Library Annual Report 2020-2021 by St John's College, Cambridge

6W -RKQ¶V &ROOHJH /LEUDU\ Annual Report 2020-21 Contents

Page

7KH /LEUDULDQ¶V $QQXDO 5HSRUW

Staff Reports

Staff Training

The Working Library

Library Usage

Annual Circulation

Audio-Visual Room and Seminar Room

The Old Library

The Biographical Office

The College Archive

Digital Activities

Environmental Monitoring and Control

Sustainability

Feedback

Appendix 1 ± Regular Donors

Annual Report 2020-2021

7KH /LEUDULDQ¶V $QQXDO 5HSRUW Our Departmental Aim is to provide a modern, efficient and welcoming Library service for all members of the College, and for all others with valid reasons to make use of the &ROOHJH¶V OLEUDU\ DQG archival collections and facilities, so enabling the College to fulfil its statutory and strategic aims. Another Exceptional Year It falls to the Sub-/LEUDULDQ WR ZULWH WKH /LEUDULDQ¶V UHSRUW WKLV \HDU DV 0DUN 1LFKROOV has spent the year standing in as Senior Tutor, so I have been managing the department in his absence. This time last year he was looking forward to the new academic year in the profound hope that we were sailing towards a coast of normality. Unfortunately seas continued to be distinctly choppy and the route to recovery has been less clear or swift WKDQ DQ\ RI XV ZRXOG KDYH ZLVKHG )RU MXQLRU PHPEHUV RI WKH &ROOHJH µWKH /LEUDU\¶ means the Working Library. The key focus of the department has been to maintain core services to the student community. During the majority of the year, the building remained open for readers to study. Very high infection rates in January taking the country back into lockdown meant that the decision had to be taken to suspend inperson services for the first part of the Lent Term. However, even when study space could not be provided, members of the Working Library staff who could travel safely continued to work full-time on site, providing essential non-contact services for students in residence. Borrowing of books, scanning of articles, printing services, and regular virtual study sessions all continued, ensuring that students could access the materials needed for their courses along with professional support from the Library team. The less visible work was also maintained, both on site and from homes: reading lists were checked, books and audio-visual materials were ordered, accessioned, catalogued and classified, processed and labelled ready for use; supplies were ordered; invoices processed; donations were received, donors thanked, and their gifts processed. Maintenance work on the building continued. Work did not stop even during the few weeks when the doors had to be shut. Indeed I am delighted to report that the Working Library was awarded Technology Excellence in Libraries Accreditation again this year, due in ODUJH SDUW WR -DQHW¶V SHUVLVWHQFH DQG hard work. Despite the practical difficulties, all areas of the department have continued to function. The Archives, Biographical Office, and Special Collections have continued to offer full enquiry services, providing information for researchers across the world 2

Annual Report 2020-2021 annd supporting the regular functioning of the College. Cat ataloguing an and daatta entryy haave proceeded ap apace. Records for Johnians haav ve been updated, honours haav ve been noted, annd biographical inforrm mation compiled for all those who sadly died in the precediing year ar for their obituaries in the Eagle. Projects have progressed, largely from sttafff homes, with brief but highly efffiicient site visits to copy or check documents annd caarrry d to out essential tasks. Over the summer both Archives and Special Collections opened readers again, with ap appropriaatte safety measures in place. From 1 September, all Colleege stafff returned to working on site full-time. In addition to the Working Libraarry accreditat ation, the Archives Accreditation awar awarded in 2017 was retained at the interrim three-year ar review stage. It is a credit to the adaap ptability and dedication of the sttafff involved that so much has been achieved. The New Normal As the pages of this an annual report will show, whilst worrkking under Covid restrictions, this year ar has seen a range of new initiatives. Staffff haav ve adapted an and innovat ated. A new project has grown out of the virtual study sessions to provide an an informal online supp port group fo for undergraduaattes writing dissertations. Collections in the entraan nce hall haave been rear arran anged to remove outdated hardcopy reference sources and relocaatte the t ble heavily used General Interest Collection to a more prominent an and easily browsab locattion. These books play ay a significant role in student welfaarre. Information on new accessions has moved online and nd is now av availab able in a more visually appealing and easilyy shared forrm mat at. Manuscriptt C.9, dating from the tenth century, has been digitissed annd is now av available b botth h on th he Cam ambridge Digital Librar ary an and the Irish Texts on Screen website, providing accesss to scholars worldwide to this highly significan ant eaarly Irish survival. A project to digitise importaan nt collections relating to the slave tradee is making steadyy progress. Staffffing We were sad to say goodbye at at the end of October to San andra $OHNVLHM HMǌWơ, one of our o Library housekeeping team, whoose work in maintaining a safe fe environment has beeen so essential this year. We were forrttunate in being able to recruit an experiencced replacement in Erika Csider, wh ho joined the teaam m in ear arly December. We record our o hearrtffeelt thanks to Catherine Sh han nahhan for worrkking additional hours to maintain the t level of cleaning required during g the peak of a busyy Michaelmas Term.

