Bodleian Library, Special Collections, Medieval Manuscripts

enjoyable if you take your time. You are only given another project if you have finished one, so

don't worry about not being able to finish everything. The employer understands that interns

have little experience in archiving, and are willing to give time, resources, and guidance to help

you.

BODLEIAN LIBRARY, SPECIAL COLLECTIONS, MEDIEVAL

MANUSCRIPTS

Nia Catrin Moseley-Roberts, Jesus College, MSt in Medieval Studies, a mixture of

in-person and remote working

Work Projects

I completed my internship with the Medieval Manuscripts

department of the Bodleian Library, and was given a lot of

freedom over what I pursued. Before the internship, I had

several discussions with the Bodleian curator (and my college

advisor) Andrew Dunning; he suggested the sort of activities I

should pursue in order to make the most of the internship and

was really useful in his questions about what I wanted to get

out of it. We decided that to advance my academic career, I

needed to get some work published, and so my aim for the

internship was to work bringing several pieces up to an acceptable standard.

I had revisions to do on one article which involved looking at Alfredian manuscripts held in the

Bodleian, and so spent the first two weeks of the four-week internship completing those. I

bought the article up to an acceptable standard and it has now been accepted for publication. I

spent the next two weeks tying up another project, working on the early English text Ancrene

Wisse. This was to be the topic of my PhD thesis, and had won several awards, so I wanted to

get it out there, which I did.

Daily Life

I spent about a third of the internship in Oxford (it should have been more, but I was unable to

make it to the city in the third week due to the heatwave's disrupting public transport). Whilst I

was there, I spent most of my time in libraries, collecting the references and information I

needed to complete my work. I also went into the Weston Library in order take out and

examine some of Oxford's greatest treasures. I stayed with someone I knew through my church,

but the stipend allowed me to eat out in Oxford and to be in the city through the day. I was also

able to see friends who were still at Oxford, which was really nice, as my departure at the end

of the academic year had been quite rushed. Whilst at home, I wrote. I organised my time at

the start of the week, setting myself tasks and targets for each day to make sure I could

complete my work. My work routine was quite similar to the one I had as a student; I tend to

work in bursts, so I'd work into the night for a few days before taking time off, going for long

walks to relax. Being at home for work was good both because I could set myself up at a desk

which I then did to have to vacate, and I was close to the countryside.

Lasting Impressions

I feel really satisfied with what I achieved over

the course of my internship. Just before the

internship began, I had had to make a decision

about my future career; I held a funded PhD

place at Cambridge, but had also been offered

the opportunity to study law. I decided to take

the law place, and this turned the internship into something of a sawn-song for me. I treated it

as an opportunity to tie up loose ends and get the work I will now not have the opportunity to

pursue further out into the world. I was also grateful for its being a job, as this also gave me

permission to relax a bit and enjoy myself; take breaks and see friends before I left Oxford for

good.

I was really glad to have this time, and feel proud of what I achieved with it. In many ways, it

was a funny internship (not like the ones I have completed before, which were in offices and

very structured), and felt like an extension of my academic work. However, it was what I

needed I think, and I am really grateful to Andrew for all his help and support. Whilst I am not

yet sure how this has helped my future career, I really enjoyed the internship.

Charlotte Ross, St. Cross College, MPhil English Studies (Medieval), in-person

working

Work Projects

Over the course of my one-month internship in the Archives and Modern Manuscripts

department at the Bodleian Library, I worked on two separate projects in two teams. The first

was based with the University Archives team, and involved transcribing matriculation forms

from the early 1900's. My role involved creating a database preserving the information given by

students in these matriculation records (name, date of birth, address, place of birth, schools

attended, father's name, occupation, and place of residence). The team at the University

Archives were incredibly supportive, and involved me in various research projects throughout

my time with them. At the end of my month with them, I wrote a report summarising my work

and suggesting improvements to the database to streamline the process.

The second project was based with the Archives

team, and involved organising and cataloguing

small-scale collections to be added to the digital

Bodleian Archives & Manuscripts catalogue

using Archive Space. In my time here, I

catalogued the archives of Patricia Bronwen

Loder, a female scientific administrator who

worked on the Human Genome Project, and Sir Clement Pleass, a British diplomat who acted as

Governor of the Eastern Region of Nigeria whilst Nigeria became independent. This involved

organising a variety of materials - from paper to film and photograph - into an order which was

accessible to researchers and innkeeping with the contents of the

collection, uploading this order onto ArchiveSpace, and packing

the collection into conservation boxes. I was lucky to work in an

office with many wonderful and welcoming Archivists who

provided excellent support and helped me when I was unsure

how to handle a particular object.

Daily Life

My internship was helpfully divided into two projects which I

worked on in the mornings and afternoons. Every morning, I

climbed through the Old Bodleian and up a spiral staircase to the University Archives at the top

of the Tower of Five Orders. I joined a small close-knit team of three people, who welcomed me

into their office and quickly had me working on all sorts of interesting projects. After lunch, I

moved over to the Weston library, where I worked in an office with other Archivists, each

working on their own projects, which was an excellent environment. Someone was always

working on something interesting, and there were always people to ask whenever I needed

help. The social environment of the Bodleian was wonderful, and I was lucky enough to be

introduced to lots of people across various departments. The Friday coffee mornings were

especially useful to hear about the exciting work going on in the Weston and meet researchers

and academics outside of my department.

Lasting Impressions

I thoroughly enjoyed my experience as an intern at the Bodleian Library. The opportunity to

work hands on with collections, in such a historic setting and with such talented and

knowledgeable archivists, has confirmed to me that my career aspirations lie in Special

Collections and Archive Management. I did not expect to be allowed to work with such