Association of Pall Mall Libraries (APML)

It’s not what you know……Presentation to CILIP Rare Books & Special

Collections Conference on Hidden Collections September 2015

Kath Posner, Sian Prosser, Renae Satterley and Kay Walters

Association of Pall Mall Libraries (APML)• Inaugural Meeting December 2004 – mostly solo librarians from Private Members’ Clubs around Pall Mall• Minutes include comments:

‘space – none of us have enough’• Ten years later space still an issue owing to increased use of libraries as function rooms• Now comprises around 30 active members split between Private Members Clubs like the Athenaeum and Army & Navy Club - 40%• Institutions/Professional Associations etc. including: Royal Academy, Middle Temple, Chatham House, Royal College of Physicians - 60%

‘The APML aims to promote the sharing of skills, knowledge and resources between members, and to increase knowledge of the collections held by their

respective institutions and, in doing so, to develop its potential as a lively, multi-talented and innovative group’

• Self-help group! One third of members are solo librarians• Useful opportunities for Networking • email discussions (including JISCMail) • meetings four times a year including guest speakers

• Training sub-group organizes bespoke sessions at competitive rates as many Clubs/Institutions have no training budgets

• Archivists Sub-Group helps those librarians who look after Archives and vice-versa

Purpose of APML

Survey of members 2015: Thirty responses (one institution chose not to respond and another left all the answers blank,

preferring not to divulge any details of their collection)

APML members’ collections•Two Libraries have fewer than 2,000 books (the Oriental Club and The Kildare St & University Club, Dublin)

•Five Libraries have 2 – 10,000 books (mainly Clubs including The Naval & Military and East India Clubs, but also – The King’s Fund)

•Seven Libraries have 10 – 50,000 books: Two Clubs and five Institutes/Professional Associations

•Ten libraries have 50 – 100,000 books : two of these Private Clubs (the Reform and Athenaeum)

•Five Libraries have more than 100,000 including The London Library, Middle Temple and The Geological Society

Role of the library within the institution

Historical asset

Research resource

Financial asset

Functions space

Quiet area

Role of the library within the institution

Historical asset 80%

Research resource 80%

Role of the library within the institution

Historical Asset 80%

Research resource 80%

Functions space 58%

Quiet area 65%

Launch of International Year of Light, 2015

Ibn al Haytham, Opticae thesaurus Alhazeni Arabis libri septem […], 1572

Role of the library within the institution

Historical Asset 80%

Research resource 80%

Functions space 58%

Quiet area 65%

Financial asset 27%

Access to Collections: Cataloguing

Internal only

External (OPAC)

Internal only

External

• The range of collections within the APML is very diverse• The majority (83%) have collections of which at least 75% have been catalogued

Nearly 70% have an on-line catalogue which is publicly available with 15% providing a catalogue visible to members only

Access to Collections

Many of our institutions also allow external researchers and academics physical access to our collections for free without restrictions (43%)

or for a fee (15%)

The Athenaeum

• Library collection of around 70,000 • Plus an Archive of material relating to the administration and history of the Club and the Clubhouse.

Photo via: http://www.athenaeumclub.co.uk/

South Library (Main Library)

photos via http://www.athenaeumclub.co.uk/

Drawing Room (also lined with bookshelves!)

•First Librarian and Library Committee appointed in 1830

•The Library was catalogued, firstly in book form, then on cards

• Online catalogue made available to members via the Clubs website with password access for Members, 2003

• Historical asset of the Club• Financial asset • Access is one of the privileges of Athenaeum membership• The rules of access to the Clubhouse prevent non-members from entering the main library• No other study area is provided for non-Members

The Role of the Library

Access to Non-Members

• Archive - access under supervision by the Club Archivist • Fee may be charged for research leading to a commercial publication• Library access - restricted to a few ms. items & pamphlet collection• Publicity restricted to Directory of Rare Books & Special Collections, Word-of-Mouth or visit to Club

I will leave you with some images of a handful of books from the Special Collection. I can’t of course tell you what they are…..

Promoting Collections:Case Study (Middle Temple Library)

• Approximately 9,000 early printed books and over 300 manuscripts• Diverse historical collection not widely used by Inn members • Collection not well known & poorly catalogued, therefore:• Project to re-catalogue to DCRM (B) standards• Records added to various short-title catalogues such as: ESTC,

GLN15/16, STCN, VD15/16, etc.• All pre-1800 records added to COPAC• Contact made directly with relevant researchers

Matthias Quad, Deliciæ Hispaniæ, 1604

Promoting Collections:Collection management

Most used tools:1. Social media2. Use of talks/tours and

print publications Internal only

Public & outreach

Internal only

Promoting Collections:Case Study (Social Media)

Twitter Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

10.30 HR Education Membership Library HR

13.30 Library Events Events Library

16.30 Membership Library Events HR Membership

18.30 Education Membership Library Membership Events

Four tweets per day; retweets only if no original content available. FB= one post per day. LinkedIn= twice weekly use of Showcase Pages. Google+ posting 2-3 times, sharing alternate weeks

Facebook Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

HR Education Events Library Membership

Promoting Collections:Case Study (Middle Temple Library)

• Special visits from organisations: Grolier Club, Bibliographic Society, CILIP groups, etc.

• Book sponsorship programme = funds for repair & good PR• Image reproduction opened up our collection and provided a

focus for stake-holders. Images have been used in a host of in-house publications: booklets, newsletters, posters, websites, etc.

• ‘Show-n-tell’ sessions are used to engage people with the collections

Jacques Besson, Le cosmolabe, 1567

• This presentation will be uploaded to our website at: www.apmlibraries.org

• Follow us on Twitter: @apmlibraries • Or join the discussion on JISCMail:

www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=APMLIBRARIES-DISCUSSION