Rebeccaa Watts

In April Rebecca R Wat atts, who ar arrived at at the Library in 2011 as Sam amuel B atterly worked as part-tim Butler Associate annd has lat me Projects Assistant, lefftt us for a new post at the Fitzwilliaam P j t A Museum. Her unique mix of organ anizational ab abilities aannd creat ativity will be sorely missed. Her post, now renamed paarttime Librrary Assistan ant, has been filled by Katie Haan nnaw win, moving seeam amlessly from the Graduaatte Trainee position at the t start of A August. Kaattie will be studying paarrt-time for her h postgraduaate libraarry qualificat ation at at UCL whilst worrkking as /LEUDU DU\ $ $VVLVWDQ DQW DQG ZH¶UH GHOLJKWHG WR EH DEOH WR UHWDLQQ a valued an annd experienced member of stafff.. We welcomed Jeess Holdernes ld ss,a aCambridge Cam ambridge English English graduate, graduaatte, in in August August as as the tthe Hollerton, 2021-22 tr rainee. 2021-22 trainee. 3

Annual Report 2020-2021 Whilst our Secretary position has been vacan ant, admin nistraattive support has been provided throughout the year by Kirsten CDQDYDQ WKHH $VVLVWDQ DQW WR WKH )HOORZ¶V Steward, whose experience and knowledge of the College hhav ave been invaluable. As her normal duties resume we ar are pleased to welcome Amy Leung, who joins us from the IT depar artment. It will be good to haav ve a permaan nent secrettary based in the department again. Her first duty will be the compilation of this an annual report. Besides the regular staffff establishment, we have most unusu ually also draw awn upon casual stafff this year. Covid safe fety measures meaan nt that all study y space had to be booked in advance, with records of the occupancy of each desk main ntained for test and trace. In order to deliver study space outside of regular stafffeed hoours a teaam m of postgraduat ate invigilat ators was recruited to oversee study space during weeekday evenings and for three sessions a day at at weekends in the Michaelmas an and Easterr Terms. We ar are grat ateffuul for theirr support in keeping the Libraarry open forr study. Events and Exhibitions 7KH /LEUDU DU\¶V UHJXODU H[KLELWLRQ SURJUDP DPPH KDV FRQWLQXHHG ZLWK H[KLELWLons moving online. Rebecca Wat atts, Adam Crothers, and Kaattie Hannnaaw w provided us with expertly win curaatted exhibitions throughout the year ar, drawing on th he resources of the Special Collecttions to showcase the life of 0DWWKHZ Z 3ULRU µ%DU DUER\ SRHW VFKRODU U VS\¶ Yisions of the End Times, and the Huguenots. Not tto be outdone, Ly yn nsey produceed two delightffu ul virtual exhibitiions from the Archives featurin ng Tudor Christmas celebraations in College and women and llandholding in medieval Cambriidge. For the Cam ambridge Festival, the Old ary collab aborat ated with the µ(QG 7LPHV¶ Whe entrance to the Underrworld, MS H.5 f.6r Librar Wisbecch and Fenland Museum to creat ate a thought-provoking onliine exhibition and associaated paan nel discussion based XSRQ WKH WZR LQVWLWXWLRQV¶ FRPSSOHPHQWDU\ FROOHFWLRQV RQQ 7KRPDV &ODUNVRQ DQG WKH slave trade. Security and saffeety Before 2020 I had never, to my certain knowledge, used the phrase aerosol traansmission. This year it has become a mantra. Calculationns of the volume of air-space annd the raatte of airffllow in study areas an and reading rooms to t deterrm mine safe occupaan ncy nts witth h increased levels has become critical to risk assessments. As new Covid varriaan traansmissability emerged an and becam ame dominaan nt, simple two metre rules no longer suffficed, and ventilation became essential to safe fe operaattions. i Risk assessments haav ve been kept under continual review and updaatted as the heealth situaattion chan anged, and libraarry services were adapted accordingly. While the Liibrary provided the great atest 4

