Researching London

I had intended to be a good girl and blog more while I was in London to update everyone. Somehow, though, time slips away here. So, this is your mid-trip update.

We’ve been quite busy in the archives here. There is so much to see, and so little time to do it. I feel like I could easily spend a month at each of our locations. (Follow up trip soon?)

The Guildhall was our first stop. It’s a gorgeous fifteenth-century building and houses records from the city of London, especially in regards to the guilds. This is a GREAT place for research, as it is smaller and the scholars tend to lean towards the British Library and the genealogists like the National Archives. They have much of their catalogue online and many broadsides and ephemera. The turn-around time on requests is something like eight minutes, but I’ve never waited more than five (which, if you’ve been to London research sites, you know is incredible).

Our second trip was to the National Archives. Located outside of central London, this is a bit of a tube ride, but I appreciated not being in the thick of things. Like the name says, the NA is the repository for government papers from the UK. You could spend a lifetime here and never get through everything. The number of court documents alone (held from the medieval period to the present) can make a researcher’s head explode. I have to admit I was a bit lost for the first day, but it became a little easier to navigate the second day.

We followed the NA with the London Metropolitan Archives, which was a central spot for information on my dissertation. They are the central location for London-based organizations and government. One of the best points about this research site is that they let you take pictures of the material for free. (They’re also currently running an exhibition on Jewish East London, which is fascinating.) I ran into the problem of having many of my documents only available on microfilm, but the fires of London and poor archival techniques of the past can’t be helped. If you’re lucky, you may get to go into the document repair room, where they show you how they repair documents. Right now, they’re trying out an infrared camera that can read through the cover of books that can’t be opened anymore (pretty amazing).

What literary scholar can come to London without paying a visit (or two, or three, or four) to the British Library? I got to experience being in the same room as Dr. Backscheider and Dr. Doody, who were sitting next to each other at the study desks. Having a reading pass is akin to having a backstage pass at a concert. I spent all of my time there in the rare book collection and on the databases. They have, in addition to hundreds of others, ECCO, EBO, Eighteenth Century Journals Online, and the Burney Papers (which could take up a month of my trip alone). Unfortunately, I found out too late that the newspapers are held at another site, but I found plenty of information to keep me busy. I have yet to venture to the manuscript collections, but have been told they’re amazing. I have several marked for reading next week. (Printing, here, is a major pain in the butt, though.)

The Victoria and Albert museum was one of my favorite places to see; however, researching there was difficult. They have one centralized computer database, but the items are scattered throughout the UK. You definitely have to be prepared before you visit. Most of the information there is nineteenth-century and geared towards art history. They also have a theatre site at the Blythe house (which feels like a mental institution). I had problems accessing the material, but, then again, it’s not my field. Art historians and dramatists will find these more helpful than those focusing on novels and poetry.

The Bodleian (in Oxford) was another wonderful place to visit, but less helpful in research. Most of the information they hold is also held at the British Library, so, if you’re staying in London, you might not want to take the trouble of travelling. You also have to pay to use the facilities, and the information is (like the V&A) scattered through town. However, for ambiance, you can’t beat it.

So, that’s what I’ve been up to for the most part. We’ve also done some fun “extra-curricular” things that I’ll save for another post. My next two weeks will be relegated to the Lambeth Palace Library and the Court of Arches records. This is a post in and of itself, as it was a bit of a comedy of errors to get there (and get in the building).

Another update soon to come. I miss you all (but not the weather).