Discovering the Barbican Library



Library Manager Helen Ford guided our class on a tour of the Barbican Library located in the Barbican Centre. This is a public library with an impressive music library. The library was very similar to public libraries in the US. Their collection is shared between three branch libraries within London's city service. Along with the typical books, the library offers large print and audiobook options. Their patrons also have access to Libby. Special programs are offered regularly. These are sometimes put on by staff and other times the library acts as a host site for outside programming. Programs about jewelry making and knitting seem popular while Ford has found it difficult to get patrons to attend games club. The music library hosts collaborative exhibits. Visitors to that section can practice on a silent piano while wearing headphones. Study booths and CD listening booths are also available to patrons. Families, students, office workers, and the unhoused make up the library's patron demographics. Twenty-five staff keep the library's operations running smoothy. Ten of those are qualified librarians. Ford came to this library 6 years ago after her previous system began to cut staff due to lack of proper funding. 

There were many ways in which this library felt similar to ones I have worked at in the US. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library is active in the UK. They hold a summer reading program for children. Rhyme Time is very similar to the baby story times that I used to lead. Notably, Ford mentioned that this library is not a quiet place. Much like the public libraries in the US, it functions as a community center and not just a quiet place for study. 

A few differences stood out to me as well.  This library does not charge fees for children's overdue books and they also monitor to make sure that children are checking out age appropriate materials. I was intrigued to see signs posted around the library warning patrons of potential thieves and urging them to monitor their belongings. I have worked in public libraries where I have had to intervene due to inappropriate behavior by patrons, but I have not encountered theft so frequent that posters would be made as a warning. 

Relevant links:

https://www.barbican.org.uk/your-visit/during-your-visit/library

https://imaginationlibrary.com/uk/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Collecting and Archiving Beatrix Potter's Works

Image
Image credit: Beatrix Potter with a border terrier at Lingholm, Keswick, by Rupert Potter, 3 October 1897, albumen photograph, given by Joan Duke. Museum no. E.765-2005. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.  https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/introducing-beatrix-potter    Andrew P. Wiltshire discussed the life and work of Beatrix Potter. I was excited for this lesson as I grew up in a house that had an anthology of her stories. I loved looking at her beautiful illustrations and related to her as I also had lots of pets and enjoy being in nature. It was interesting to get more insight into the author's life. Potter had many talents other than being an author of classic children's literature. As previously mentioned, she was a talented artist. Her eye for observation influenced her art to a level of realism ideal when depicting nature. She also studied fungi spores and and fairy circles. Unfortunately, and possibly due to a combination of misogyny and carelessness, her researc...
Read more

Exploring the World’s Largest Museum Dedicated to the History of Seafaring- National Maritime Museum

Image
  I was very excited to visit the National Maritime Museum as I used to intern at a maritime museum! That internship is what solidified my love for museum work and I credit the experience with placing me on my current career path. The museum I worked at focused on North Carolina's maritime history and coastal ecology. The National Maritime Museum shares the story of the UK's maritime history and global involvement. Topics of piracy, the slave trade, war, exploration, and current research were all addressed.  I arrived in the arctic exhibit section just in time to hear a presentation on Ernest Shackleton. The presenter was one of the most confident and engaging that I have ever witnessed. I was also very impressed with the level of interactivity and technology within the exhibits. Some displays had projections of ghostly figures wandering around model ships, others had maps that combined audio with visuals depicting sea voyages, and a kids' zone had an area to experiment wit...
Read more