Annual Report 2020-2021 capacity for study space in College, provision of other spacces meaan nt that demand could always be met, even in the busiest examination period. At time of writing Covid safety measures hav ave been put in place to admit special collection ns and n archives readers once more. ot conducted. The balance of Due to exceptional circumstan ances regular fire drills were no risk was that libraarry users should not be gaatthered tog gether on stairwells an and at evacuat ation points for the saak ke of an exercise. Drills will resume as soon as it is deemed safe. Working Together Libraries across Cam ambridge have continued to collab aborate on the planning and delivery of services, with regular inforrm mal meetings, an and formal brieefings. The task of providing study space for students fell most heav avily upon the Colleeges during the exam aminaattion period, as many Faculty and Departmental libraaries were operaatting reduced in-person services during the Easter Term. As the University allocated an an additional two million pounds over 2019-20 an and 2020-21 to secure immediate online access to key textbooks an and material on reading lists, Colleges were required to contribute to emergency funding for eresources. A furrtther exceptional levy will be made in 2021-22 in additional WR &ROOHJH¶V UHJXODU FRQWULEXWLRQ WR ebooks. We haav ve a lot of thank yous this year ar. Out-off--KRXUV RSHQLQJ ZRXOGQ¶W KDYH been possible without the help of the Housekeeping team am ensuring that the Library was cleaan ned before each study session evenings an and weekends. The Porters an and Student Services have provided essential inforrm mation promptly and efffiiciently. We have had aS Senior Tutor i T t who h was uniquely i l wellll informed regar arding the Library! Maintenaan nce hav ave responded to calls for help, an and haav ve managed to continue with refurrb bishment projects with their usual efffiiciency. IT have fixed problems no matter where they were locat ated, on site or miles aw way in E-books saw huge expansion to which Colleges had D VWDII II PHPE PEHU¶V KRPH :H¶YH KDG to make a contr t ibutio t n. support from HR an and Finan ance ensuring that business continued as usual, an and in exceptional matters such as the recruitmentt of 5

Annual Report 2020-2021 invigilators. The Communications team have ensured that essential information on our services has gone out in a timely manner. Members of the Library and Records Committee have turned up and discussed matters on Zoom, and as ever we are particularly grateful to the student representatives for their feedback. We have to thank all our library users for their understanding and patience, for their cooperation with the many changes in regulations and services required by the health situation, and particularly those who went out of their way to thank us. For staff who were working so very hard under such difficult circumstances, that appreciation meant a huge amount. The way ahead Looking forward to the next year, there is hope that the full vaccination of the adult SRSXODWLRQ ZLOO DOORZ D PDQDJHG UHWXUQ WR D JUHDWHU UDQJH RI µQRUPDO¶ DFWLYLWLHV, though we are not back to normal yet; some safety measures continue to be needed in a world where Covid is still a factor. What the past year has shown is the huge capacity of the Library staff to adapt and innovate and find creative solutions to problems. Our users remain at the heart of everything we do. While some aspects of services may have been necessarily limited or altered, improvements to services have still been made. I pay tribute to my colleagues for the spirit in which they have tackled the challenges they faced. Kathryn McKee Acting Head of Department

Annual Report 2020-2021

Staff Reports Janet Chow ± Academic Services Librarian This last year of the pandemic has presented many challenges to keeping the Library functioning under strictly controlled conditions. Periodically, the Working Library has been completely closed due to high infection rates in the general community, then partially open with click and collect services available, and finally, partially open with one, two and three study sessions each day. Throughout the year, my priority has been for the Library to provide a safe environment for both students and staff, one which adhered to the Library risk management strategy. Managing the online desk space booking system, checking self-isolation list to make sure those who are in self-isolation have not booked a space, liaising with the Covid helpdesk, printing and scanning for absent readers, answering enquirers on how to access electronic resources ± all of these have become daily regular activities woven into my daily routine. 2QH RI WKH PDQ\ WDVNV RQ P\ µWR GR¶ OLVW ZDV WR UHQHZ WKH DSSOLFDWLRQ IRU WKH /LEUDU\¶V accreditation, which was first awarded in June 2020. I am delighted that the Working Library has been awarded accreditation for another year. The accreditation scheme offers an opportunity for library staff to demonstrate their expertise in implementing beneficial technologies to improve library services. It provides an incentive to seek continuous improvement, and acknowledges that readers in College are receiving the best provision of Library services. ,Q -XO\ , UHFRUGHG D SUHVHQWDWLRQ RQ µ+RZ WR GR UHVHDUFK RQOLQH¶ IRU WKH $GPLVVLRQV Office in preparation for their launching of a Poster Competition for Year 12 students. Year 12 students are expected to choose a topic and then conduct a research project, at the end of which they create an academic poster relevant to the topic. It was quite a challenge to cover a lot of research skills, presentational and formatting detail in a way that spoke to Year 12 students, so I had to think carefully not just about what would be suitable content but how appropriate it was for their stage of academic life. Other projects undertaken in the past 12 months include completion of the Library Office refurbishment, the aim of which was to create more space and to make the floor area less crowded. With skilful help from the Maintenance and Housekeeping Departments, work commenced in summer 2020. A couple of old cupboards erected near the entrance to the office have been removed. New desk top and shelves have been fitted in the small photocopying room, which can now be used as a temporary work space. New carpet has been fitted throughout, and the once overcrowded office space has been transformed to a spacious area which colleagues and visitors can enjoy.

