CILIP | The Royal College of Surgeons of England: library open day for institutional members, held 30th June 2005

The Royal College of Surgeons of England: library open day for institutional members

This was an interesting day that provided the opportunity to visit ‘something out of the ordinary’ and reflect on the diverse range of library and information work being done across the country. When working in an NHS hospital it is all too easy to focus on one’s own organisational problems and lose sight of the ‘bigger picture’ information environment.

The group met within the elegant splendour of the College’s reading room, named after a generous benefactor, Erasmus Wilson. We were a mixed bag of library and information staff from different types of organisation. Some had travelled from as far a field as Cambridgeshire and Kent, others from just around the corner, all of us interested in seeing the inner workings of this ‘august’ establishment.

After being welcomed by the Head of Library and Information Services, Thalia Knight, the morning began with a lively presentation by Tom Bishop, the Information Services Manager. Tom outlined the role of the RCS Library, taking us through the what, where, who, how and why of the service. It came as a surprise to learn that the RCS is a registered charity, independent of the NHS, and that despite the ‘Royal’ in the name (which somehow implies wealthy patronage) it is not without its funding problems. It was strangely comforting to note that the Library and Information Service has similar challenges to those of NHS libraries!

Before lunch we were taken on a tour of the ‘working’ library - a much more familiar if less ‘stately’ environment. The library currently subscribes to some 300 journals, many of which are highly specialised, concentrating, not surprisingly, on different aspects of surgery. There is also a large journal archive, containing many titles in areas of anatomy, general medicine and surgery of the 18th and 19th centuries. The book stock is extensive and there are all manner of manuscripts, diaries, letters, tracts and pamphlets dealing with surgical history and the history of the College.

After the library tour we were privileged to be allowed to don white gloves to handle some of these rare documents. We were amazed and fascinated by the logged entry of the surgeon who was present when Nelson lost his eye, the superb drawings by Stubbs that made up his ‘Anatomy of the Horse’ masterpieces, the chilling diary entries of a Victorian resurrectionist (more commonly known as a body-snatcher) and of special interest to me, the first 17th century printed copy of William Harvey’s ‘Circulation of the Blood’. As I am the Librarian at the William Harvey Hospital, I was particularly interested in this small but immensely important book. Unfortunately my Latin is far too rudimentary for me to be able to read any of it!

After a sandwich lunch we were treated to a guided visit of the beautifully refurbished Hunterian Museum, in the adjoining building. This Museum is inspired by the life and work of the surgeon John Hunter (1728-1793), a life-long collector of all things medical, surgical and anatomical. Hunter amassed an enormous collection of specimens, artefacts and objects, which he kept in his purpose-built museum at his home in Leicester Square. Upon his death this private collection was regarded as being of such importance that it was purchased by the then government and presented to the Royal College of Surgeons.
Many of the displays may not be for the squeamish but demonstrate, in my opinion, a memorable and beautiful fusion of art and science. The Museum is open to the general public and admission is free (see http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums for details).

Returning to the 21st century with a bump, we regrouped in the library for a brief but interesting presentation by Rachel Haley on the library’s document delivery system. A question and answer session followed by some sustaining tea and cakes concluded the visit.

My impression is of a surprisingly small but dedicated staff who work hard to satisfy the information needs of Members and Fellows of the College, affiliates and institutional members, researchers and other medical professionals. They may be surrounded by imposing architecture and have a historical collection that many of us can only wonder at, but ultimately they are library and information professionals working in the modern world and using all the resources that modern technology has to offer. To quote Tom Bishop they “select, organise, preserve manage and disseminate information and knowledge regardless of the format or age of the resource,” an objective we can surely all identify with.

Liz Strachan, Librarian, William Harvey Hospital, Ashford, Kent

Updated: 03 October 2005

Health Libraries

The Royal College of Surgeons of England: library open day for institutional members