Day 7: Oxford & the Bodleian

Today we went on another day trip excursion, this time to Oxford. This class session was by far one of my top favorites! I will say that I was not aware that the Bodleian had moved to a newer building, so I was a teeny bit disappointed we wouldn't be in the old library (what can I say, I love architecture!).

The session at the new Bodleian was our first real experience talking with professionals in the field at a prestigious archive about preservation tactics and best practices, so of course, it was a session that I loved! We started with a lecture about the history of the Bodleian, which included a bit about diversity within the collections, then we went into their preservation challenges, and finished with a viewing of some very old manuscripts and texts, which was super awesome to see! However, my favorite part was the middle portion because it was nice to hear from other archivists about their practices and the challenges they face, even as a much larger archive than the one I work at. Case in point, they shared some photos and an encased document that showed the damage done by silverfish within the collection. Just before coming on this trip, we had found a few silverfish in the restroom at the archives I work at, so hearing about the Bodleian facing the same issues was honestly really neat. I was also able to ask the archivists for any tips they had, and I will be very happy to share the information I gained with my colleagues at work when I return to the States!

Damage from silverfish