Annual Report 2020-2021 Fiona Colbert ± Biographical Librarian In April I celebrated twenty years working for the College and being responsible for the biographical records of our alumni. Various things have changed in College over that time, most significantly for me a move from the Johnian Office (now the Development Office) to the Library (I still sometimes feel new to the Library but that was fourteen years ago!). But my role is essentially the same: recording information on the lives of members of the College, recording their death, and answering enquiries about them, whether they came up in the sixteenth century or more recently. If I had been told back in 2001 that long service would be rewarded by a seventeen-month period working from home, I am not sure what my reaction would have been, but I have enjoyed the experience. I was quite anxious returning to the College, in fact, after being away so long; because I was able to carry on doing most of my work as normal, I became very comfortable with the arrangement. My husband Robert and I celebrated our Silver Wedding Anniversary in November, and as my work has been such a big part of our lives over the years it only seems right to mention this and thank him for putting up with me caring rather too much about other SHRSOH¶V OLYHV DQG PDNLQJ VXUH WKH\ DUH DFFXUDWHO\ UHFRUGHG IRU SRVWHULW\ +H KDV MXVW entered the third year of a degree in Criminology, so I expect his workload to be impacting what we do over the next year. For those who enjoyed the photograph of one RI RXU FDWV 7DQJR VKDULQJ P\ GHVN DW WKH HQG RI WKH %LRJUDSKLFDO VHFWLRQ RI ODVW \HDU¶V Annual Report, sadly he passed away in November, aged twenty. Our remaining cat, Niamh, was born the year I became a member of staff in the Library (she is apparently missing me now I am back in College full time). Adam Crothers ± Special Collections Assistant Late September. Indistinctly, I remember that at my recent Staff Development Review it was necessary for .DWKU\Q WR UHPLQG PH RI WKH DFKLHYHPHQWV WKDW ,¶P assured, I effected over the past year. To the right of me, the odd and oft-discussed compression-expansion dynamics of time in the Kingdom of Pandemia; to the left, my psychological survival technique of repressing most memories in case I did something embarrassing in them (reader, I did). Tough, here in the middle, to recall much of 2020-21 beyond a vibe, an air of the improvisatory and the contingent. But. There was much help provided to researchers, both in person and remotely. People seemed to appreciate it. And some of my very fine scanning made the news, kind of, via coverage of the forthcoming Douglas Adams archive book 42. (Some journalists reckon the material I added to the public catalogue nearly four years ago ± some of it subsequently exhibited! ± was a secret only now 8

Annual Report 2020-2021 being uncovered. Sigh.) There was exhibition-writing, and panel-chairing; the cataloguing of personal papers underwent a pandemic-related lull, but, with the return to full-time on-site work, that lull is currently undergoing a lull. (OVHZKHUH LQ OLIH WKH QRYHO¶V SDVVHG WKH -word mark, which is not nothing, but WKHUH¶V D ORQJ ZD\ VWLOO WR JR *RRG QRYHOV DUH IDU KDUGHU WR ZULWH WKDQ JRRG SRHPV (Bad novels are pretty tricky too, yes. Cheers.) I rather hope to finish it before June: ,¶P DOOHJHGO\ JHWWLQJ PDUULHG WKHQ $W WKDW SRLQW OLIH ZLOO EHFRPH GHYRWHG WR DFFRUGLQJ to my research) watching pie, eating footballs, spending too much time at the pub with bookkeepers and nH¶HU-do-wells, and being struck about the bonce with a rolling pin such that my flat cap leaps into, briefly, the air. Erika Csider ± Library Cleaner (part time) , KDYH EHHQ DW 6W -RKQ¶V IRU QLQH PRQWKV EXW WKH WLPH has gone so quickly. I started during the pandemic, which means the cleaning routine is different to before. After nine months, cleaning the Library is starting to become a routine, thanks to Catherine, my colleague who taught me. During the summer break, we did a number of deep cleanings, including radiators, chairs, under the tables, a high level of dusting, and of course we continued to dust the bookshelves. After summer carpet cleaning, window cleaning and construction work, we are very happy to have hot water in the cleaning cupboard again, which will make our job easier. I look forward to next year and I hope we will be back to normal life. Lynsey Darby ± College Archivist I heard recently that 1 October for gardeners is the New Year. I GRQ¶W NQRZ WKDW ,¶G EH EROG HQRXJK WR GHVFULEH Pyself as a µJDUGHQHU¶ \HW EXW ,¶P OHDUQLQJ DV , JR DORQJ DQG ILOFKLQJ LGHDV from the College grounds, though on a much smaller scale). At the weekend, on what used to be my daily walk, I saw a huge flock of lapwings descend on farmland near me, as they did around this time last year, which also felt like a new beginning. 2EYLRXVO\ LW¶V DOVR WKH VWDUW RI D QHZ DFDGHPLF \HDU DOWKRXJK VWUDQJHO\ WKDW GRHVQ¶W LPSDFW PXFK RQ archive visitor numbers, DV LW¶V WKH SUHFLVH WLPH DW ZKLFK DFDGHPLFV DQG VWXGHQWV DUH mostly too busy to do research! The archives centre has been open to researchers since the summer, and it is nice to see people again and discuss their research with them in person. With several staff moving offices just before term begins I have also benefitted from aquiring some new archive material as a result of clear-outs. )RU WKH PRVW SDUW LW ZDV µEXVLQHVV DV XVXDO¶ LQ WKLV ODVW \HDU HQTXLULHV ZHUH VXEPLWWHG DQG DQVZHUHG DW D VWHDG\ SDFH VRPH UHTXLULQJ TXLWH GHWDLOHG UHVHDUFK LI VRPHRQH ZDVQ¶W able to visit in person; cataloguing progressed well; online exhibitions were created (albeit using photographs taken by the Archivist rather than her more talented 9

