(The library was a bit more impressive than Blackfriar's, but respecting the library's privacy, I will not post library photos. Plus, the cottage pie was pretty impressive.)REFLECTIONS:
A private tour of a cathedral library may not be everyone's cup of tea, but that's why it's great to do it with a group of librarians, especially who are also library students and are not yet burned out and disillusioned. The library had the atmosphere as well as the beauty which one would desire in a cathedral library: And can you believe the librarian’s last name is Wisdom?
This is too good to be true!
SUMMARY
A noisy, sweaty, but swift tube ride, a private tour at St. Paul's, cottage pie at Blackfriar's Pub and a walk across Blackfriar's Bridge in the strong London breeze preceded a nice afternoon nap to prepare me for an evening of blogging! I did find time for a nice kitchen chat with my classmates, a walk to the store (I love English yogurt--it's creamier than ours), and a little fun computer time (checking my email - did YOU email me? and making reservations to fly from Edinburgh to Dublin!). It was a very good day.
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
The history of the Cathedral itself is long and eventful. First built in 606, the present building was completed in 1710. St. Paul’s was ransacked by the Vikings to the point it had to be rebuilt, burned in the Great Fire of 1666, struck by lightning in 1651 and was a bombing target during the Blitz in World War II. St. Paul’s Cathedral has seen a memorial service for Queen Victoria and the funerals of the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill, the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, several Jubilee celebrations, and a memorial service for the victims of 9/11. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke there.
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL LIBRARY
But our focus this day was on the Cathedral Library.
To get there, one must have special permission as it is not normally open to the public. Then, one must climb a seemingly never-ending staircase. A person does not enter this library easily!
Not surprising, since it is in the majestic St. Paul’s, the ceiling in this library is extremely high. But this serves an additional purpose according to Librarian Joe Wisdom; this ceiling is high enough that it "allows thoughts to soar," both for "clients" and employees. And it was obvious that Mr.Wisdom's own thoughts soar as he talked about preservation of, conservation of and access to the some 13,500 volumes which live in the solemn room.
Mr. Wisdom also talked about the symbolism of the decorative plaster in the library and other parts of the cathedral as he noted the intertwined books and quills denoting that the library is a place of learning and that St. Paul's is a place where God's Word is read.
The library is "open to all who can make good use of it," but Mr. Wisdom quickly assured us that he is very careful with this collection. One is allowed access to no more than three documents at a time, and a user would not be left alone with many of the items.
The Cathedral Library is fortunate that most of the 300 bugs which live in libraries do not live in England, according to Mr. Wisdom. Even though he is the only librarian on staff, he does receive assistance in conservation from a specialty group which will be funded through a grant and through the assistance of special volunteers.
A related feature we were allowed to view was a model of an earlier replacement cathedral design by Christopher Wren, rejected because it was too "Catholic."
A private tour of a cathedral library may not be everyone's cup of tea, but that's why it's great to do it with a group of librarians, especially who are also library students and are not yet burned out and disillusioned. The library had the atmosphere as well as the beauty which one would desire in a cathedral library: And can you believe the librarian’s last name is Wisdom?
This is too good to be true!
SUMMARY
A noisy, sweaty, but swift tube ride, a private tour at St. Paul's, cottage pie at Blackfriar's Pub and a walk across Blackfriar's Bridge in the strong London breeze preceded a nice afternoon nap to prepare me for an evening of blogging! I did find time for a nice kitchen chat with my classmates, a walk to the store (I love English yogurt--it's creamier than ours), and a little fun computer time (checking my email - did YOU email me? and making reservations to fly from Edinburgh to Dublin!). It was a very good day.
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
The history of the Cathedral itself is long and eventful. First built in 606, the present building was completed in 1710. St. Paul’s was ransacked by the Vikings to the point it had to be rebuilt, burned in the Great Fire of 1666, struck by lightning in 1651 and was a bombing target during the Blitz in World War II. St. Paul’s Cathedral has seen a memorial service for Queen Victoria and the funerals of the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill, the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, several Jubilee celebrations, and a memorial service for the victims of 9/11. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke there.
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL LIBRARY
But our focus this day was on the Cathedral Library.
To get there, one must have special permission as it is not normally open to the public. Then, one must climb a seemingly never-ending staircase. A person does not enter this library easily!
Not surprising, since it is in the majestic St. Paul’s, the ceiling in this library is extremely high. But this serves an additional purpose according to Librarian Joe Wisdom; this ceiling is high enough that it "allows thoughts to soar," both for "clients" and employees. And it was obvious that Mr.Wisdom's own thoughts soar as he talked about preservation of, conservation of and access to the some 13,500 volumes which live in the solemn room.
Mr. Wisdom also talked about the symbolism of the decorative plaster in the library and other parts of the cathedral as he noted the intertwined books and quills denoting that the library is a place of learning and that St. Paul's is a place where God's Word is read.
The library is "open to all who can make good use of it," but Mr. Wisdom quickly assured us that he is very careful with this collection. One is allowed access to no more than three documents at a time, and a user would not be left alone with many of the items.
The Cathedral Library is fortunate that most of the 300 bugs which live in libraries do not live in England, according to Mr. Wisdom. Even though he is the only librarian on staff, he does receive assistance in conservation from a specialty group which will be funded through a grant and through the assistance of special volunteers.
A related feature we were allowed to view was a model of an earlier replacement cathedral design by Christopher Wren, rejected because it was too "Catholic."
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