletin Of The Art
      Libraries Society Of North America, 33(2), 313-326. 

Bonus video!

To the coast and inland: To Dover and Canterbury then on to Stonehenge and Winchester

Dateline: July 4 and 5, 2015
Places:  Saturday in Dover and Canterbury; Sunday at Stonehenge and Winchester
Times: 7ish to 7ish each day
Temperatures: Saturday was 27° C; Sunday was 23° C
Songs of the weekend: Winchester Cathedral and The White Cliffs of Dover

We are so lucky to have the chance to take two day trips this week to iconic parts of England, both arranged for us by Peter Allen, who has been with the Southern Miss British Studies Program for a while:

• Dover Castle
• Canterbury
• Stonehenge
• Winchester

I wasn't sure quite what to expect and didn't do any homework before I left on these jaunts. I was willing to take things as I found them. And the trips were delightful.

I am really impressed with how English Heritage manages both Dover Castle and Stonehenge in a way that seems similar to how Parks Canada manages Canadian historical sites such as Dawson City and the Fortress of Louisbourg--it's easy to move around both places, even though Stonehenge in particular is incredibly busy--more than 1.3 million people visited in 2014.

Dover Castle overlooks the English Channel and Calais in France, which we could faintly make out through the haze of an otherwise perfectly sunny day. 

The keep: the heart of the castle.

Overlooking the English Channel.

Operation Dynamo:
saving the troops 

Vice-Admiral Ramsay
(Ibilio)

I knew it is a medieval castle and assumed that, in the way of castles, it had been used as a major defense point for centuries. 

But I didn't realize that Dover was strategic to the evacuation of allied troops from France to England in 1939-40 as German soldiers seemed poised to take France. 

As mentioned on the website, the castle was a naval command centre in WWI. 

During Operational Dynamo, Vice-Admiral Bertram Ramsay organised the troops from Dunkirk to Dover. He hoped to move 25,000 troops to safety and instead was able to evacuate more than 250,000!

Canterbury is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and not just because Chaucer wrote The Canterbury Tales. As per the UNESCO criteria, the city is of "outstanding universal value, in part because it is the "cradle of English Christianity" and because the architecture is outstanding (e.g, Canterbury Christchurch Cathedral).  

Inner courtyard at Canterbury Christchurch Cathedral. The soaring gothic ceilings and pillars are iconic for medieval churches. In addition, there are cobblestones to walk and other interesting sites to visit such as the  Eastbridge Hospital, which has been (and still is!) offering sanctuary to pilgrims for centuries. Plus, we made our way to the old city from the coach parking lot along a pretty pathway along the  Great Stour River and I found a marvelous cafe for lunch: Kitch! This almshouse is still a place of refuge after hundreds of years. The fisherfolk were busy catching all manner of  beasties including carp.

Lunch was curried vegetable soup and a sandwich of
garlic & rosemary seasoned chicken with pesto and spinach. Delish!

And the best part was, this was only Saturday!  Sunday saw us leaping onto the bus again (well, not really as the coach left quite early so we more slid quietly into our seats for a snooze) for another adventure.

Stonehenge almost needs no introduction as it is another UNESCO World Heritage Site and so famous, it's almost as if I'd already been there. But, of course, I hadn't and nothing quite prepared me for actually standing in front of these majestic stones ... how on earth did these prehistoric communities move such rocks--slabs really--without the benefit of a motorized crane?

Two types of stone -- the larger sarsens and the smaller ‘bluestones’--make up the site.
The sarsens are arranged in an inner and outer circle
while the bluestones  sit between the two circles in a double arc.

Archeaologists reckon that Stonehenge was built about 5,000 years ago as a burial site. It is designed using enormous sarsens and smaller bluestones and was erected in the late Neolithic period around 2500 BC--the website does a way better job than I ever could. The stones are now cordoned off to prevent further erosion or damage (except that done by Mother Nature). It's a lovely walk to a from the stones, along a gravel pathway and I was pleased to see wild poppies that reminded me of Flanders Fields.

That day was windy and cool, so I was happy to gobble a hot sausage roll at the visitors' centre café before travelling the 52K to Winchester.

The poppies are back, after being plowed under for years.

Our journey (Google Maps)

Like Canterbury, Winchester is known for its gothic cathedral. 

The cathedral was built in the 7th century and has gone from being a small cross-shaped church called Old Minister, to a priory church of a community of monks whose chants began the English choral tradition, through many renovations that would make it one of the largest cathedrals in England. The photo above is of the mysterious "man in in the crypt."

