Talk by Michelle Spring, 18th June 2013

Last week CLG members gathered at the English Faculty for a talk by the author Michelle Spring. Michelle's topic was 'What does a writer do when she's not writing? Teaching, mentoring and the Royal Literary Fund'.

After working as a professor of Sociology at Anglia Ruskin and Cambridge University, Michelle turned her hand to writing crime fiction. However she was able to combine her new career with her passion for teaching by becoming a Royal Literary Fund Fellow. The RLF Fellowship scheme places writers in Higher Education institutions, to support students and staff in their writing. Currently there are three partner institutions in Cambridge - Anglia Ruskin University, Newnham College and Magdelene College, and Michelle has worked in all three of these institutions as an RLF Fellow.

The RLF Fellowship scheme provides students with the opportunity for confidential one-to-one sessions on any aspect of writing they are having difficulties with, ranging from correct use of a semicolon to turning a dissertation into a publishable article. This kind of support is not always available from supervisors and tutors, and can make a big difference.

Michelle also talked about her experiences teaching creative writing courses and mentoring less experienced authors. While creative writing courses are excellent at providing a support network and making new authors get writing and keep on writing, mentoring develops a stronger, long-lasting relationship which can be very rewarding for both the mentee and the mentor.

Michelle with some CLG members

I thoroughly enjoyed this event. Michelle was an engaging and down-to-earth speaker, and I think many of us were inspired to find new ways to support our students with their writing, or indeed to pick up the pen ourselves! Michelle had brought along a list of recommended books on writing, which I have copied below:

Elizabeth Benedict, The Joy of Writing Sex: A Guide for Fiction Writers
Dorothea Brande, Becoming a Writer
John Gardner, The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers
Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft
Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Instructions on Writing and Life
David Lodge, The Art of Fiction, Illustrated from Classic and Modern Texts
Michelle Spring and Laurie R. King, Crime and Thriller Writing: A Writers' and Artists' Companion
William Strunk, Jr. & E. B. White, The Elements of Style

Reference for writers:
Writers' and Artists' Yearbook
Collins Easy Learning Grammar and Punctuation
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary of Synonyms and Antonyms

Michelle Spring's novels:
Every Breath You Take
Running for Shelter
Standing in the Shadows
Nights in White Satin
In the Midnight Hour
The Night Lawyer 
   

Samuel Butler Project - Presentation by Rebecca Watts, Butler Project Associate

Samuel Butler - Victorian polymath (1835-1902)

In the fleur-de-lis decorated Lightfoot Room CLG members gathered for a very illuminating presentation on the Victorian polymath Samuel Butler (1835-1902). Butler was a writer, artist and photographer. He engaged in ‘written debates’ with Darwin and was respected by significant contemporaries such as George Bernard Shaw and E. M. Forster. Butler wrote fiction and non-fiction, subjects include evolution, art, religion and travel. He often provided illustrations for his own works. His photographic works reflect his travel in Italy and provide a social history of Victorian society.

The Butler Collection includes around 100 boxes of papers, articles and correspondence, more than 650 printed books, 450 paintings, watercolours, drawings and prints, 50 artefacts and a substantial photographic archive.

Selection of Samuel Butler's paintings and sketches

Rebecca also provided an insight into managing such a diverse archive, including deciding which items should be conserved, creating a searchable catalogue, organising events and exhibitions, working with schools and putting Butler scholars in contact with one another.

The Butler Project began in July 2011 and runs until July 2013. The project is funded jointly by the Heritage Lottery Fund and St John’s College. For further information visit http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/samuel-butler-project.

Rebecca Watts (Butler Project Associate) and Rachel Walker (Temporary Library Projects Assistant)

By Jo Milton, Collection Development Manager at Cambridge University Medical Library

Booking now open for ARLG Eastern Librarian TeachMeet

Here is another local event which may be of interest to CLG members:

ARLG Eastern Librarian TeachMeet - Talking teaching: tips, tools and technology

Saturday 15 June, 14:00 to 17:30
Council Chamber, University of East Anglia, Norwich NR4 7TJ (http://goo.gl/maps/0qavr)

Join us for this  launch event of the Eastern Division of CILIP's Academic and Research Libraries Group.  Bookings will go live at http://arlgeasternlibtm.eventbrite.co.uk/ at 9:00 on Monday 13 May.  The site will not be publicly accessible until that time.

