1. THE LIBRARY MAY 2015
Stephanie Moran reading a history of
pagan goddesses with Hutton's
Triumph of the Moon #worldbooknight
CONTENTS
Kevin Wilson ALISS visit to the British Library Newsroom
Bekky Randall Talis Insight Conference 2015
Cathy Hoste National Art Library at Victoria & Albert Museum
Alumni Fund Applications
New self-service payroll system
Jack Mulvaney Objects (insight)
Alice Corble World Book Night
Angus Sinclair Glen Baxter Special Collection Poetry Reading Group

2. ALISS visit to the British Library
Newsroom
The British Library is the go-to place
for news and newspaper collections.
They hold British and international
newspapers dating back to the 17th
century and growing collections of
radio, television and online news. Until
recently, if you wanted to access their
collections, it was quite straightforward
– hop on the Northern Line to Colindale
to their purpose-built newspapers
building. This closed in 2013 and over
the last two years, the British Library
has developed its ‘newsroom’, a
dedicated news reading room at St
Pancras, which is now open.
A group of around a dozen or so
librarians were shown around by Luke
McKernan, whose title is ‘Lead
Curator, News and Moving Image’.
Luke is a frequently published (many
of his books are available in our
library) Media historian and he
introduced the British Library’s
ambitious vision, still in its infancy, of
creating a single hive for news in all its
myriad forms.
Luke explained the richness of the
British Library’s newspaper collections,
including 57,000 titles and over
100,000,000 issues, collected for more
than four centuries. Even now, they
are taking 1,400 weekly and fortnightly
titles. Print titles carry a legal deposit,
but the British Library is increasingly
moving towards digitised collections
for obvious reasons.
Some of the more curious collections
the British Library holds include the
Thomason Tracts, a key source for the
English Civil War and the Burney
Collection, the largest single collection
of 17th and 18th century newspapers.
Both are private donations. The British
Newspaper Archive is a service joint-
run by the British Library, which has
digitised around 11,000,000 news
stories from over 200 UK and Ireland
newspaper titles from the last 200
years. If you wanted to find a news
story on the Suffragette movement or
even a distant relative’s marriage
notice, try here. This is unfortunately a
paid for service.
The national newspaper building is in
Boston Spa, Yorkshire, designed to
provide the ideal environmental
conditions to store newspapers that
can be in a fragile state. It’s a building
designed to kind to newspapers rather
than people. What visitors won’t see is
how newspapers get from storage to
collection - Users of the St Pancras
reading room must apply for
newspapers to be sent from Boston
Spa, which usually takes 48 hours.
The British Library has increasingly
moved towards collecting television,
radio and online news. There is no
legal deposit for television and radio
news, but the British Library records 40
hours of television news and 20 hours
of radio news per day from terrestrial
channels and makes it available on-
site only. With online news, the British
Library harvests and archives UK
websites.
Approximately 1000 UK websites are
archived daily or weekly, often homing
in on individual events e.g. the death of
Nelson Mandela, so a snapshot of
online news reporting of the event is
available.
For the most up to date goings-on at
the British Library newsroom, visit their
blog.