But did you know that the cathedral is also the last resting place of author Jane Austen and a funky art gallery to boot?

Just as Christian pilgrims make their way to the cathedral, devotees of Jane Austen arrive to pay homage to one of their favourite authors. But the cathedral is also a space for other artistic endeavours and was playing host to a local art show the day I was there!

Wandering narrow, cobblestoned lanes is charming (although hard on the feet), so I was happy to get to the central square and find a young fella playing the uke ... I perched on the statue behind him for a bit and enjoyed the music--and had a chance to strum a bit too!

The wood on this uke is really interesting--although a bit hard to see from this photo. The musician isn't sure what kind it is, as he bought it when travelling in Australia.

However, the instrument has a really lovely sound and I wasn't the only one stopping at the statue to listen for a while. 

Lots of folks were eating ice cream or drinking tea but I pushed on to the Great Hall.

The hall is where King Arthur met his knights of the round table ... which curiously hangs on the wall and has no legs (photo below)!

My final stop was a wonderful café called Eat Drink Be ... made me think of my friend Michelle (whose husband was a beekeeper).

So, who goes to England and doesn't try the "Cream Tea" at least once, twice or thrice?

References
Google Maps. (2015). [Stonehenge to Winchester]. Retrieved from https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Winchester,+UK/Stonehenge,+Amesbury,+Wiltshire+SP4+7DE/@51.1325555,-1.7240492,11z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x487405528df97463:0x67a4865d66a8eda1!2m2!1d-1.310142!2d51.059771!1m5!1m1!1s0x4873e63b850af611:0x979170e2bcd3d2dd!2m2!1d-1.8262155!2d51.1788823!3e0
  
Vice-Admiral Sir Bertram H. Ramsay. (n.d.) Ibilio. Retrieved from
      http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/UK/UK-NWE-Flanders/UK-NWE-Flanders-13.html.

Research stage one: The Orkney Islands and Lambeth Palace

Dateline: Friday, July 3, 2015
Place: Library of Lambeth Palace
Time: 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Temperature: 25° C
Song of the day:  For the light by Digging Roots

Originally, my research problem was to examine collections at the following institutions to determine what documents or artefacts can tell us about Hudson Bay Company (HBC) families and their return to the United Kingdom. And certainly my voyage through the Ottawa International Airport on the way to the "over the pond" plane seemed to confirm that I was on a good path ...

Le canot d'écorce or the bark canoe hangs near 
the departure gates at the Ottawa International Airport.

King Charles II granted a royal charter to the
Hudson's Bay Company in 1670. This shop is 
also in the departures area of the airport.

Search process
Although my problem has now shifted to focus on the information seeking process itself, I have still done some useful work with primary sources based on this initial research problem.

Following up on suggestions from faculty and graduate students at Carleton, I reviewed looked at the primary sources for two core texts considered for the topic of fur trading families:

1. Sylvia van Kirk's Many tender ties : women in fur-trade society, 1670-1870 
2 Jennifer S. Brown's Strangers in blood : fur trade company families in Indian country

I also contacted three scholars who have specifically done work on fur trading families where the Aboriginal wife and/or Metis children are known to have returned to the United Kingdom, and in particular Scotland:

1. Allison Brown (University of Aberdeen)
2. Patricia A. McCormack (Professor Emertia, University of Alberta)
3. Cheryl Purdey (Alumna [MA], University of Alberta)

Based on my preliminary scan of the sources used by van Kirk and Brown as well as my telephone and email conversations with Patricia McCormack and Alison Brown respectively as well as advice from Prof. Pamela Walker, an expert on 19th century British missionaries, I took the following preliminary steps in my research:

1. I contacted contact the Orkney Library and Archives in Kirkwall, Scotland. Kirkwall is one of the main cities in the Orkney Islands and according to the literature, many of the HBC fur traders came from either the Orkneys or the Scottish Highlands. 

Assistant Archivist Lucy Gibbon forwarded to me some research on two sisters, Sylvia and Elizabeth Miller, who were listed in the 1911 census as coming from Ungave. I have had several other email exchanges with Lucy and, having decided not to travel to Kirkwall to examine materials, she will be sending me scanned versions of relevant documents.

2. I made an online request to consult records at Church of England Record Centre, located at the Lambeth Palace Library. Prof. Walker had suggested that some of the holdings in this library might be potential resources, given that missionaries from a variety of denominations were active in Canada (or Rupert's Land as the Hudson Bay region was known from the 17th to 19th centuries).