Annual Report 2020-2021 colleagues); new accessions were received and processed, and the ongoing programme of conservation treatment by the Cambridge Conservation Consortium continues. An additional task was submitting the three-year interim review to the Archives and Records Association so that the College Archives could retain its accredited status, which I am pleased to say was successful. It is due for a full review in another two and D KDOI \HDUV¶ WLPH ZLWK JRDOV WR ZRUN WRZDUGV LQ WKH PHDQWLPH , KDYHQ¶W TXLWH JRW LQWR WKH UK\WKP RI ZRUNLQJ RQVLWH ILYH GD\V D ZHHN UDWKHU WKDQ WKH two or three days a week of recHQW PRQWKV KDYLQJ EHFRPH VR XVHG WR VDYLQJ µFRPSXWHU¶ ZRUN IRU KRPH DQG GRLQJ µSUDFWLFDO¶ ZRUN RQVLWH WKDW , KDYH WR UHPLQG P\VHOI WR continue the (so far, excellent) online Data Protection and Archives course I started, as LW VWLOO GRHVQ¶W IHHO ULJKW WR be doing it onsite. The course is provided by the National Archives, which also collaborated with the Digital Preservation Coalition to create the RQOLQH FRXUVH µ)URP .QRZOHGJH WR .QRZKRZ¶ ZKLFK , GLG DW DURXQG WKLV WLPH ODVW \HDU and also found excellent. ,W¶V DOPRVW KDUG WR UHPHPEHU WKDW XQWLO , KDG QHYHU XVHG Teams and never even heard of Zoom. I was probably disproportionately excited last month when I was able to use the latter to share my screen with a researcher in the Netherlands to enable him to watch some AV material we hold. Even under usual FLUFXPVWDQFHV LW¶V D ORQJ ZD\ WR FRPH IURP WKH 1HWKHUODQGV WR ZDWFK RQH SLHFH RI archive footage in Cambridge, so I was very pleased to discover an unforeseen DGYDQWDJH WR WKLV QHZ WHFKQRORJ\ :KDW ,¶P SUobably most pleased with achieving in this past year is the section of the online catalogue concerning the foundations of named scholarships, fellowships, and exhibitions. This overlaps significantly enough with estate records, in cases where a scholarship or fellowship was funded through a gift of land to the College, that I realised I needed to complete that in order to get on with the rest of the estate records without the waters being muddied too much. Cataloguing the medieval and early modern estate records in particular is enjoyable, and sometimes VRPHWKLQJ RI DQ LQWHOOHFWXDO SX]]OH %\ WKH WLPH LW¶V QHDULQJ FRPSOHWLRQ ,¶OO KDYH TXLWH D OLVW RI WRZQV DQG YLOODJHV SDUWLFXODUO\ LQ .HQW WKDW ,¶G OLNH WR YLVLW MXVW VR , FDQ VHH IRU P\VHOI WKH SODFHV ,¶P becoming almost familiar with ± at least as they were centuries ago. Paul Everest ± Biographical Assistant $IWHU ODVW \HDU¶V HQWU\ , PLJKW¶YH WKRXJKW WKDW WKLV RQH would be slightly more in line with the normality of those preceding the end of the world in 2020, but not so much! Lockdowns, vaccines, ever changing restrictions and guidance, continued working from home, a change in said home due to my landlord deciding to evict me to house their daughter, then more recently, a return to working on site full time from the start of September ± LW¶V EHHQ DQRWKHU ZHLUG RQH From a work perspective, all is well! ,¶YH FRQWLQXHG WR chip away at various tasks, some old, some new, and some that will now form an ongoing part of my life in the Biographical Office due to changing responsibilities elsewhere. Of the former, I could tell you about :KR¶V :KR or learned societies, while of the latter, I could mention the hefty list of student sports

