Stowe Library in Buckinghamshire

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2nd the LIS class visited the library at Stowe School, part of the larger estate of Stowe House and its National Trust gardens. The estate is exactly like something you'd see in a Jane Austen movie adaption and in fact, the estate has been used in several popular movies. The neoclassical architecture is amazing and the house, the school and the library itself each have an interesting and colorful history. 

The Stowe House is larger than any picture I could ever show - over 400 rooms. And it is undergoing extensive renovations. The preservation trust was created in 1997 and they work to raise money for specific projects before completing them. In the 1960s it was determined that the gardens were becoming too much upkeep for the estate to manage, so in the late 1980s the gardens were turned over to the National Trust to maintain - over 1,000 acres. 

In regards to the school, the preservation trust is working to restore rooms to their former glory while still ensuring they are functional for students. For example, the current "cafeteria" was once a very, very large guest chamber. However, such a large bedroom isn't very functional for a school that serves 1,000 meals a day, so that room will not be restored to a bedroom. Stowe School is a coed boarding school with over 90% of pupils being full time boarders during the school term. Most of the remaining pupils live nearby and attend Stowe on scholarship.

The library itself has an interesting history. Its contents have been sold a couple times over since the late 1700s in order to help irresponsible owners remain financially solvent (along with the rest of the estate's contents). Right now, the only original fixtures in the library are the built-in bookcases and the restored (and impressive) plaster ceiling. This is a working library, meaning that this library (that was once also used as a dining room) is used by the students daily with World Book encyclopedias intermingled with the very old books in the gallery. Although none of the photos show it, there are also computers for student use (they were taken out for a "Leavers' Ball" held the night before). 

The school started as a boys' school in May 1923, with 99 pupils. It only recently became a coed school for ages 13 until they finish their studies at age 18. Current yearly tuition rates are about £33,000 a year. The tour guide paused for a moment after telling us that to allow us to calculate that in USD - almost $57,000 a year. As she put it, "we're not the most expensive, but we're up there."

The current librarian told us that the library was initially set up by a qualified librarian, but then suffered years of neglect before another qualified librarian was brought in in the 1980s. She said that even so, when she came to be the school's librarian (along with her husband, who also works at the school), the library was a "sad place." She, along with the preservation staff, have worked hard to make it a functional, inviting place for students and teachers. 

Stratford-upon-Avon, a library and a play

TUESDAY, JULY 1st the LIS class embarked on a coach ride to Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of Shakespeare and home to a little Carnegie library. 

First, the library. Although it's a Carnegie library, it isn't built in the Carnegie style. Andrew Carnegie deviated from his usual requirements and allowed the original building to remain in place because of its historic value. The only thing denoting it as a Carnegie library from the outside (or the inside for that matter) is a little plaque at the entrance. Inside, the library is very modern and provides an impressive number of services despite its modest size. One of my favorite things were the murals on the windows in the fiction section (see photos for detail). 

The tour of Stratford was largely an independent one. I thoroughly enjoyed going at my own pace and exploring the shops surrounding the library and also Waterside Street. I wasn't brave enough to venture farther out, but like everywhere we've visited so far, the architecture is amazing! I ended my exploration of Waterside with a self tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company theatre, its cool paper mâché characters and gift shop before meeting up with the class to see Henry IV, Part 1 at the RSC. Once I got over my fear-of-heights issues (and really, the seats were very secure), I thoroughly enjoyed the excellent (and often times hilarious) production. Now I want to see Part II! 

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A brief introduction to Andrew Carnegie and his libraries. A native Scotsman, Andrew Carnegie eventually relocated to the United States and to Pennsylvania in particular. He made his fortune as a steel magnate after growing up very poor. He chose to channel his financial success into philanthropic efforts, such as Carnegie Hall (who hasn't heard of that?!) and in libraries, which became known as Carnegie libraries. 

The first Carnegie Library was opened in Dunfermline, Scotland (which I'll have the chance to visit in a couple of weeks). Initially libraries were only opened in places where he had a personal connection, but the endowment was later extended worldwide. Carnegie libraries were built until 1929 and many of the over 2,000 libraries built worldwide are still standing and operating as libraries. One example in Salt Lake would be the Chapman Branch of the SLCPL. Others were also built in Utah, but most of these have either been demolished, remodeled or repurposed. 

We also have Andrew Carnegie to thank for the concept of "open stacks" - library collections accessible to the public, rather than limited to library staff for retrieval. 

(Tatiana from A Midsummer Night's Dream)

Oxford and the Bodleian Library

MONDAY, JUNE 30 the LIS class ventured to the city and University of Oxford via a two hour coach ride to visit the Bodleian Library and Christ Church. The Bodleian is the oldest English-speaking library in existence (I think the oldest library in existence is an Italian one...). The Bodleian opened in 1602 with the financial assistance of Sir Thomas Bodley and a donation of 2,500 books. Thomas James was appointed as the first librarian when the library opened in November of 1602. The library incorporates an early library started at Oxford by Humfrey, Duke of Gloucester, opened in the 1400s.

After some independent sightseeing, we were divided into two groups and led through the library by volunteer tour guides. One of the most interesting things I learned was about "chained books" - according to the guide, chaining the books to the shelves was how the librarian ensured that the books didn't leave the library. And, sorry to disappoint you Harry Potter fans, but the way books are chained in the HP movies is incorrect... Books were always chained on the front cover rather than the spine in order to protect the integrity of the spine, stitches and pages in the book. Chaining books was expensive (but a great source of income for the blacksmith!) and to save costs, they would lock a majority of books in the upper galleries and restrict access to the gallery itself, rather than each individual book. Galleries were also used to protect the books from damage or dampness by getting them off the floor. 

Books weren't always stored upright like we see them in libraries and bookstores today. For one, the chaining of books made upright storage impossible. Chained books were stored with spines (and hence, titles) against the bottom of the shelves. As chained books gave way to galleries, etc. it was discovered that the library had more room for books if they were stored upright.

Today, the Bodleian is still in use. Students at Oxford have a "reader's card" and can use the books in one of the reading rooms. Many books are stored offsite, but with a fulfillment system similar to Amazon's, it takes less than one minute to retrieve a book and then it is sent over to the library, which is 30 minutes away. In the 1930s, before storage moved offsite, a system similar to the tubes used in bank drive-thrus was introduced for readers to request books. 

Students must take an oath to be granted the privilege of using the library. This oath dates back to the library's beginnings. The oath, originally in Latin, is translated as follows:  "I hereby undertake not to remove from the Library, or to mark, deface, or injure in any way, any volume, document, or other object belonging to it or in its custody; not to bring into the Library or kindle therein any fire or flame, and not to smoke in the Library; and I promise to obey all rules of the Library."