The Most Revd and Rt Hon
the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury Archibald Tait
(Wikipedia)

I limited the scope of my searching to the 19th and early 20th centuries and did several keyword searches using terms/strings such as:

(Indian* or native* or Aboriginal*) and "Hudson's Bay Company"
"fur trader* famil*" and Canad*
(Indian* or native* or Aboriginal*) and women and Canad*
"Rupert's Land" and famil*

The searches for materials related to the Hudson's Bay Company were the most successful and I identified the following materials to consult initially:

Hudson’s Bay Company
Tait 226 ff. 251-9 passim
Correspondence on grants to the diocese of Rupert’s Land

Archibald Tait was the Archbishop of Canterbury (1868 - 1882) and all his papers are held at the Lambeth Palace Library. I sent an email request to view these documents and Library Assistant Jessica Hudson emailed me back with permission to view them on July 3, 2015.

Observations

Page 1 of a letter dated 1875 that appears to be from Robert Machray, Bishop of Rupert's Land (1865 - 1904).

Last page of this same letter from Robert Machray, presumably to  Archbishop Tait.

1. The documents I viewed could provide some contextual information for students. For example, there are several documents from the Bishop of Rupert's Land regarding Moose Factory, located on the south-western tip of Hudson's Bay. This might be of interest to Aboriginal student researchers for whom Moose Factory is their home community or who know folks from whom it is (such as one of our elders at Carleton).
2. While this preliminary search does not find any material directly related to fur trading marriages or families, it does help me refine my search terms. For this period, Esquimaux is an appropriate search term (rather than the contemporary Inuit) and Indian* will work, if coupled with other terms such as Rupert's Land (so as not to identify material related to India).

Aside from these process observations, the Lambeth Palace library is delightful to use. The reading room is small but well lit, there are two long tables for readers to work at and the staff is very helpful. 

Lambeth Palace is located very close to the Stamford St. Apartments,
near the Lambeth Bridge on the south side of the Thames.

After I looked at the initial materials I had ordered, I requested others and these were brought to me within 15 minutes. The rare books librarian was a bit nervous about one item, as the binding on the spine is deteriorating and he placed it on the viewing cushion as if it was a newborn. 

A rare book containing photographs from the dioceses in Canada and America.

I have used brittle newspapers before but not a book so this was a useful exercise for me. In retrospect, this experience certainly put Joseph Wisdom's lesson on taking rare books off the shelf into perspective (more to come on this subject)!

References
Achibald Tait. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved from
     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archibald_Tait

British Museum Archives: Missing one catalogue for a corporate archive

Dateline: July 2, 2015
Place: British Museum Archives
Time: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Temperature: 34 degrees C
Song of the morning: Head over heels by Tears for Fears

The British Museum is one of London’s main attraction and is filled with national and international cultural treasures such as the Rosetta Stone. Just as fascinating as the significant artefacts housed within this public institution is the museum itself as a public institution. And yet, researchers wanting to study this corporate history have a challenge: at present no suitable finding aid exists to facilitate this work. 

This gap reinforces my understanding that records have to be managed properly in order to be useful sources of information.

Where's Martha? Look for the hat ...

Francesca Miller is the current archivist at the British Museum and responsible for organizing records that date back to the opening of the museum in 1759. This administrative collection holds a wide variety of materials related to the business and transactions of the museum over its 262-year history including "original papers" or committee minutes, building plans dating to the 18th century, images of museum founders, letters and present (i.e., donated) books as well as human resources or staff records. 

Francesca Miller (left), archivist at the British Museum,
showing us a letter book (April 1824 - February 1835).

Collectively, these corporate materials represent a rich trove of documentary and other evidence that can help us "learn from the past" (Eulenberg, 1984, p. 21).

However, when Francesca became the museum's archivist in 2012, she knew she had inherited records whose organization lacked "coherence." She is the first professional archivist to be hired into this position and thus while the collection does reflect "the scope of the collecting body," it does not function optimally as an archive (Eulenberg, 1984, p. 22). 



For example, Francesca has found that there is no "logic" to the collection policies so she is unsure why some records have been kept (e.g., the staff records) and others seem to be missing (e.g., certain documents related to donations).  Provenance is an issue for some items and others have not been conserved properly (e.g., some documents are in bound volumes and should not be). 

Materials in the archives are not filed
using standard archival descriptions.

