The Harrison
Institution, which housed the summer school
The
Introduction to Special Collections Librarianship class at the Rare
Book School
Andrew
with Professor Terry Belanger of the Rare Book
School
The Rotunda, Thomas
Jefferson's original library at the university
At the
Lincoln Memorial, Washington DC
The Capitol,
Washington DC
Kenneth Binns Fellowship 2007
Thanks to a generous donation provided by Ms Alison Sanchez in memory of her late father, Kenneth Binns, the Parliamentary and National Librarian from 1928 to 1947, the National Library of Australia offers an annual fellowship that allows staff members in the early years of their career to travel for professional development.
I was awarded the Binns Fellowship for 2007, and I took the opportunity to attend a one week Summer School course, ‘Introduction to Special Collections Librarianship’, at the Rare Book School of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Following the course, I visited Washington DC and some of its iconic institutions.
The course was an introduction to the principles and practices of special collections librarianship, with an emphasis on rare books and archival material, aimed at those pursuing a career in the field but who have no prior formal instruction in special collections librarianship. The Rare Books School was established at Columbia University in 1983, moving to the University of Virginia in 1992, and is an internationally recognised leader in providing intensive academic-level training in aspects of rare book and special collections librarianship.
The setting of the campus is ideal for the study of rare books—the university was originally established by Thomas Jefferson, and his original Library, or Rotunda, and the buildings around it are beautifully maintained examples of American Colonial period architecture. Modern buildings on the campus have been built to complement that style, and the overall feel of the place made for a most enjoyable week.
A range of topics relating to rare books and other special materials were covered during class time, and evening activities, including guest lecturers, library tours and visits to some of Charlottesville’s antiquarian bookshops, kept us well and truly occupied. My luggage was really weighed down with second-hand books by the time I made it back to Australia—now I just have to find more shelf space for them at home!
Being one of only two non-Americans and the only Australian at the school meant that I was in demand—people wanted to meet the Aussie! I had plenty of opportunities to talk informally about the National Library, our collections and activities, and of course Australia in general. Being librarians, most had at least some idea about Australia, but I had to spend some time explaining the differences between American football and our codes, and a whole lunch on the perfectly straightforward rules of cricket!
Talking of lunch, one of the best things about a travelling fellowship such as this is the chance to experience a little of the culture of your host nation. The food was not always the huge servings of bland, over-processed cooking that we hear about (although that was easily found if you wanted it), and being in Virginia gave me the chance to try some real Southern fare. Local specialities included crabcakes (made from soft-shelled crabs as good as any crab I’ve tasted here) and grits (made from corn with a porridge-like consistency). The peanut soup (yes, a soup made simply from peanuts and stock) that I had in an eighteenth-century tavern frequented by Washington, Jefferson, Monroe, Madison and other American luminaries, was a highlight. And some of the local boutique brews were almost as good as our Australian beers!
After the course finished, I spent three days in Washington DC, visiting the Smithsonian Institution’s Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Library of Natural History, the National Archives and Records Administration’s Archives II building, and the Library of Congress. The aim was to observe and discuss the procedures and issues involved in making rare books and other special collections accessible to their users. Each of these presented quite different scenarios. The small, two-person Cullman Library is tucked away in the heart of the Smithsonian’s Museum of Natural History, where a small clientele use the specialised rare books collection on anthropology and natural sciences. The new Archives research building, Archives II, is out in the suburbs of Washington and is a huge, modern, purpose-built structure of steel, concrete and glass that services a large number of historical and genealogical researchers. The Library of Congress’s Jefferson Building is a beautiful architectural showcase whose Rare Books Room feels like a five-star European hotel, complete with chandeliers, heavy drapes and exquisite lamps on the desks. In each case, staff were happy to show me some of their treasures (seeing Jefferson’s own collection of books at the Library of Congress was particularly inspiring), and the opportunity to compare notes on reading room practices was valuable.
Overall, my trip was a great opportunity to observe and learn. I have come back not only with knowledge and experience that I have been able to put to use immediately in my work, but with hopefully enduring contacts that will be useful both to me in my professional development and to the Library in enhancing interagency relations and possible future collaborations.
The University of Virginia’s Rare Book School courses are excellent for anyone with a personal or professional interest in book history, bookbinding, printing and related subjects. If you have an interest in this field of librarianship, the school’s website is at http://www.rarebookschool.org/. Closer to home, the Centre for the Book at Monash University runs similar courses; details of upcoming courses in February 2008 can be obtained from the Centre’s staff—see http://www.arts.monash.edu.au/cftb/index.php for contact information. I can thoroughly recommend undertaking these courses for the benefits to be gained, both for individuals and their employer libraries.
Andrew Sergeant
Reference Librarian, Information Services



