On Tuesday 8th March, a small group of us were given the opportunity to visit the Guildhall Library to see for ourselves not only what it is like to work in a different library environment, but also how a reference library, where only a small percentage of stock is available on the open shelves, works and functions in terms of providing material to the general public.
Upon our arrival, we were greeted by Andrew Harper, who had kindly agreed to give us a tour that day. Andrew had prepared a short talk about the history of the Guildhall to situate the library in its context. Based in the City, the historic “heart” of the capital, and founded in the 1420s under the terms of the will of Richard (otherwise known as Dick) Whittington, the Guildhall could not be better situated in light of its specialisation in all subjects relevant to the history of
Despite the loss of material during the Second World War (25,000 books were lost in a fire, and even more books - which were transported to the Old Bailey vaults for safety - were lost when the Old Bailey was subsequently bombed), the Guildhall boasts an impressive 189,000 books, 1170 cubic metres of archives, 147,000 graphic items and 15,000 microfiches. These figures do not even include the library’s extensive maps, historic pictures, archives and manuscripts collections, which have now moved to the London Metropolitan Archives in Clerkenwell. The Guildhall library, much like the London Library, has its own unique “
As a reference library, it was particularly interesting to see how the day-to-day work compared with life at the London Library. Only 7 in total, the Guildhall library staff have to effectively deal with on-the-spot requests for material which is all kept in closed-access shelves in the basement. Members write down on a sheet of paper their requests and this is sent down via a book lift to members of staff in the basement, who retrieve the required material before sending it back up to ground floor level. As a public library, Andrew also explained that there is a need to enforce a time-limit on how long staff spend dealing with enquiries; 10-15 minutes research is spent on any enquiry the Guildhall receive, however if it requires a more detailed search, they offer a fee-based service to cover the costs of the time involved. Rare material is consulted on desks closest to the staff enquiries desk, although it was nice to see there were plenty of other work spaces for readers to do their research - both printed and electronic.
One point Andrew did raise, however, which I had not really considered before was the disadvantages of being based in the City, as most of the library’s users are not local, and have to travel in especially to use the library’s facilities. As a reference library in particular, the Guildhall’s target audience are primarily researchers, historians and genealogists, as opposed to casual members who wish to use the library just to peruse the latest novel or crime thriller. In light of this, one can fully comprehend the library’s need to raise its profile, especially during these difficult times. Andrew therefore discussed with us the importance of social media, as well as the library’s efforts to host talks, workshops and school activities in order to raise awareness of the vast and rich resources this “hidden gem” has to offer.
All in all, our afternoon at the Guildhall library was an extremely interesting and informative one, and it was nice to come away from the visit knowing that little bit more about what it might be like to work in a public reference library, should we wish to work in one in the future.