3. Talis Insight Conference 2015
#talisinsight
This was a very lively and jam-packed
conference, and was a pretty slick
production. All the talks were recorded
and there was a man who must have
had very strong arms holding a
massive boom microphone on a long
pole over the heads of anyone that
asked a question. The lunch was good
too, no sandwiches with dubious
unidentifiable contents! [I shall now
hope for teeny beef wellingtons and
strawberry tarts at every conference,
and will no doubt be disappointed
forever]. The second day was
focussed more on the day-to-day
aspects of using Talis Aspire,
academic engagement, extracting
data, and future developments Talis
are planning, but the first day’s talks
looked at all sorts of interesting things
around the nature of libraries, learning
and teaching in a ‘post-digital’
networked society.
One of the early talks made heavy use
of ice cream as a metaphor for quality:
i.e. generic vanilla as an example of
standardisation, or weird boutique
flavours as an example of more
creative thinking with its higher risk of
failure, but essentially, the quality of
the end product depends on the quality
of the ingredients going in. All this talk
of ice cream made everyone wish they
had some, and half of the tweets
coming from the conference were
suddenly about ice cream, which was
confusing for anyone following the
twitter stream from outside the
conference!
Speakers talked about the idea of
students as entrepreneurs, as
publishers, and more importantly as
paying customers, with high
expectations from universities that are
now being run as businesses as much
as places of academic excellence. As
expected several talks focussed on
how the use of Talis Aspire had
changed the way libraries manage
their book ordering process, helped
with providing better value for money
for students, or how changing the
approach to reading lists had altered
their relations with academic staff. At
Northumbria they have rearranged
library staff so that there are no subject
librarians at all…
The first talk ‘The Post-digital Age’ by
David White from UAL, was about how
technology is ‘disappearing into use’; if
it is working properly then we do not
notice it at all. (However if it doesn’t
work then it is all too noticeable!)
Smart phones are not ‘smart’ any more
they are simply phones. We’re moving
beyond the analogue to digital
transition, and are now comparing
digital with digital. He spoke about the
idea of the web as a place: That the
digital is a place that intersects all
other places; so physical geography is
no longer significant. What does an
institution such as ours look like as a
digital place? It is no longer enough
that our digital presence be simply a
collection of tools that can be used
online.
Eric Stoller spoke about digital identity,
and how using tools like twitter doesn’t
just have to be about publishing your
thoughts and experiences all the time,
but that you can simply listen, and
learn from social media too. This
brought up the question of how to
separate the personal from the
professional online. Incidentally
(though not surprisingly), Eric won the
virtual trophy for most twitter activity on
the #talisinsight hashtag. Some people
became quite competitive about
getting their tweets up on the
leaderboard by the end, which is a
good way to get people tweeting about
a conference! I have yet to master the
ability to tweet successfully and pay
attention at the same time, sadly, but it

4. is always interesting to check the
hashtags later.
It was useful to see the different
approaches that universities have
taken when deciding to implement
reading lists: some devote a lot of time
and money and staff, such as having
the library input all the lists before
handing them over to academics;
some focus strictly on certain courses,
for example the first year core courses,
and then staircase up to the second
and third year courses in following
years [which is an approach that Hsiu-
Chin and I thought might work well
here]. Some universities have a top
down approach, such as a mandate
from high-level management that staff
must use the reading list system, while
others do not.
Kitty Inglis from University of Sussex
spoke about how the cost of content is
a concern; with the need to select and
curate high quality content that
remains available and accessible long-
term, down to the item level. Libraries
need to be able to negotiate effectively
with publishers for digital content, and
traditional licensing models are
changing. She said that despite the
increase in digital acquisition instead
of print, the level of footfall in libraries
is still increasing, and the physical
composition of libraries and collections
is changing. There is a need to train
and retain library staff with the
appropriate skills to keep up.
Other talks looked at the use of
learning analytics, [we found the idea
of predictive analytics a bit sinister], as
well as the need for digital literacy for
everyone: not just students but
academic and library staff too. There
was a lot covered, and all the
presentations are now available on the
Talis website so it’s worth taking a look
if you’re interested.
Objects (insight)
The May session of objects (in)sight
featured the WRPM (Women's
Revolutions Per Minute) archive as its
focus. As with previous sessions,
object (in)sight is a platform that
provides researchers from all walks of
academic life with a platform to
describe the creative ways in which an
archive has influenced them and their
own work. This month’s speakers were
Dr Nirmal Puwar (Department of
Sociology) & Dr Lisa Busby
(Department of Music) & Mika Hayashi
Ebbesen, an artist, musician and
writer. Proceedings were chaired by
Special Collection’s Lesley Ruthven.
Acquired in 2012 by Special
Collections & Archives, the collection
contains hard copies of everything
from the complete WRPM catalogue,
including vinyl, tapes, CDs and books.
Dedicated to showcasing female
musicians, there are over 2000 items
available, including feminist and
political, folk, world music, traditional
singers, acappella, educational
resources and women composers from
the 11th century to the present day.
Ephemera from the period is also
included, such as correspondence,
listings of musicians, independent
record companies and suppliers, all of
which offers additional perspective on
what WRPM was aiming to achieve.
The archive provides a wide range of
recordings of music written and
produced by women which may be
unavailable elsewhere.

