LICHFIELD CATHEDRAL

certain that I will have this career in the future, it for sure is something I would heavily

consider.

What practical advice would you give to future interns?

The application process was quite straightforward, and you genuinely do not need to take

extensive preparation for the interview (or in fact it was more like a discussion, if not a

casual chat). Personally, I would say that there is not a lot you can do before the internship,

but once it is started you need to grab all the opportunities to talk to different people and

use the resources that are available to you, be it the online training materials or the data

available to you. While I have really already done a lot, it is still a bit regrettable that I could

not make use of every database that was accessible to me.

In the future, if this type of hybrid mode of working is preserved, for in-person working, try

to save time in commuting to the office by finding accommodation in London; for remote

working, remember to find a cut-off time every day after which you should completely

forget your work and enjoy your life. Last but not least, have a LinkedIn account before you

start your internship, so that whenever you have a call with someone (especially from other

teams), you can connect them straight after.

Matilda Houston-Brown, Lincoln College, BA English Language and Literature, Second Year Undergraduate, In-person internship

Work Projects

I worked on the original 1671 MS catalogue of the

Somerset Bequest, which was given to Lichfield

Cathedral library at the death of the Duchess of

Somerset. My job was to source which texts the

library still had, note it on the wider library

catalogue, check the condition and transcribe

marginalia. I completed all the printed books by the end of my 6 weeks and found we had

408 printed books left from the catalogue.

Daily Life

In the day to day, I worked with the library manager on days she worked, and when she

didn’t the Vergers would give me the library key for the day. I would unlock the library and go up the spiral staircase. The library is a beautiful medieval room above the chapter house

with vaulted ceilings so made an amazing working environment, I miss it already!

The cathedral gave me a laptop during the duration of my internship which I used

extensively. The WiFi was amazing! Both Gregory the Canon Chancellor and Clare the Library

Manager were wonderful people to work with and were always on hand if I had any

concerns. My work was extremely absorbing and the trust given to me was wonderful. I

handled early printed books, amazing early manuscripts, and got to say my piece in

committee meetings. I also gained the opportunity to take over Instagram for a day to help

promote the library further.

Lasting Impressions

My 6 weeks at Lichfield were amazing. The experience I

gained was incredibly insightful and exciting. Moving from a

period of time where the majority of my experience with

manuscripts and early printed texts was virtual, my time at

Lichfield completely transformed my CV and allowed me to

apply my knowledge. It will vastly improve my master’s applications and any future research career.

Gregory and Clare were an amazing support and I really felt

welcomed by everyone. I was even invited to the staff social

and given extra (virtual) work on the manuscripts. I have also been invited back to talk to

the patrons about my work, and I’m also going to speak on the Cathedral Treasure of the Week podcast which is really thrilling and exciting.