As one of the volunteers for our local library I had the priviledge of being given a guided tours of the Performing Arts Library, which is housed in the Denbies Wine Estate building and the Surrey History Centre.
Even though I've been a member of the library for many years I hadn't known the existance of the Performing Arts Library, it's amazing what you can borrow on your library card. Here there obvious things like scripts of plays and scores of music, cd's,dvd's and books regarding everything to do with drama, music, dance and cinema. These include how to's, such as learning to play an instument or indeed make one or you can obtain a pattern for a costume. There also books on acting techniques and make up.
The library is very efficiently run by a small dedicated team it's incredible what they can achieve as with their network through the country they can obtain answers to almost every request put to them. They also, for a small fee run a lending facility to groups, for singers and choirs there are 6000 music sets, amazing.
At the Surrey History Centre we were first taken through the ideas sewn into the tapestry and glass panels on display in the vestible, all sorts of things were incorporated from discoveries, Magna Carta, Maps right up to date technology. There was also a story board on the life of the real man beind the character depicted in The Journeys, a World War 11 play as well as the reception desk and promotion leaflets. The first department we visited was the Archeological Dept., where we were taken through the process of what happens from being on digs to bringing artifacts back the centre cleaned, catalogued and preserved. We were particulary interested in a dig not far from me, this was in the fields that belonged to St Anne's School where my children attended. When a search is done on a planning request and there is a possibility of an historical site they send an archelogist along. One of the fields was sold to a company to have a housing site built on it. The first thought was there wasn't anything there but when the digging started things came to light that really changed their minds. The site goes way back in prehistory, Bronze and Iron age and even flints dated back to the Mesolithic and Neolithic age, a book is being published on their findings. They are currently working on the Woking Place site. In their store room where some old books which had been left to dry and be search for insects, if insects were found they had to be put into a heated cabinette then a cold one and perhaps back into heat, incase eggs had been missed. We were then taken up to a repair room, though the lady there also had the responsibility of some maintainance of apparatus. She showed us a book she was repairing and her progression. Two things surprised me, the first was she wasn't wearing gloves. She explained that it had been found that gloves did more harm than good, they also inhibited touch and feel. The second was that to get rid of dirt and mould written pages were soaked in water, the book she was repairing was a millitary pay book from Loseley House, the ink is made of iron and gall so doesn't run. Sadly there had been a flood at the house and lots of documents have been destroyed or need a lot of repair work, Surrey History Centre had offered to store them prior to the flood but the house had felt inclined to hold onto them. She was also repairing a map which was fastened onto the front of a light box, this was able to show flaws easier than leaving it on a work surface. From here we were taken to one of the two main store rooms which are kept at a constant temperature with air crculation, also there were pipes with special gas in case of fire up towards the ceiling, this did have a small amount of oxygen in it, just enough to keep one person alive should they be trapped (noone had tested it). The tall stacks were on rollers, moved by a winding handle, at night it was important for them to be put back to their original placement. Certain maps and books were kept in acid free paper, the largest near to where they could be taken out for any member of the public who wished to look at them. Lastly we were shown the area where the general public came to view requested items. Everything is catalogued on their website which you can view with your library card, most things can be photocopied. Some items can be taken out on loan.
At both these places we were given a warm reception, no question was too much trouble to be answered. Both were a delightful experience and a big learning curve.
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