Our Archive Assistant, Carole and I recently visited Woodlane Library at Falmouth University’s Falmouth Campus to meet the staff based there. The two libraries are a part of one service based across two sites and while our Archives are all held at the Penryn campus, there are lots of possibilities for collaborating with our Woodlane Library colleagues in the use and promotion of our Special Collections.
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| Roger Towe Illustrated Books Collection |
I was especially keen to visit because Woodlane Library is
home to the Roger Towe Illustrated Books Special Collection which I have heard
so many positive things about.
Roger Towe was a librarian at Woodlane who sought to build a
collection of books chosen predominantly for their illustrative qualities rather than
their narrative. This meant that they could be used by as sources of visual
inspiration, first and foremost, rather than as your typical secondary,
critical texts. This was to best suit the needs of students studying
creative subjects, such as Art and Design, Illustration and Graphics. The result was
a really eclectic and unusual mix of books, covering a diverse range of subjects, but
which all share beautiful illustrations. This gives the collection real charm
and character as you never know what you are going to find next - be it a
graphic novel, a fairytale, a classic work of literature, a book written in a
different language or even a volume which features no words at all.
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| Roger Towe Illustrated Books Collection |
I have learnt that you really can’t predict where a student
may find inspiration. It has been particularly fascinating on this traineeship
to compare the vastly different ways in which many students use the Archives
and Special Collections to inform their work. There may be a student who wishes
to view a Camborne School of Mines rare book for research into mining
practices, and there may be a student who also wishes to see the same book in
order to take artistic inspiration from the aesthetics of the structures of the
mines - both students, of course, studying very different disciplines.
Similarly, our Kneehigh Theatre collection is currently
being used by two students for their dissertations but in strikingly different
ways. One is an English student researching the way in which Cornish myths and
legends are re-told through modern literature, whilst the other student is
interested in ascertaining the impact the company has had on the Cornish
community, through reading reports held in the collection.
Furthermore, we are home to some delightful
nineteenth-century rare books on the subject of British moths and butterflies
which have been of interest to Biology students from an entomological
perspective, and yet equally as desirable to a student seeking to sketch the exquisite
coloured plates, instead appreciating their aesthetic qualities. This is the
beauty of providing a service to two universities, which together, offer such a
vast range of courses.
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| Roger Towe Illustrated Books Collection |
The staff at both Woodlane and Tremough library have been
looking into displaying examples from each other’s Special Collections for
cross-promotion. Woodlane library recently featured a display of some of the
Christmas books held within our Chris Brooks Collection of Victorian Culture,
including a lovely edition of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, of course! Our
Special Collections here and at Woodlane often complement each other and we can
learn so much from the different ways we both promote and use them. I am
looking forward to developing this relationship further and I will be spending
more time at Woodlane in coming months to consider joint displays and
promotional activities.
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| Roger Towe Illustrated Books Collection |