It's open to anyone interested in teaching and technology in libraries and is completely free, including light refreshments.  You don't have to be a member of CILIP or ARLG to attend.

New to Librarian TeachMeet?  Learn more here.

Come along as an observer to network and share ideas with colleagues from across the region. You can also sign up to give a 3 minute nanopresentation or 7 minute micropresentation to share your teaching tips and/or suggestions of tools/technology you've found useful in your work.

The combination of short talks and unconference style creates a relaxed, fun and supportive atmosphere making Librarian TeachMeets ideal events for first time speakers or those looking to gain more experience in presenting.  So, don't be shy, sign up and get involved!

Not sure what to talk about?  Check out the following links for examples from previous Librarian TeachMeets across the country:

• Brighton: btnlibtm1 btnlibtm2
• Cambridge: camlibtm1 camlibtm2
• Huddersfield
• Liverpool
• London
• Oxford

Optional tours of the UEA Library are also offered ahead of the TeachMeet at 12:30, 13:00 and 13:30.

Any questions?  Contact us at arlgeastern@gmail.com. You can also follow us at @ARLGEastern for updates on this event.  The hashtag for this event is #arlgeastlibtm.

Special Collections Lecture - 'The Uses of Scientific Heritage: The Collections of the Royal Institution'

CLG members may be interested in the upcoming Emmanuel College Library Special Collections Lecture on 6th June.

Speaker: Professor Frank James, Head of Collections and Heritage, Professor of History of Science, at the Royal Institution

'The Uses of Scientific Heritage: The Collections of the Royal Institution' 

The Royal Institution possesses a remarkable heritage in terms of manuscripts, objects and images going back to its foundation in 1799. These relate not only to institutional history but to those who have researched, lectured and lived in its Mayfair building. Those who figure prominently in the institution's heritage include Humphry Davy, Michael Faraday, John Tyndall, James Dewar, William Bragg, Lawrence Bragg and more recently George Porter, all of whose papers are held in the collections. Significant objects in the collections include the first miners' safety lamp, the first electrical transformer and generator, the first thermos flask and so on. This talk will discuss the issues surrounding managing this diverse collection and how it can be used to illustrate the development of science over the past two centuries or so, as well as conveying contemporary messages about the role of science in society and culture. 

Date: Thursday 6th June 2013
Time: 14:15
Venue: The Laing Centre, Atrium, Emmanuel College Library 

Numbers are limited. Booking is essential and entry will be by free ticket only. Please book early by either e-mailing the College Library at library@emma.cam.ac.uk or telephone (01223) (3)34233. A ticket will be sent to you on receipt of booking.

Visit to the Faculty of Architecture & History of Art

It seems to me that libraries are everywhere in Cambridge, and it never ceases to surprise me when I discover a new one hidden seemingly in plain sight. The Faculty of Architecture and History of Art houses one such library, tucked away in an elegant Victorian terrace just a stone’s throw away from the hustle and bustle of Trumpington Road.

Susanne Jennings provided us with an introduction to the library, which is split into two very distinctive floors. We began our tour on the ground floor of the library, which is very charming and traditional in style, with beautiful original moulded ceilings. Tanya Zhimbiev led us through this floor of the building, pointing out interesting pieces of antique furniture which still see everyday use. Works by local artists are on display in the foyer of the library, connecting the faculty with the wider Cambridge community. We were then shown some wonderful selections from the Maurice Webb Collection of rare books by Matthew Patmore.

The basement of the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art Library is, in contrast, distinctly utilitarian. Designed primarily to maximise storage space, it is remarkable to see just how many shelves have been squeezed into what was once a caretaker’s flat. Every nook and cranny is filled with books, and a small RIBA-maintained library of products, standards and services sits tucked away in a corner.

We were given time at the end of the tour to explore the library and chat amongst ourselves. It was a very enjoyable trip and I very much appreciated the opportunity to discover another of Cambridge’s unique libraries.

YiWen Hon, Graduate Library Trainee at St John's College

CILIP East of England event - Reflective Writing Workshop

Those currently working towards CILIP Chartership, Certification or Revalidation (or just thinking about it!) might be interested in the following course:

Reflective Writing workshop
Date: Wednesday 8th May
Time: 2:00-5:00pm
Venue: Ely Public Library, 6 The Cloisters, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB7 4ZH

Facilitated by Margaret Chapman, the workshop will help you to appreciate the importance of reflection, recognise the differences between descriptive writing and reflective writing (fundamental when writing your evaluative statement!), develop styles of reflective writing...and more.