Annual Report 2020-2021 and societies, or WKH IUHVKHUV¶ UHJLVWUDWLRQ IRUPV EXW , ZRQ¶W ZDIIOH DERut that here ± WKDW¶V IRU HOVHZKHUH LQ WKLV WKULOOLQJ SXEOLFDWLRQ It is good being back in College, but it was good working from home too. The world DURXQG XV KDV FKDQJHG RYHU WKH ODVW XQSUHFHGHQWHG PRQWKV DQG ZH¶UH DOO still adjusting to the implicaWLRQV RI WKDW +HUH¶V KRSLQJ WKH DXWXPQ DQG ZLQWHU RI ¶ LV D SRVLWLYH RQH DQG WKDW P\ HQWU\ IRU QH[W \HDU GRHVQ¶W HYHQ DOOXGH WR WKH pandemic. Katie Hannawin ± Library Assistant (parttime) Well, one year later and here I am writing for my second Annual Report! I really did not expect to still be here after my traineeship ended, and I was absolutely thrilled when I was offered the position of Library Assistant. It was somewhat bittersweet since it was only made possible with the loss of Rebecca Watts, but it has nevertheless been wonderful to be able to stay and continue to work with the fantastic people here in the Library. My year as a trainee absolutely whizzed by, and ,¶P VWUXJJOLQJ WR UHPHPEHU HYHU\WKLQJ , GLG ,W was certainly an intense year, with things reaching their peak when we had to completely shut to readers once again during the January lockdown. This was particularly strange for me, as it meant that, two days a week, I was the only person in the entire building! I think no matter how familiar with a place \RX DUH RQFH OHIW DORQH \RX FDQ DOZD\V PDQDJH WR FRQYLQFH \RXUVHOI LW¶V KDXQWHG DQG ,¶P QRZ IDLUO\ certain that there is a ghost kicking about amongst the stacks somewhere. TKLV \HDU FHUWDLQO\ ZDVQ¶W DOO EDG ,W¶V EHHQ DPD]LQJ WR EH SDUW RI VXFK D GHGLFDWHG WHDP and I feel very lucky to have worked so closely with Janet and Rebecca (and now Jess of course!). I feel like together we overcame all the obstacles that were thrown our way, and managed to provide the best services possible ² I dread to count how many Click & Collect requests I dealt with over the course of the year, although the constant running up and down the stairs has definitely kept me nice and fit! Amongst the chaos of this year, I have been working on several longer-term projects which I have really enjoyed. I am currently halfway through cataloguing a collection of personal papers for the Old Library, and have also managed to help with smaller bits of cataloguing in the Archives. My most recent project has been an exhibition on the Huguenots, which is available on the Library website. I was also lucky enough to be in charge of booking students in for their study sessions, which meant that I got to interact with the student body on a daily basis. This was the absolute highlight of my year, as it was wonderful to get to know students on a more personal level, and be able to talk to them beyond just answering the quHVWLRQ µKDYH \RX JRW D VWDSOHU"¶ , KDYH IHOW D UHDO VHQVH RI FRPPXQLW\ ZLWKLQ WKH :RUNLQJ /LEUDU\ this year, and I cannot wait to see returning students again, as well as meeting the new students this Michaelmas Term.