Moreover, Francesca is concerned about the lack of a catalogue that meets archival standards so that materials are properly documented and can be found relatively easily. As such, her highest priority at present is to develop a set of finding aids that meet the International Standard Archival Description (General) (i.e., ISAD [G]) and are based on the core principles of provenance and respect for original order.  

In 2013 she instituted an archival database program which will eventually allow her to produce a proper catalogue for the collection. In producing a finding aid system, she will be ensuring access to important evidence for all those interested in the corporate history of the museum.

Thoughts
The preservation of corporate records is an issue that I think is very important. I could not have written my thesis on unions at Carleton University without access to the corporate records and I was very dismayed when, in 2011, university administrators made the decision to not fill the position of corporate archivist when the incumbent left. That collection was organized according to Canadian archival standards and provided me with information that I needed to understand this history and although the position is finally being filled in 2015, there are now four years when crucial materials were not collected.

While there are issues surrounding archives in general, such as a traditional privileging of documentary evidence (Mckemmish & Piggott, 2014, p. 111), nonetheless I believe that proper records management is critical to ensuring that scholarship can be done on important areas of human endeavour.



References
Eulenberg, J. N. (1984). The Corporate Archives: Management Tool and Historical 
      Resource. The Public Historian, 6(1), 20-37.

McKemmish, S., & Piggott, M. (2013). Toward the Archival Multiverse: Challenging the 
      Binary  Opposition of the Personal and Corporate Archive in Modern Archival Theory
      and Practice. Archivaria, 76, 111-144.

London Library: Accessibility in a subscription library

Dateline: Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Place: London Library
Time: 1:30 - 3 p.m.
Temperature: still 26°C
Song of the afternoon:  Kate McLeod at Rare Books (anything from this album)

I hang my hat on the stand reserved for members' head gear ... remarkable that I don't have to pay for a locker but perhaps this is one of the privileges of belonging to a private institution like the London Library.

Subscription libraries were common in the 19th century but have largely been replaced by public, lending libraries in Canada and the UK.

While it might seem that public libraries are more inclusive--because they are "free"--the organization and development of the London Library collection reminds me that core principles of access are used in many contexts.

British philosopher and essayist Thomas Carlyle and I might have had an interesting conversation about historical practice-- after all, he thought history was the story of "great men" while I write about women whose lives and efforts need to be recognized--but I think we'd agree on the continued importance of lending libraries.

Thomas Carlyle
(Wikipedia)

In the early 1800s, Carlyle wanted to be able to borrow books from the British Museum Library but was unable to do so. The solution? An independent lending library to which he, and other scholars and writers, could subscribe and from which they could borrow core humanities reference materials to use for their work (Phipps, 2006). Although access to such a library would be limited to those who could pay the annual fee, Carlyle was still advocating for greater access to information.

From a relatively small collection that consisted of two rooms of books housed in two rooms in a townhouse in St. James Square, the London Library now has over 1 million volumes, shelved on several floors of the same building and is set to celebrate its 175 anniversary next year.  

St. James Square: filled at lunch time with people and Pret à Manger takeaway bags.

The entrance to the London Library off the square.

It is still a subscription library but membership is still open to any who can afford the monthly fee of approximately C$80.00. The current library is lovely--steeped in history (e.g., poet T.S. Eliot and Virginia Woolf were members) and offering beautiful spaces in which to work such as the Writers Room as well as the opportunity to consult both general (in three broad areas) and 97% of the collection is available for loan.



Subscription libraries were certainly also open in Canada in the 19th century but have essentially been replaced by both the school and public libraries that were created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries as part of a movement to ensure that "everyone" could borrow books and other materials. I think of these later institutions as offering the greatest access to information and thus the greatest number of opportunities for knowledge creation. However, some of the core practices of the London Library remind me that access is not just about quantity but also about the quality of the reader experience (readers like Joanna Penn in the above video).

Thoughts
There are two aspects of the collection development and management approach at the London Library that resonate with me:

• One, as Mary Gillies, the current deputy librarian of the London Library, points out, the library has an on-going collection development strategy that includes actively working with members to identify key texts that should be acquired. Not only has this approach specifically resulted in a "famously eclectic" collection (Phipps, 2006) but it also gives members the opportunity to be more involved in the selection of materials that are relevant to them.In my work, I also liaise with "members," i.e., the students and faculty and actively solicit their suggestions for acquisitions to ensure that I acquire important, core texts for specific disciplines. 