The course comes to the region for the first time since 2011, so if you are working towards a CILIP qualification, make sure you don't miss out. More information, including delegate rates, is available on the CILIP East blog: http://ow.ly/jP4u8.

There is an early bird discount for CILIP members ending on 20th April; bookings close on 30th April. You can book your place at: http://ow.ly/jjXx9.

Cambridge Publishing Society event - Open Access academic publishing

Tonight at Anglia Ruskin University there is an event on Open Access academic publishing, organised by CAMPUS (Cambridge Publishing Society), which may be of interest to our members.

Time: Today, 5th March 2013 at 6pm - 8:15pm

Location: Harvard Room LAB 109, Anglia Ruskin University, East Road, Cambridge CB1 1BD

For more details, please see the CAMPUS website.

Visit to Cambridge University Press Museum

On Thursday 8th November, members of the Library Group headed to Cambridge University Press to learn about and view the recently opened Museum within the Press’ vast Edinburgh Building. The space is not usually open to the public, so the opportunity to visit was a real treat. The evening began with some much enjoyed tea and biscuits, kindly provided by the Press. Once these were consumed, we were led through the Press’ labyrinth of corridors towards the Museum. The space that greeted us was inviting and attractive; its layout, furnishing and lighting created the feeling of a high-quality exhibition space, and the professionally presented exhibits within the cases immediately sparked our curiosity. Before exploring their contents however, we sat down to an enjoyable talk by Ros Grooms, the University Press Project Archivist.

Ros began by telling us about the Press’ history: the University was given the right to appoint printers in 1534 by Letters Patent of Henry VIII (this document is held in the Archives); however it was not until 1584 following the appointment of Thomas Thomas as University Printer that printing really got underway (against a backdrop of fierce resistance from the Stationers’ Company in London). The site of Thomas’ press was opposite Great St Mary’s church, on what is now the Senate House lawn, meaning that the current CUP bookshop is virtually situated on the same spot as the University’s first press! We were told about the fascinating development of the Press over the centuries, with an array of illustrations taken from the archive. One particularly fascinating episode occurred in 1877, when the Press declined the proposal to publish what went on to become the Oxford English Dictionary. In a surprisingly informal letter, Furnivall (one of the founders of the new dictionary) confidently promised great profit from the project; however he sought a great outlay from the Press and admitted considerable delay before their investment would be returned – given the tone and demands of this initial proposition, the Press’ decision to decline the venture is perhaps not such a surprise!

Photograph by Annie Johnson

Ros also talked to us about the creation of the Museum. The Museum showcases the Press’ history and highlights its achievements and activity. It was envisaged that a key use of the exhibition would be for staff to show visitors to the Press. Given that a visitor’s time to view material may be limited, it was decided to organise the material thematically so that each case could be viewed and understood independently. These themes include the Press’ early religious printing, some of its most notable works such as Newton’s Principia, its international activity, historic printing equipment, John Baskerville’s 1763 folio Bible, and material relating to staff activities and social events. In relation to this latter theme, it was very interesting to learn about the oral history archive, a project currently in its early stages. This has involved interviewing long-serving staff in order to record experiences and memories of working at the Press. Ros told us that this has given new insights and different perspectives on events that are often found recorded in the archive. For example, some of the interviews have described the nervous excitement that was felt during the preparations for The Queen’s visit to officially open the new Edinburgh Building in May 1981. These personal accounts will offer a valuable new dimension to the Press’ archive.

Photograph by Annie Johnson

A wonderful evening was had by all, and our thanks go to Ros and others at the Press who made the visit possible and so enjoyable.

By Sarah Fletcher, Assistant Librarian at St Catharine's College Library.

Roots, Branches and Llama Biscuits

I joined the Cambridge Library Group too late for last month’s visit the University Library Maps department tour and then noted, with trepidation, that the first meeting I could attend was the AGM with an accompanying talk on restructuring the Cambridgeshire Libraries and Archives service. Good grief, what had I let myself in for. Thoughts of previous interminable AGMs crossed my mind, but within minutes, and as I settled into a cup of wine and a llama biscuit, I realised this group knows how to do things.