5. With a sample of vinyl records from the
collection on show, the three speakers
set about discussing their own
experiences with WRPM. Between
them they described how the WRPM
archive was an invaluable resource
that provided visibility for musical acts
that would have otherwise been
ignored by mainstream music history.
Lisa Busby spoke of how the WRPM
collection inspired her in the production
of her own DIY archive. Mika explained
how finding the WRPM was pivotal in
shaping her own academic research
into the subject area of radical female
musicians, providing a wealth of
material that was previously proving
difficult to source. Great attention was
given to the artwork of the covers, of
which many are eye catching and offer
their own personal history worthy of
analysis.
Following a discussion where the three
took it in turns to select and describe
records from the collection with a
personal value to them, an important
figure from the WRPM’s history was
invited onstage to elaborate on
historical details of the archive. Hilary
Friend took over the WRPM in 1999
through to 2004, and was responsible
for developing the label by moving its
base to Manchester and extending the
catalogue towards an online presence.
She provided an account of the WRPM
beginning in 1977. It was originally
established by Caroline Hutton as part
of the Women's Art Collective in
London that promoted festivals in
association with the Women's
Liberation Movement. Operating out of
Birmingham, Hutton developed WRPM
as a dedicated trader and distribution
of radical and feminist titles into
independent and mainstream music
stores, bookshops and colleges. She
also worked tirelessly to establish a
presence through women's music
festivals and events, peace festivals
and conferences.
This edition of objects (in)sight
managed to establish how the archive
can be encourage the on-going
debate, research and production into
feminist cultural life and criticism. By
exploring the history of radical feminist
struggle through the appropriation of
objects, the three speakers (and
Hilary) demonstrated the multiplicity of
ways in which archives can enable
researchers to creatively explore topics
such as the socio-cultural position of
women in music, power relationships
within a cultural industry, and patterns
and pathways of developing identity. It
is an example of a 'small business
enterprise' run by and for women as an
alternative to the mainstream which
had an impact on women's
creativity. It also highlighted the
importance of including marginalised
aspects of identity, such as gender, as
an important consideration of all
research

6. National Art Library at Victoria & Albert
Museum
The visit circulated by Nicola from
ARLG-LASE coincided with
#InternationalLibraryDay. Thankfully
I’d met David Lass, Hon. Secretary
before as the entrance was very busy
due to the Savage Beauty exhibition.
Atmospheric and elegant, seats are
allocated by number, as a listed Grade
2 building, the original fittings are still
present. The main room is on the first
floor overlooking the courtyard so it
gets noisy during the start of Friday
Late. The Library is 180 years old and
pre-dates the V&A museum. It consists
of three floors and a crypt. One section
overlooks the 20th Century gallery and
another stairwell so no books are put
near edges in case they fall!
There are approximately one million
items, 40 staff and 40,000 users a
year. 20% of users are staff (curators
etc) and 20% are post-graduate
students, the rest include the public,
academics, designers, auction houses
and film crews. All photocopiers have
been replaced by scanners and they
sell usb sticks at the desk.
The ‘treasures’ put out to view included
the very first pattern cutting book, a
design ‘dictionary’, hand drawn fashion
magazines and an exact replica of one
of Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks (the
replica is worth £25,000).
The NAL is a reference library but
anyone can join online and order
books in advance of a visit.
Alumni Fund Applications
If you have an idea please submit it to
Cathy H by 27 May for consideration
by the LMT. Applications submitted will
then be sent to Annual Fund Panel
members for consideration.
You can view the application form,
criteria and terms and conditions here
Successful candidates and their
referees will be notified by 30 June
2015.
Funds will be disbursed to
departments and must be spent by 31
July 2016.
If you have any concerns or questions
please contact Angela Elderton on
0207 078 (ext 5015) or email
a.elderton@gold.ac.uk or Sarah
Frankland on 0207 717 (ext 3209) or
s.frankland@gold.ac.uk
Applications will open again in the
autumn term.
New self-service payroll system
If you have not yet already done so
please book a place on ‘Managing
Your Own Personal Record’.
This course is for all staff, including
existing Agresso users, showing the
basics of the Agresso System and how
to update your HR records. It will also
cover how to book holidays and record
any unplanned absences.

