Category: Why local studies is so important

Guest blogger Anne talks about her time in local studies….

I was very fortunate to work in several Local Studies Libraries fulfilling a range of roles as a Librarian. One of the roles that ran through all posts was that of “user engagement” and “user education” – dull words for essentially ensuring that customers, readers, researchers could use and access the resources they needed. Levels of interest and need varied from schoolchildren, parents, students, historians, artists and novelists, planners, architects, farmers …… I can remember one schoolteacher saying that she felt that as a result of class visits to the local studies library, her students’ A level results had improved.

In addition to their value to researchers and heritage, Local Studies collections (and projects) have the powerful potential to engage people from widely different backgrounds and generations. Interesting and creative projects have the power to motivate individuals to overcome barriers to learning digital technologies, to build new social networks (combatting isolation, depression and related health issues), to rekindle an in interest in life and learning through informal learning opportunities. Librarians and archivists working creatively and in partnership with a wide range of educational providers, facilitators and artists, and others, can ensure that opportunities exist to engage different levels of ability and ranges of interest (rather than engaging the same school or group of participants each time because its easier to do so).

There used to be a concern that libraries attracted more female readers than male. Local Studies and Heritage related projects attract both, and appeal to different age ranges. I met a student yesterday who is thrilled to know that the new library opening this summer will have a local studies section. This is heartening – except that the existing library already has a local studies section and a collection which dates back to the 1890s.

Unfortunately use of print based materials (including maps, ephemera, etc) in a local studies library rarely count when library usage is measured, as the items are not “issued” on computer. In addition, once materials are digitised readers are often denied access to print based originals, or facsimiles, which effectively alienates a large part of the population, existing and potential users, who have yet to be engaged with digital technology. Access to resources in various formats supports research, and can help the learning process and appeal to different learning styles. This is something that experienced librarians will be aware of – but whose voices may be lost in the need to cut floor space and costs, with an eye also on income generation.

As everybody knows, as the cuts have been hitting public libraries the number of qualified librarians employed by local authorities has dive-bombed. Though I once heard the refrain, they would never get rid of those local studies librarians, that is sadly not the case. Just as West Sussex’s Local Studies guys engaged over one hundred volunteers to record and widen understanding on how World War I affected their county, the local studies guys in East Sussex were given the heave ho.

So what does happen when local studies professionals are given the boot? Well, sometimes nothing much. I know of one authority who had a first class assistant who took over the reins – to be frank they are a first class professional, just they never got a CILIP accredited MA or applied for an ACLIP. Sadly, this is the only case I know.

Other times a volunteer helps out….. but how long do they stick around? Who is there to replace them?

Okay, the cut is made, what happens? Here is some of what I have heard through the grapevine:

• Regular users come in and ask to see the thing they have used for years and they are told the library does not have it. Even though, when they return a few weeks later, they see it locked away.
• New people come and, when they turn up, there is nobody who can help and faced with this wall of mysterious stuff and locked cabinets they quickly give up and go away. Good libraries and good librarians gain a good reputation and more readers, but a bad library loses many more and they do so very quickly.*
• Volunteers slowly drop away as they get less motivated and projects finish. I have seen volunteers who start working at a library who have very little confidence and within a year or two they are flourishing members of the society.
• There are not so many events. A few class visits will not happen (they will probably be doing a visit to Tesco or Waterstones instead), the Ancestry usage figures will go down as there is no one to do intro sessions, etc. Again, I have seen people who attend such start off with very little confidence and within a year or two they are flourishing members of the society.
• Things do not make their way into the collection. Those little local publications that are priceless are real pains in the neck to buy as big organisations like invoices and do not like petty cash….. can you see these being purchased! Those who receive a good service will not donate a copy of their work and more amazing collections will be placed into the bin rather than being donated to a local studies collection.

Ah, I hear you cry, can we afford it? Yes! I have just had a letter from my Councillor saying that my Council Tax is being frozen again, when I walk into my local library I get free reservations and free audio books and…… okay, I am still one of the very lucky ones, I still have a local studies librarian in my Borough.

Do you have any tales of what happens when your local studies librarian is given the heave ho? Leave a comment below.

* There are a few things you need to master to be able to make use of a local studies collection. What can you tell from a Kelly’s Directory, how do they fit together with OS maps, how on earth do you find out the number of the OS map to the south of the one I have in front of me, how does the microfilm reader work etc. Okay, an experienced user will know this – but, that is only a small percentage of the user groups. Even then, when the experienced reader is using a collection there are often gems hidden in a plain binding or a pamphlet box that they would not know about unless they have someone who has worked with that collection. These librarians love their collections and this love rubs off onto their readers.