National Maritime Museum

Today we visited the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. In order to get there, we took a clipper ride on the Thames. It is definitely the way to get around London! We got to see traitor's gate at the Tower of London! We also got up close views of London Bridge and Tower Bridge. Once we got to Greenwich, we found out they were filming a movie, so it was an exciting morning, and our tour hadn't even started!

Traitor's Gate

Once we got to the museum, we were able to tour the Caird Library and the museum archives. The Caird Library was very high tech. They had a digital database with ship plans. It was interactive and allowed the viewer to zoom in and examine the plans closely. They also had open access computers and microfilm viewers. James Caird gave most of the documents to the library in the 1930s, although they do still add to the collection today. 

Next, we got to go into the archives. It was noticeably cold, because they have temperature and humidity controls in place to preserve the materials. We also got to see some of the materials of interest that are stored in the archive. One of the items was a letter from Horatio Nelson regarding some unrest among a ship's crew. We also got to see an American signal book which was captured by the British. The Americans had to change their entire signaling system, because all ships used the same book and it was compromised once captured. 

Horatio Nelson's signature 

However, the most exciting thing we got to see was at the end of our tour. Mike Bevan, the archivist, took some of us into part of the archive to see a song written by Queen Elizabeth I. It was so incredible to be able to see something up close that was actually written by one of the most important historical figures in British history. It was so nice of Mike Bevan to take us into the archives just to see this document. 

Written by Queen Elizabeth I

This was a really interesting class visit. It was so exciting to see items from major historical figures. It was fascinating to think of how old these materials are, and how important it is for archivists to properly  handle and store them for future generations. Greenwich itself was also fun to explore. We got to stand on the Prime Meridian and visit the exhibits in the National Maritime Museum. 

Barbican Public Library

Today we visited the Barbican Public Library in London. The Barbican is publicly funded by the City of London. Anyone is allowed to borrow books from the Barbican, regardless of where they live. In order to get a library card, you just need to show proof of identification and address.

The librarians at the Barbican provided cookies and juice for us when we arrived. The librarians told us about their jobs and some of the other branches in the City of London. We also got to learn about some of the programs they provide for their patrons. One of these programs was called City Read. Everyone who would like to participate reads the same book and meets to discuss it. They also have a digital inclusion project, which helps technologically challenged people learn to use computers and get online. Finally, we also learned about a health offer, which is a program that offers information on health subjects, as well as therapeutic reading groups.

Next, we were shown the children's library. This was particularly interesting to me, as I would like to be a children's librarian. The children's library also offered programs for patrons. For example, they host a children's reading challenge each summer. This summer the theme was mythical maze. Children could read books with a mythological theme, and answer questions about them at the library. Children get a prize for each book they complete, and a certificate if they read six books. The children's library serves children from birth to 14 years of age. They have reading groups for different age levels, such as 7-9, 10-12 and teen.

The Children's library at the Barbican

Our class also toured the music library. The music library has about 9000 books. They also have about 16000 scores. Patrons can listen to music for free, but they do charge a small fee to take discs home. They also have a piano people can sign up to use for thirty minute sessions. In addition to music, the library also loans out DVDs, for a small fee. The librarian informed us that they do restrict mature material. For example, if a fourteen year old wanted to check out a rated R movie, they would not allow it. The Barbican also has a general fiction section for adult patrons. They also have computers that patrons can use to access the internet. The Barbican was an interesting library to visit, specifically to see the innovative programs they provide for their patrons, both young and old. 

London Archaeological Archives & Research Centre

Today we went to the London Archaeological Archives and Research Centre (LAARC). This is a storage and research center for the Museum of London. The archive stores archaeological material from excavations in London. They also accept donations.

Our tour guide took us through the process items go through once they are excavated. Items are first brought to the archive and stored until funding is available to wash and catalog them. Occasionally, it can take up to six years before items are washed. Buckets of dirt are also brought in from excavation sites and sifted through. Any bugs or tiny items found in the dirt, such as beads, are saved and recorded. In order to save space, the archive doesn't keep every item excavated, but everything is recorded.

Recently, the archive had just gotten some items from an excavation in central London. One of the items was a portion of Roman tiled floor. It was over 2000 years old and still looked beautiful!

A portion of a Roman floor

Next, our guide took us into the storage area where items are stored after they've been washed and recorded. We were able to see how materials are stored and labeled. Our guide also showed us how they are improving storage. Older items are stored in boxes that are not acid free, and can damage them  over time. Volunteers at the archive are moving the collection from the old boxes into new ones. This area of the tour was particularly interesting for me, because I used to work in a museum doing this exact same thing. We also got to see some very cool items from the collection. We even got to touch a brick that still had ash on it from the fire of 1666! Some of the other interesting items we saw included a medieval bone ice skate, a trinket from the crusades, and some Tudor period pewter. 