         I do have to make sure that my selections are balanced so that an area of specialty for
         one scholar does not outweigh the needs of researchers in general. Nonetheless, I 
         think that my approach and that of staff at the London Library is based on the idea
         that collections need to be built to ensure that readers can find and use the 
         information of interest to them.

• Two, the London Library has cataloguing and shelving schemes that facilitates browsing and allows members to find materials relatively easily. Mary describes the cataloguing system as "our own." For example, books are classified by general subject subject categories (e.g, History,  and then alphabetically. They are also separated by size (e.g., quatro and folio) in recognition of the need to maximize limited space. Initially, I wondered about whether such a system makes it easier for users to find materials, particularly as it does not seem as detailed as Dewey or the Library of Congress. But, as Phipps (2006) suggests, this system actually encourages readers to browse the shelves, thus facilitating the serendipitous discovery of materials that is critical to identifying relevant information--not all the "good stuff" turns up in a catalogue search.

While I think that public lending libraries, as well as university libraries with liberal borrowing programs, undoubtedly make it easy for the majority of readers to access a significant quantity of materials in Canada and the UK nonetheless I respect the fact that the practices at the London Library are also predicated on a commitment to access to information, albeit at C$80.00 per month (and maybe I pay at least that through my taxes for my local public library?).

References
Phipps, C. (2006). The London Library. Art Libraries Journal, 31(1), 5-10.

Statista (2015). Statistics and facts on Libraries in the United Kingdom. Retrieved from
     http://www.statista.com/topics/1838/libraries-in-the-uk.

Thomas Carlyle. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved on July 28, 2015
     from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Carlyle.

Around the world: Seeing Measure for Measure at the Globe

Dateline: July 1, 2015

Place: The Globe Theatre
Time: 7:30 - 10:30 p.m.
Temperature: Still 34° C
Song of the evening: Summer breeze

Today is Canada Day and I am celebrating by going to the Globe Theatre to see Measure for Measure.The theatre is on the same side of the Thames as where I am staying and I am feeling so elated to be able to simply walk to this production. 

(Google Maps)

Sean and I saw the Globe's version of Hamlet in Prescott last summer so this is a nice full circle on that experience.

I don't take my camera--something I regret as I could take photos of the set, at least during the interval. But no matter as Youtube inevitably seems to solve problems for me and here is a some footage taken by someone who saw the same production.

And I shouldn't have eaten dinner: you can by a hamburger for £6 (a steal in London) fresh from an open bit barbeque in the upper foyer of the theatre.

I buy a program (a new experience for me and one I get used to while I am in London because programs are not free!) and learn a bit about the history of the current theatre as well as the play and players (all of whom are new to me).

Of course there is a celebrated American connection to the theatre. Remember Madame Mooch from Harry Potter (think learning to ride a broom)? Zoe Wanamaker's father, Sam Wanamaker, spearheaded the building of the Globe in London.

This review refers to the production as "Shakespeare without a safety net" and I can see why--the whole atmosphere, on and off the stage, is raucous, energized, crazy. I'm sitting up in the first tier (my favourite spot) and looking down, I see the wonderful thrust stage where so much movement is possible, on, off, around, over the space. And the play begins before the "curtain" rises ... our row is accosted by one the players threatening us with ejection if we don't "quiet down" and the action doesn't stop. Makes me feel part of the production and not just a spectator.

I am used to outdoor Shakespeare (the Globe is an open/enclosed space) with our own Ottawa-based  A Company of Fools Shakespeare company, but somehow the roar of Heathrow jets and the hot mugginess of the evening bring an added "je ne sais quois" to the whole experience

I come out into the lovely, darkened river-breeze air and there is no doubt about it ... the Globe is worth the trotting ...

Our doubts are traitors,
And make us lose the good we oft might win
By fearing to attempt. (Measure for Measure, 1.4.84)

References

Google Maps. (2010). [127 Stamford Street to Globe Theatre] [Street map]. Retrieved from

https://www.google.ca/maps/dir/Shakespeare's+Globe,+21+New+Globe+Walk,+Bankside,+

London+SE1+9DT,+United+Kingdom/127+Stamford+St,+Lambeth,+London+SE1+9NQ,+UK/@51.5069993,-0.1090218,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x487604a905ae1621:0xe700778eb8b2878e!2m2!1d-0.097194!2d51.508076!1m5!1m1!1s0x487604b74b8a9af9:0x54b703a8b21d032b!2m2!1d-0.111794!2d51.50543!3e2

British Library: Advocating for cultural heritage

Dateline: July 1, 2015

Place: British Library
Time: 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Temperature: 34° C
Song of the day: Memories by Barbra Streisand

The British Library is a working research library that offers scholars access to a wide variety of collections and a space that is designed as a space in which to make great discoveries. With a mandate to promote "the world's knowledge," by finding new ways to generate and share information as well as continuing traditional activities, the library is both inspiring and worrisome (British Library, 2015). 