Annual Report 2020-2021 Jess Hollerton ± Library Graduate Trainee When I left university, one of the things I realised I would miss the most was the libraries. Clearly I missed them far too much, because here I am: back again, but this time behind the desk! I am delighted to be the new Graduate Trainee, and to be doing my traineeship in such a wonderful, welcoming library with such lovely people. In a twist of fate that was less than ideal, in my first month, I spent more time out of the Library than in it, due to back-to-back periods of isolation. While this, and my lack of internet at the house, conspired against me doing the more standard tasks for the Library Trainee, it did also have one benefit. For the two weeks that I was locked down, I worked on transcribing some of the papers of English abolitionist and Johnian Thomas Clarkson, consisting, amongst other things, of letters to John Wadkin ± D GLVWULEXWHU RI &ODUNVRQ¶V ZULWLQJV ± and an unpublished paper against the Slave Trade, intended for distribution in Spanish translation. The goal with these transcriSWLRQV LV WR EH DEOH WR SXW WKH &ROOHJH¶V VODYHU\ DQG DEROLWLRQ documents onto the Cambridge Digital Library, with transcripts that help make the PDWHULDO PRUH VHDUFKDEOH DQG DFFHVVLEOH WR HGXFDWRUV 7KH ZRUN RQ &ODUNVRQ¶V GRFXPHQWV IROORZV RQ IURP $GDP¶V ZRUN GXULQJ ODVW \HDU¶V ORFNGRZQ RQ WKH &ROOHJH¶V plantation papers. The chance to work with the special collections was one of the things that I was particularly looking forward to, and I am glad that the period of isolation at least provided this opportunity that I may not otherwise have had so soon into my time here. I am now back in the Working Library and, although it felt a little bit like starting over ZKHQ , ILUVW FDPH EDFN ,¶P JHWWLQJ LQWR WKH VZLQJ RI WKLQJV DJDLQ ,W KDV EHHQ ORYHO\ WR be back working with everyone in person, and to be doing the more typical graduate trainee activities of reading lists, book requests, shelving, manning the issue desk, and SUHSDULQJ P\ ILUVW GLVSOD\ IRU WKH OLEUDU\ RQ µ:RPHQ LQ 7UDQVODWLRQ 0RQWK¶ DOWKRXJK I wouOGQ¶W VD\ QR WR PRUH WUDQVFULSWLRQ LQ WKH IXWXUH $IWHU VHYHUDO DWWHPSWV ZKLFK were initially scuppered by my various isolations, I have also now been trained on the %LRJUDSKLFDO 'DWDEDVH DQG , DP VWDUWLQJ WR IHHO PXFK PRUH FRQILGHQW LQ P\ UROH ,¶P stLOO WHUULILHG RI FDWDORJXLQJ WKHUH¶V VR PDQ\ ILGGO\ GHWDLOV WR UHPHPEHU EXW WKDQNIXOO\ I have cataloguing training and the expert eyes of Janet to help me out. Shelving is also a particularly dangerous task: it very often feels like I end up bringing down more books for me to read than I put back on the shelves! I am very much looking forward to all of the things that I have not yet had the opportunity to do, like helping in the Archives, and seeing the Library with its full complement of students. This week has seen the arrival of most of the new undergraduates and suddenly the Library is much busier!

Annual Report 2020-2021 Rebecca Le Marchand ± Library Assistant This year I experienced my first full Michaelmas term in the library ± notably, my very first October! I was prepared for a busy time but I have to say, I was amazed by just how busy we were. Katie and I had to book in up to 45 students twice a day, explaining the new Covid19 rules to each student. Both of us were quite hoarse by the end of the day! The click and collect service was also very busy during Michaelmas Term and had us both running about the Library collecting and issuing as many as 20 books per day to students and fellows and leaving them out to be collected. We also had all the lovely new students to help. This was my favourite part of that term ± I loved taking time to show them how to use the Library and making them feel welcome. It was difficult to find myself back in lockdown for Lent term. I was concerned about all the students I knew who had relied on studying in the Library who were now cooped up in their rooms. With the invaluable help of Katie and Rebecca Watts, I was able to set up virtual study sessions that were held every afternoon that term. This helped students commit to getting some work done with some friendly faces around them. We had a group of students who came every afternoon and it was lovely to see them getting to know each other and supporting each other through that difficult winter. It helped me too. During that lockdown, I also embarked on an online teaching course for librarians, which was run by the University Library. I enjoyed this new challenge and I found some of the reading and reflective writing that the course involved both inspiring and confidence building. Whilst away from the Library I also had a couple of grand ideas that were both implemented this year. One of them was to start putting our new acquisitions on Pinterest (you can read more about this in the Digital Activities section of the report). The other was to move the General Interest books from the Mezzanine Floor to the Ground Floor before we reopened for Easter term. I returned to the Library and got the tape measure out (always the sign of a big plan round here!) and got to work. With the help of -DQHW¶V keen eye and amazing ability to create space as if from nowhere, I was able to set everything up perfectly on the ground floor with more room for expansion. This move has created a cosy fiction corner; a travel section that ties in with the OS maps and guides to Cambridge; a more accessible health and wellbeing section; an expanded food and drink section and a new craft section. The new home that we have given to the General Interest books has already received some favourable comments from students and fellows, some of whom had no idea we had such a fabulous range of books for reading in your spare time. Mischief managed!