In actuality the AGM was breezy and brief (just how they should be) with lovely refreshments and being new to both Cambridge and libraries it was largely an opportunity for me to chat with some interesting people. Within ten minutes of arriving I had already been signed up to cover the events of the evening for this blog. The AGM completed, we swapped rooms for Sue Williamson’s talk: “Cambridgeshire Libraries, Archives and Information Service 2010-11: an examination of a root and branch library restructure”. Sue is the Libraries Operation Manager for Cambridgeshire and was well placed to guide us through their approach to the very important, sometimes painful, process of dealing with the financial reality that many of us find ourselves in these days.

Photograph by Annie Johnson

  In Austerity Land it is inevitable that to some degree or another cut backs will be asked for, economies will need to be made. Often small trimmings can be made here or there, maybe a few people might retire, perhaps a few posts might not be filled, but when the cut in budget that you are asked to make nears 50% small measures cease to make any sense. It is then that two dreaded terms appear; restructure and streamlining. So often these can lead to loss of services, loss of expertise and a bad deal for the library user.

Sue’s talk covered in fascinating detail the progress that was made in Cambridgeshire in a relatively short span of a year and a half. The changes here show that with proper project management, clear aims and a commitment to two-way communication with users, restructure can actually result in a more joined up service for library users and a more efficient administration behind the scenes. In a telling note at the end of her talk Sue said that at one point there was a very real chance of thirteen of the counties libraries closing, in the end none did. As the title implied, the restructure really did seem to touch every level of staffing, from senior management to one hour a week, small contracts. However, the key seems to have been that they took a phased approach to this and had a rationalised structure to move into. In some areas new frontline permanent posts were actually created by cutting down on temporary contracts.

Services were maintained, but obviously affected by the restructuring, but again it seems that they were able to review and rationalise aspects of the delivery. Using management information and consultations with local communities, the library opening hours were reviewed and a standardised approach was created, enabling libraries to stay open when their users need them. Mobile libraries were cut from 7 to 4, with a reduced frequency of stops, but all the stops were maintained. New approaches to library stock rotation and its distribution amongst Library Access Points were also implemented.

There was more detail in the talk than I could possibly cover in this article. Hopefully some of these examples illustrate the points that Sue was making. Sue ended the talk looking to the future and what was yet to be achieved and this was encouraging in what it revealed about their approach:

“We have provided a base core offer that we can afford… and opportunity for communities to take this and build it with us”. 

Let’s hope that there are better financial times around the corner for libraries and if that is the case then it seems that Cambridgeshire have a rational, stable core around which can be built the services and delivery that users need and want there to be. I look forward to seeing them grow.

By Tom Sykes, Graduate Trainee at the Classics Faculty Library

Visit to the UL Map Department, 21st September 2012

A very dreary, wet Friday evening was brightened up by the first CLG visit of the academic year (and my first trip with the group!). After the wonderful refreshments, we were very kindly introduced to the Map Department of the University Library by Head Librarian, Anne Taylor, and Deputy Head, Andrew Alexander. Andrew gave a masterfully succinct summation of each item in the exhibition, which was very helpful in understanding the breadth of their map collection. The exhibited items themselves ranged from sixteenth century technicolour maps of Cambridge, to aerial maps used as decoys for the enemy in World War Two, to interesting modern map paraphernalia. It was a sheer delight!

My personal favourite was Abraham Ortelius' map, Islandia (ca. 1596), depicting Iceland itself, but also the hazardous beasties that were imagined to live off the coast. Each unusual monster was marked by a letter, which led the reader to an index with descriptions of their fearsome attributes. I was disappointed I didn't get time to read through the entire page!

The Soviet Military map of Cambridge, dating from 1989 (!), was equally fascinating. Areas of industrial or military interest were highlighted, along with vulnerable points, such as bridges. It really demonstrated the importance of mapmaking in a broader context.

Despite the fact that I was an MPhil student in Cambridge and spent half my time in the University Library, I had never dared to enter the Map Department. Now I'll certainly be going back to chart my next holiday!

Thank you to the committee and to Anne and Andrew for a brilliant evening. I look forward to the next CLG event!

By Kirsten Southard, Library Graduate Trainee at Newnham College Library