The Last Librarian

It is with some sadness that I write this post. My former employer CILT, the National Centre for Languages, went into administration in April. Many of CILT's activities have been transferred to CfBT in Reading. However, they did not buy the library and I have therefore been very concerned about what would become of this very important national collection, that has been developed over more than 40 years. I was the last librarian at CILT as they were already in trouble when I left and were only replacing "mission critical" posts.

I was pleased to hear that the CILT Resources Library has been bought by the Association of Language Learning and the University of Cambridge Language Centre. They have taken the research collection and are asking for donations to help secure its long term future.

Before work today (very early start!), I went to CILT's former premises on Westminster Bridge Road to help sort out what remains of the library collection, mainly the teaching materials, which will now go to CfBT. I was pleased to be able to help out the library in this small way, as I formed a great attachment to the collection during my time working for CILT. In fact, I felt quite guilty leaving it. Some of my former colleagues have done an excellent job in caring for the collection since my departure. They also made sure senior management did not forget about the library.

CILT was a great place to work because of the library and the majority of my colleagues, many of whom I am still good friends with now. However, because it was such a small organisation relying mainly on government money, it was a very stressful place to work. It totally consumed my life and affected my wellbeing in a way I hope no other job ever does.

Many public libraries are also facing closure due to spending cuts. Visit voices for the library to find out what you can do to help save libraries.

13 going on 31

Thing 13 is here and it's Google sites. I've played around with this a bit before. We have a site for the ECS (Electronics and Computer Science) librarians. Also, this is where our Academic Liaison Librarian profile pages are kept.

However, in the 23 Things spirit, I have created a brand new site about my visit to Lund.

I do find Google sites slightly frustrating at times but it has lots of useful features, such as being able to add Google apps to pages.

Goodbye Lund!

As a final day treat, I requested to visit the archives of Lund University Library, in particular the Papyrus Collection, due to my interest in egyptology. Eva Nylander was my guide for today and she showed me some amazing manuscripts, including Necrologium Lundense, the oldest handwritten manuscript in Scandinavia that still exists.



Necrologium Lundense


The Papyrus collection consists of about 800 fragments, ranging from around 300 BC to 300 AD. A digital collection is available.

I also saw a very famous book about a dream, which is a bit of a mystery because nobody knows who wrote it!

To finish, I was shown some manuscripts relating to the UK contained within the De la Gardie archive. This includes a letter of proposal from King Erik of Sweden to Queen Elizabeth I.

My netbook's about to run out of battery and I have a slow internet connection here but will add some more photos from the archive next week.