Diversifying the Library shelves – an update

Last term the Library launched its ‘Diversifying the Library Shelves’ project, where we asked College members for recommendations of books by scholars and authors of colour who are often missing from reading lists but who they thought should be included. We have had some powerful and thought -provoking recommendations so far, some of which have now arrived in the Library! A small selection of our new books suggested by students can be found below, along with the reasons behind their inclusion in this project.

Remnants of a Separation:

A History

of the

Partition

Through Material Memory by Aanchal Mahotra: “As the title of the book itself suggests, the book is about the stories of partition of India and Pakistan… The book contains 19 stories from across the border with the pictures of the heirlooms, where their value is not determined by their price or antiquity but by the power of an object or possession to unfold the memory of the past ”

Decolonial Ecology by Malcolm Ferdinand: “Fresh new scholarship translated into English only last year, reflecting on the very aims of the Library's diversification project ”

Black Lives in the English Archives: Imprints of the Invisible by Imtiaz Habib: “This groundbreaking piece of archival scholarship pushes back decisively against the misconception that there were no black people in England (and Britain) in the early modern period. Habib's work, which draws on a wide array of historical sources to decisively prove the significant black presence in London and elsewhere, laid the foundation for more recent works like Miranda Kaufmann's Black Tudors ”

We are still taking recommendations for this project, so please keep them com ing in! The form can be found by scanning the QR codes on the posters in the Library, or the link can be sent to you by emailing kh695@cam.ac.uk

Katie Hannawin, Library Assistant

Lifelong gratitude: reflections of a former student

Accepted at St John’s in 1955, to read Moral Sciences, I was meanwhile taking A Levels in Chemistry, Biology and English, a mixture the school timetable could not manage, so that I had no tuition for the English and simply read the texts. But I scraped a pass in all three subjects, and as there were no grade requirements, my place was safe. However, there were the two years of National Service to undertake, with the result that I arrived in Cambridge having lost what study skills and powers of concentration I might once have had, and with little notion of how to set about the English Tripos, to which I had changed on day one.

In those days there was no induction course for freshers in how to process texts, plan and fulfil assignments, or, very important, use a library. And I could not ask for help, because there was a sense you should already know how to manage your undergraduate life, and confessing you were floundering would be declaring yourself unfit to be there.

One result of this situation was that for the first year I was too scared to tackle the University Library, daunted by its scale and complexity. However, the College Library was smaller, more manageable, even cosy, and I spent many hours there, and though the choice of texts was more limited than in the UL I was confident about finding them. The result was a lifelong sense of gratitude to the College Library, because it helped me to get into the habit of studying and supported me through a difficult time in my life.

Although my degree was modest, I left with academic aspirations, and the hope of teaching others the scholarly skills I had had to acquire unaided. The former carried me through teaching in schools, colleges and universities, an MPhil at forty and a PhD at

Meet the Library Assistant

I joined St John’s College Library in Easter term 2023, having previously worked as part of the Collections and User Services team at Cambridge University Library. Prior to my career in academic libraries, I spent eight years working as a secondary school English teacher in London and Hong Kong. I am a fifty-two, and I was able to provide courses in ‘study skills’ along the way. graduate of the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge. My Master’s thesis focused on using action research methods to examine how different approaches to pedagogy can help improve students’ understanding of A-Level English Literature. I am something of a reluctant sportsman. Having recently joined the Cambridge University Libraries cricket team, I am anticipating the forthcoming match against the Bodleian Library, Oxford, with a mixture of some excitement and trepidation. I am a keen traveller, having visited seventy-seven countries. I am also an avid theatregoer, having seen over a thousand plays (I nerdily keep a list!). I am professionally rewarded by going the extra mile to track down books for students and appreciate how lucky I am to work within such a strong, student-centred learning community as St John’s.

The College Library has expanded and developed enormously, but it is clear that it is user-friendly. So, I want to express my gratitude for the grounding it gave me, and to recommend any student struggling to cope with academic life to confide the difficulties to a member of the Library staff, and make use of the succour which follows.

Find these books on the new acquisitions display