7. You can book via Goldmine
If you cannot access Goldmine please
contact your line manager.
World Book Night
The 24/7 library service at Goldsmiths
came to life in a spectacular, inspiring
and intimate way through the night of
23rd April 2015, with a 9-hour
continuous overnight reading marathon
performed by literary luminaries, library
and literature lovers, members of the
university and local communities.
Goldsmiths Library was selected by
The Reading Agency to be
official World Book Night givers. Our
selected book for the event was
Essential Poems from the Staying
Alive Trilogy edited by Neil Astley,
which was collected by many grateful
recipients throughout the night. We
chose this particular book to highlight
the role both literature and libraries can
have in saving lives and improving
wellbeing. Mental ill-health is a
widespread issue affecting higher
education communities: a recent NUS
survey has revealed that at least 20%
of students consider themselves to
have a mental health problem. These
difficulties often become apparent in
the environment of the library,
particularly at night. This event
capitalised on both Goldsmiths
Library's nocturnal opening hours with
professional library staff around the
clock, as well as Goldsmiths' home-
grown literary connections to show
how libraries and literacy can be safe
havens in dark or challenging times.
We invited participants to read to a
library audience from between 3-15
minutes per slot, for nine hours
continuously throughout the night, from
texts of their choice that broadly
related to the theme of 'night'.
The night was introduced and
compered by Stephanie Moran and
Alice Corble, members of library staff
(both night and day) and co-organisers
of the event, which took place in the
popular lounge-style social space on
the ground floor, providing a relaxed
and intimate setting for the readings.
Windows onto the busy thoroughfare
of Lewisham Way provided an
ephemeral backdrop as the traffic of
pub-goers, night-workers, cars and
night buses flitted past and the sky
could be seen to change from dark, to
darkest and through to light again.
The rest of two-storey library ran to the
rhythms of deadline time - filled with
busy students as it always is in April -
as the mounting pressure of essays
and dissertations builds to fever pitch
and the boundaries between day and
night cease to make much sense. At
different points of the night as she took
breaks from her work in the 24/7
computing room, one could be seen
padding past the event wearing a
pyjama-like onesie, indicating that
inhabiting the library was a home-from-
home for her.
The Samaritans, an organisation which
the library is developing partnership
work with, offered the chance for
participants, students and staff to have
an informal chat over tea and coffee,
while raising awareness about their
work.
A little after 9pm, the event kicked off
with Goldsmiths' resident Professor of
Creative and Life Writing, Blake
Morrison, reading a selection of poetry
and prose from both his own and
others' work, entrancing the audience
with nocturnal themes.

8. The second half of the night was filled
to the brim with one fantastic reader
after another and not a minute was
spared there were so many words,
images, sensations and constellations
of thought, emotion, desire, logic and
nonsense pouring into the library.
The next meeting of the Glen Baxter
Special Collection Poetry Reading
Group will be Tuesday 2nd June, 6pm
in Special Collections & Archives.
We will be discussing:
[811.5 Be] Berrigan, Ted. Poems from
‘Many Happy Returns’ & 'Train Ride,
for Joe'
These can be accessed in The
Collected Poems of Ted Berrigan
pp.114-117, 242-245.
[811.5 Br] Brainard, Joe, texts from
‘Selected Writings : 1962-1971’ - 'Back
in Tulsa Again' and 'Some Train Notes'
These can be accessed in The
Collected Writings of Joe Brainard.
[811.5 Br] Brown, Bob. ‘1450-1950’
This can be accessed via UbuWeb
Hard copies can be made by visiting
Special Collections & Archives at
Goldsmiths. If you need any
assistance accessing the reading
email a.sinclair@gold.ac.uk
You can RSVP via Facebook but this
is not a requirement. You can learn
more about the collection and catch up
on previous reading here. Please
circulate this information freely.
The Library May 2015
Edited by Paula Barbato
p.barbato@gold.ac.uk