King's College Library and Special Collections was one of the most interesting visits on my trip.
We started off in the college's special collections where we got to see several fascinating pieces of their collection. Their collection is approximately 200,000 items that date from today all the way back to the 15th C. The curator had set out three tables with themes on each table. The first table was American based books, the second was books that have been a challenge for the collection, and the third books they use as promotion pieces. The guide walked us through each of the items and then let us flip through the pages ourselves. It was interesting, yet sad, to see how so many libraries and special collections all have the same challenges. One thing I have learned on this trip is how underfunded and underappreciated all libraries / museums / collections are no matter how many people may flock to your facilities.
Here are some photos of the special collection items we saw:
After touring the items in special collections we got to tour the college's library. The library was absolutely gorgeous and design with an emphasis on preservation of the collections. After the Great Fire of London in the 1660s the building, which housed public records at the time, crafted all of their rooms with lots of iron that would prevent fire from completely destroying all records. The library's design reflects the original ideas of this with sliding iron doors in each of the rooms where books are housed. This way, even if a fire did start in the building, the doors would keep the fire contained and prevent it from devastating their entire collection. Genius idea! We ended our tour with some yummy tea and biscuits.
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