Worrisome, because Library and Archives Canada (LAC) seems to be falling behind on both fronts. Inspiring in that, as a Canadian librarian, I realize I could advocate for change at home.

Library and Archives Canada (left, Wikipedia) and the British Library (right, British Library)

Our first view of the British Library is of a large square, open and filled with people coming and going, sitting and chatting. It's like a bustling village common where the community can meet, this sense of it being in a place to mingle, mix and work extends into the the library itself.

However, although this tiered, brick building is clearly an active public space, librarian Andy Macdonald explains that the took over thirty years to complete and caused a "war," i.e., considerable controversy. According to Andy, work on the library began in 1962 and by the time the building was opened in 1998 the budget was "massively overspent."

Sir Colin St. John Wilson,
architect of the British Library
(Wikipedia)

Finances were not the only issue as there were also objections to the actual design (MacCarthy, 2008). Apparently, architect Sir Colin St. John Wilson wanted to create a space that would be both inspirational and practical for the research voyage. 

Andy shows us a model of the building, which sits on the mezzanine level of the library, and it does seem to resemble a ship--perhaps to help researchers "set sail" to make intellectual discoveries (see the photo on the right in the collage above--the structure on the right-hand side, nearest the St. Pancras hotel, does ressemble a ship). 

However, St. John Wilson also intended the building to be functional and it is a practical space in that readers can easily see "precisely" where they are (McCarthy, 2008). However, critics publicly objected to the space (including Prince Charles), in part because the space was so different from the traditional round reading room at the British Museum--a research area replaced by the new library (McCarthy, 2008).

My colleague Pamela J. Walker, who works at the British Library every summer, remembers this debate. She misses the round reading room but now thinks that the library is a much better working space." A place for the two sides to research: quiet contemplation and active digging. 

Still actively acquiring published materials (8,000 per day) and collections (including the centrepiece library of King George III on splendid display in the centre of the building) are consulted by thousands of researchers such as me every year. However, the library is not just involved in such traditional activities that preserve cultural heritage. Staff are also engaged in new projects, such as the digitization of British newspapers (major and regional) that contribute to the realization of various strategic priorities such as guaranteeing access for future generations and leading to grow the world's knowledge base.

The King's Library Tower: the books of King George III (left) and King George II (right, Wikipedia).

In contrast to the vibrancy of the British Library as a research library, Library and Archives Canada (LAC) seems lacking in energy and no wonder, given that over the past few years resources and programs have been cut. Certainly the building on Wellington Street in downtown Ottawa is not nearly as attractive nor welcoming. Plus, major changes in direction and significant budget cuts appear to be hampering the institution's ability to play a similar role. Certainly, as a research library, the holdings are less accessible. The interlibrary loan program was cancelled several years ago and LAC does not seem to systematically acquire materials published in or about Canada any longer.

Although new programs are supposed to fill such gaps and make LAC relevant to Canadians in the future, some key initiatives seem to be stalled. For example, Canada's Auditor General reported that although $15 million had been spent on a digital repository to hold a backlog of records, the new system has never been used.

Thoughts
One of the key roles of librarians is to act as advocates for the public good. Having been in the British Library, I realize that I need to find a way to contribute to the efforts of librarians and other parties (such as the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Royal Society of Canada) from across Canada are calling for a change to in public policy to "save" LAC. 

I live in Ottawa, so could try to get involved with the Canadian Library Association, which has advocated for LAC in the past.  It feels like a mountain--our current government seems anti-information--but perhaps I can find a molehill to climb.

References
British Library. (n.d.) British Library. Retrieved from 
     http://magnacarta800th.com/events/british-library/

Library and Archives Canada. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 15, 2015
     from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_and_Archives_Canada

King George III. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved August 13, 2015 from
     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_III_of_the_United_Kingdom

McCarthy, F. (2008,  February 23). A house for the mind. The Guardian. Retrieved from 
     http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/feb/23/architecture.art.

Sir Colin St. John Wilson 1922-2007. (May 16, 2007). Building Design Online. Retrieved 
     August 10, 2015 from http://www.bdonline.co.uk/sir-colin-st-john-wilson-1922-
     2007/3087114.article