Between Monday 18th and Thursday 21st June I was given the opportunity to do work experience in the Library and Archives of LSHTM. It has been a wonderful and enriching experience which has allowed me to learn about the rich history and continued work in research and education that LSHTM provides.
During this time I learnt about the history of the library and the classification system used today, created by Cyril Barnard, the library’s first librarian. I helped to issue, return and reshelve books, and catalogued some of the many pamphlets available in the library, along with learning about the libraries discover system which provides online access to resources, and their Inter Library Loans service, which provides access to a range of material at various universities that would otherwise be unavailable.
I also spent some time cataloguing some of the many pamphlets available in the library. I was also able to visit the archives, which have many collections including the Ross, Nutrition and HIV/AIDS collections along with the Whitehall study and various other resources, many of which are available via the Archive online catalogue. I had the amazing opportunity to see the rare books and items held at LSHTM, and took part in cleaning and assessing the condition of some of these. It was a fantastic experience to be able to see these historic books, some of which dated back several hundred years and were filled with interesting and intriguing subjects.
My time at LSHTM has been amazing, largely due to the kind and welcoming attitude of all of the staff, and the experiences I have had here are invaluable.
