Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am an MLS student at North Carolina Central University traveling to London for an independent study course. Equipped with a bachelor's in Anthropology and professional experiences in public libraires, museums, and special libraries; I am excited to make the most of this learning opportunity. In this space, I will reflect on my explorations of libraries, museums, and archives in London and beyond. I look forward to learning about the administration, collection management, and public engagement efforts of cultural institutions in the UK. 

Adventure's ahead!

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Discovering the Barbican Library

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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'...
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Collecting and Archiving Beatrix Potter's Works

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

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  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...
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