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| Cornish Studies Library strong room |
Last week, I visited Cornish
Studies Library, with many of my library colleagues. Here they hold a large
array of resources, all with a connection to Cornwall or Cornish history. The collection
includes more than 30,000 books & pamphlets, over 30 local newspapers on
microfilm and a collection of photographs reaching above 160,000 in total.
CSL (Cornish Studies Library) was once managed alongside the
Cornwall County Council libraries but now works more closely with Cornwall
Records Office. I was intrigued by the concept behind this Centre as it bridges
the gap between libraries and archives. Their most common enquiries are those
regarding family history and the history behind people’s houses, more akin to
those we expect to come across in archives, but holds mainly
published sources, as a library would.
In 2017 CSL will move to a shared site with the Cornwall
Records Office and Scilly Historic
Environment Records as part of a wider archive
and local studies centre, Kresen
Kernow. This will allow the user to conduct
research into Cornish history using primary and secondary sources, side by
side. This seems a very logical and intuitive idea which will simplify the
research path for the user, by having everything under one roof available to
them, with archive and library staff working alongside one another.
I would be very much interested to see the new arrangement
once in place. This concept is arguably not too dissimilar from the position of
our Archives situated inside Tremough Library. We often work closely with the
campus Academic Liaison Librarians because we find we regularly direct students
in their direction when we feel the Librarians may be able to offer suggestions
for other resources that are available for the student to develop their
research.
Our Special Collections further this relationship as
both the Archive service and Library staff members have input into their care.
For example, we may promote the collections through displays and Twitter,
whilst the library staff will manage the processing and shelf rotation. There
may also be a possibility in future that I will be more involved with the
processing of these books, working alongside my library colleagues.
With Archivists and Librarians facing similar challenges,
such as working within the boundaries of copyright legislation and promoting
access, it is extremely beneficial to keep these lines of communication open
between the world of Libraries and the world of Archives. A traineeship in a
Higher Education institution has been a perfect opportunity to encounter this
and I hope that it will be something I can learn more about in my future career
– how can the two professions work with each other to achieve similar goals? What
can we learn from one another?
If anyone has worked within both libraries and archives
themselves or have come across other centres which bridge this gap then it
would be very interesting to hear your thoughts.