Touching a brick from the fire of 1666

The Guinness World Record

LAARC is the largest archaeological collection in the world-- and they have the Guinness World Record to prove it! They have over 200,000 boxes in the archive. Each box contains between 50-100 items. The items are organized by the year they were excavated. All excavations are listed on their online catalog. All human remains are stored at the Museum of London, because they have an osteologist on site. Our tour guide also took us into a storage area containing old toys and electronic equipment. They even had an old switchboard from Buckingham Palace! 

LAARC was a very interesting class. It was exciting to see that the same preservation techniques that my small museum used were also being used by a major archive. It was also fun to see some of the items they had on display and learn about the processes museums go through when building their collections. 

British Library

Today we toured the British Library. The British Library is a National Repository Library, which means they get a copy of everything published in the United Kingdom. For this reason, the collection grows by about 3 million items each year. The British Library was actually a part of the British Museum until very recently. In fact, the current building was opened in 1997. 

The British Library has eleven reading rooms and 1000 members of staff on site. There are an additional 1000 employees at the off-site storage areas. The library's collection contains both print and digital resources. In addition, there are eight million stamps! 

Outside the British Library

Our tour guide first showed us a model of the British Library's main building. Interestingly, more of the British Library is underground than above. The books are stored in a temperature and humidity controlled area underground. However, since the collection is so large, there are multiple off-site storage areas around England.

The model of the British Library.

Our tour guide took us behind the scenes to learn how the books are brought out of the stacks for patrons to use. When a patron requests a book, a ticket is printed. At this point, a member of staff retrieves the ticket and the book, and leaves a duplicate ticket on the book's shelf, marking its spot. The book is then placed on an automated track. The library has 1.2 miles of track throughout the building. A book usually spends about twenty minutes on the track before being delivered to the reading room. At this point, the patron is notified that their book is ready for use. 

Our tour guide then showed us some of the reading rooms throughout the library. These rooms are divided by subject. We got to see the business reading room. Here, they encourage patrons to meet with successful business professionals in order to network or get advice on starting companies. We also were able to peek in a window at the humanities reading room.

Another interesting part of the British Library was a feature called the King's Tower. It was a large glass case in the middle of the library. It contains books that were owned by George III and given to the library by George IV. He stipulated that the books had to be seen and accessed by the public. Although patron's need special permission, the books are available to use for research. The glass in the case is lined with a special fireproof gel. In the event of a fire, the gel would burn for eight hours, giving the books time to be rescued.

A view of a reading room and the King's Tower.

My favorite part of the tour was the treasures room. Here, they had some of their most valuable and interesting items on display. For example, we saw the Magna Carta, Jane Austen's writing desk, and some drawings by Da Vinci. However, my favorite item on display was Elizabeth I's prayer book! This was one of the best tours yet. I had never toured a library of this scale, and it was interesting to see some of the behind the scenes work that goes on.

Stowe School Library

Today we went to Stowe House, which is now a boarding school. It was gorgeous! I wish I could go back in time and go to school here!

This is a picture of Stowe House from the front. 

Carol Miller, the librarian, gave us a tour of the school and told us about the history of the house, as well as her duties and tasks as a school librarian. They also provided tea and cookies for us, which was so nice! 

Stowe House sits on 1000 acres and has 400 rooms. It was owned by the Temple-Grenville family until the 1920s, at which point the family could not afford to maintain the house. They sold the house and all of the possessions inside. The new owners wanted to open a school. In 1923, the first class of 99 boys started school at Stowe. The school is now coed. 

The school's current library started as a ballroom in the 1730s. In 1797 it was turned into a one room library. The library serves about 780 students ranging in age from 13-18. It is open from 8:30am until 9:30 pm during the school year. The library is most heavily used by students in their last year of school. It is also very busy during exams. 

Unfortunately, the library does not have any books that were original to the house. However, this spring, they were able to obtain some books that were at Stowe in the 1800s. The bookcases and fireplaces in the library are original to the house. 

Stowe School Library

Stowe School is trying to restore the house to look like it did in the 1700s. The ceiling in the library is plaster, and was beginning to crumble. They had it restored, and had 23.5 karat gold leaf installed. It was interesting to hear about the variety of tasks the librarians perform. Not only do they help the students with research, but they were also very involved in the restoration of the library. They are also in charge of acquisitions.

The restored ceiling in Stowe School library.

After the tour of the house, we were allowed to tour the gardens. The gardens are maintained by the National Trust and are still undergoing restoration. The gardens were stunning! There were huge monuments and temples everywhere. Most of the monuments looked Greek or Roman in style. My favorite monument had busts of historic British figures, such as Elizabeth I and William Shakespeare. 

A view of the gardens from the back of Stowe House.

I expected the gardens to be manicured and plotted out, but they were very wild and natural looking. Overall, Stowe was beautiful, and one of my favorite visits. 

Some of the vegetation in the garden.