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What we heard about the Wellcome Library reminded me of the British Library in London. The way the whole thing was set up seemed a little more like a museum than a library in some ways. Frances Norton came to Rewley House to lecture about the innovative and socially conscious changes of the Wellcome Library. Besides being the owner of a huge amount of special collections, the Wellcome Library has philanthropic efforts to improve human health through the sciences. Their charity, the Wellcome Trust, is the 2nd largest of its kind in the world.
Starting out as a personal project of Henry Wellcome in the 1800's, collections of suits of armor, hypodermic needles, and many other science related objects (Wikipedia boasts that they have Napoleon's toothbrush). Most of these objects are on permanent loan to the Science Museum in London. Probably the biggest accomplishment noted to the Wellcome Library is the mapping of the human genome of which Norton showed us an early drawing of during her lecture.
My favorite part of the lecture was when Norton showed us the interactive computer system available on the ground floor of the Wellcome Library called "Uncover." Instead of a text-based catalog
system, the collection is represented through pictures. Basic categories are represented at first, allowing you to choose based on visuals, and then you can choose more specific areas of scientific study through the representative photos. Also very interactive, the computers are used through touch screens instead of a keyboard or mouse.
The goal, Norton said, was to get the public engaged in the more scientific aspects of study. I wholeheartedly support this goal, because, as it is in the United States as well, young students are hesitant to go into more scientific fields of study because it is not as glamorous. I was not aware of the mistrust the public had in science that Norton mentioned, but having such a resource available to the general public would be beneficial in that aspect as well.
Not only do patrons interested in science go to the Wellcome Library, but those interested in photography or design are also attracted to the library. The many photos of scientific subjects are presented in a very artful way which would aptly explain the artistic interest.
The second half of the day was spent at the All Souls College, but unfortuately I can only
upload pictures of the outside of this college. There are strict rules (copyright ones, no doubt) that forbid me from showing the marvelous images from inside the beautiful grounds and library.
The library that they now use is two levels, but situated in one giant room. The librarian joked that the only time she wasn't afraid of retrieving a book from the highest shelf in the library (which is literally two stories from the ground below) was after drinking a fair amount of whiskey. I'm not sure the whiskey would have even given me such courage. From a design perspective, it was quite grand to be looking up at a wall of books that extended seemlessly from one story to the next. As we tiptoed through the library, students were sparsely situated throughout and studying at the beautiful wooden desks that looked to me like they belonged more in a museum than a fully functioning library.
Two large marble statues gave the final ominous touch to the foreboding space with windows stretching endlessly high and casting a church-like light onto the study space. The librarian explained that the windows were layered with a special UV protective layer, but
The All Souls Library
was originally in this room which is now used only for conferencesthe windows were nonetheless not the best idea for a library with such precious old books.
My jaw nearly dropped when she related to us the stories about the students
playing cricket inside the library. To an American like me, the library seemed so beautiful and untouchable, but I supposed that these ungrateful Oxford brats see priceless and ancient structures in their everyday life and don't appreciate the history/beauty of them as much.
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