Annual Study Weekend with IAML (UK & Irl) in Cambridge

I had the great privilege to take part in this year’s Annual Study Weekend (ASW) with the IAML UK & Ireland Branch in Cambridge, Friday 11th - Sunday 13th April. I had been told that this would be a perfect time to visit the city and I can testify that this is certainly true. Everything was blossoming and the birds were just as enthusiastic as I was! The meeting took place in Fitzwilliam College – a modern college, ten minutes’ walk from the city center. The college gardens were very beautiful and there was a serene atmosphere (the students had left for Easter holidays!)

The ASW included presentations, reports & information sessions and a General Assembly, as well as study visits, concerts, receptions and a “farewell dinner”. Something like a conference with the international Association, but in a smaller format. Before the actual meeting took place there were two parallel seminars – one for Public Libraries and another for Academic Libraries. I attended the latter, which dealt with how librarians can support research in conservatoires and universities. The matter was discussed in a relaxed and friendly manner, which characterized the whole ASW.

There were close to 80 participants coming from all parts of United Kingdom and Ireland - from different types of libraries. Besides from myself there was one more participant from abroad, namely IAML’s President, Barbara Dobbs Mackenzie. Barbara made a presentation of RILM and I spoke about collaboration between IAML's national branches - something I think has an enormous potential. In addition there were a handful exhibitors, who were given a whole session to present themselves and their products. A very nice idea, I thought.

A new experience for me was the “quick-fire rounds”, where we were asked to choose three ten-minutes “good practice mini-sessions” to attend. The topics were “Effective use of social media”, “Promoting your hidden collections”, “Extending user engagement” and more. The event was strictly guided by a clock, which made people speak very quickly before they were interrupted by the signal that led everybody to jump up and run around to find their next destination. People were shouting to make themselves heard since there were six sessions going on at the same time in the same room. The whole thing was rather hysterical and I thought to myself: This is the country of Fawlty Towers.

Cambridge is obviously full of interesting libraries with fantastic collections and choosing one for the Saturday study visit was not simple. We were given the following options: The Christ’s College Library, The Queens’ College Old Library, The Pendlebury Library (The Cambridge Music Faculty Library), The Cambridge University Library Music Department and the Cambridge Central Library. Since I had prolonged my visit in Cambridge I was fortunate enough to visit them all. In addition I spent a couple of days in Oxford, where Martin Holmes very kindly gave me a thorough  presentation of the Music Faculty Library and the venerable Bodleian Library. I also had the opportunity to visit the Central Library in Oxford. I would like to thank everybody for making me feel so welcome.

Saturday evening marked the ending of the celebration of the 60th Anniversary with a delicious dinner and a concert provided by the Erasmus Choir, directed by Francis Knights. The concert included a performance of "Orpheus with his lute" by Howard Skempton, commissioned to celebrate the IAML (UK & Irl) Diamond Jubilee. In honour of the anniversary IAML's President handed over a present – a brass bell intended to be used to summon undisciplined members. To everybody's surprise, including myself(!), the Secretary General then sang a birthday song from Sweden: Ja, må ni leva uti hundrade år!

Some extra treats in connection with the ASW and my trip to Oxford: A lunch with former IAML Secretary General Alison Hall in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (SG to SG conversation!); a guided walking tour of “musical Cambridge” with Susi Woodhouse as our cicerone; a wonderful concert with music from the famous Fitzwilliam’s Virginal Book, performed by Francis Knights, Director of Music at Fitzwilliam College and a “post-conference tour” to the Red House in Aldeburgh – the home of Benjamin Britten and Peter Pears. Nicholas Clark gave us a very interesting tour of the house, the library, the studio, the museum and – not least: The archive. It was absolutely fascinating to get so close to Britain’s great composer. The charming nature of Suffolk and the North Sea coastline made the day unforgettable.

I hope this short report gives an impression of the days Barbara and I spent so pleasantly with colleagues from the UK & Ireland Branch. I have attached some photos – some of them of a rather poor quality, I am afraid. More information can be found on the IAML (UK & Irl) website.

The IAML (UK&Irl) Board: Peter Baxter (Chair), Roy Stanley (Secretary) and Monika Pietras (Treasurer)

The ten most recent presidents of IAML (UK&Irl)

Excellence Award 2014

Friday Seminar. From left to right: Geoff Thomason, Kathy Adamson, Peter Linnit and Edith Speller

Margaret Jones, Cambridge University Library

IAML (IK&Irl) Archive at the University Library

Haydn's pin in Cambridge University Library

Queens' College Old Library. Tim Eggington showing the Andrew Docket's inventory of the chained library from 1472

Amelie Roper, Christ's College

Roberta Schiavone, Pendlebury Library (Cambridge Music Faculty Library)

Cambridge Central Library

Martin Holmes, Bodleian Library Music Department + Oxford Music Faculty Library

Isabelle Kleinknecht, Oxford Central Library

Alison Hall in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford

Punting on river Cam

Old books I

Old books II

The Red House in Aldeburgh

The Britten-Pears Archive: From left to right: Nicholas Clark, Jane Henshaw, Graham Muncy and Richard Buxton

Britten's working routine

The North Sea

Evening meal after the excursion to Aldeburgh

Ryan Air

Pia going home to celebrate Easter

The 2014 IAML Conference in Antwerp, 13-18 July - warning issued!