Annual Report 2020-2021 Amy Leung - Secretary to the Head of ISS and Sub-Librarian (part-time) As I write this, it is my second day working in the Library and I get the splendid privilege of watching the squirrels play hide and seek around the fallen Autumnal leaves that whisk around WKH 0DVWHU¶V garden. Previous to this role, I formed part of the IT Department, forced to work in a Harry Potter style cupboard, as punishment for something I am yet to be told. I therefore, see this new role as a definite step up in the world and look forward to the challenges ahead and the current one of compiling this very report!

Kathryn McKee ± Sub-Librarian and Special Collections Librarian (Acting Head of Department) Back at my desk in the Rare Books Reading Room, safely masked and slightly windswept with windows open wide for ventilation, I cannot help reflecting that it KDV QRW EHHQ WKH HDVLHVW RI \HDUV EXW ,¶G OLNH to focus on a positive rather than some of the negatives. The highlight of my year has been work on an Annual Fund project, headed by Professor Máire Ni Mhaonaigh, to create an online learning resource based on the Southampton Psalter, a tenth-century Irish manuscript that is a treasure of the collection. The resource will introduce a whole new readership to the history and use of medieval books and provide a guide to the process of independent research. Thanks to this project the manuscript has now been digitized, and is available online via both the Cambridge University Digitial Library and Irish Script on Screen. Part of the learning resource, which will be hosted by the Fitzwilliam Museum, includes short videos. No one would ever describe me as a natural on camera and the filming itself was painful, but I do love any opportunity to enthuse about our manuscripts, and was genuinely thrilled to be involved. Finding ways for the project to progress safely during a pandemic was a challenge, but we managed it.

Annual Report 2020-2021 Catherine Shanahan ± Library Cleaner (part-time) There have been a lot of changes to the Library this year due to the impact of Covid 19. The Library is no longer open for use 24/7.This has been replaced with three hour bookable sessions throughout the day. This means that targeted cleaning of all desks, toilets, handrails and door handles can take place before each session begins. This system was implemented to minimize the risk of infection to all library users and staff. From my perspective some of the changes have been beneficial! The Library is no longer the place to come to eat your WDNHDZD\V 5HPRYLQJ SHRSOH¶V KDOI HDWHQ SL]]D FKLSV etc. the next morning is not particularly pleasant nor a productive use of my time. Unfortunately my co-worker of three years, Sandra $OHNVLHMǌWơ GHFLGHG LW ZDV WLPH WR PRYH RQ ODVW 2FWREHU I ensured her leaving presents suitably represented the items she had come across during her time here, including a pizza in a bin, a large spider in a web, and VRPH OHDYHV«Ln this case the items were made up of sweets, crocheted, and laminated representations of the real things which find their way into the Library for us to clear away! Just before Christmas I was joined by Erika Csider, who has been a great addition to the Library team. Although, she may be fed up with my multiple explanations that VWDUW ³EHIRUH WKH SDQGHPLF ZH XVHd WR GR «´ ,W KDV EHHQ lovely to see all our colleagues who have been working hard from home, in person. Their presence is a welcome addition! I think we are all in agreement that we will not be sorry to say goodbye to Zoom meetings!

Annual Report 2020-2021

Training 2020-21 Much of the training and development undertaken in the last year has, of necessity, been online. Some organizations have offered free online training where they might have charged for in-person events, so less has been spent on training than in some years. Despite the mode of delivery, the range of training undertaken reflects the professional skills and knowledge required by the department: from digital preservation and web authoring to teaching and student welfare. All Library staff, including the cleaning staff, have taken courses in manual handling, Data Protection, and staying safe online. New staff have had fire safety, Prevent, and dignity at work training. For the second time, RXU DQQXDO µDZD\ GD\¶ ZDV KHOG UHPRWHO\ XVLQJ =RRP EXW VWLOO SURYLGHG D XVHIXO WLPH away from regular duties to reflect on strategic objectives, plan for the year ahead, and discuss issues of concern. Staff member Librarian Sub-Librarian/ Special Collections Librarian

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Annual Report 2020-2021 Biographical Assistant Library Assistant

Special Collections Assistant Part-time Cleaner (CS) Part-time Cleaner (SA) to Oct. 2020 Part-time Cleaner (EC) from Dec. 2020 ALL staff

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Teaching and learning for Librarians Libraries and student wellbeing Helping students in distress Dignity at work RBSCG in conversation: tech tools for engagement

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Act Now Training Book Industry Communication Cambridge University Library Digital Preservation Coalition University of Cambridge Disability Resource Centre Glasgow University +HU 0DMHVW\¶V *RYHUQPHQW Libraries@Cambridge Newcastle University Oxford Bibliographical Society CILIP Rare Books and Special Collections Group Sellwood Training 6W -RKQ¶V &ROOHJH 6W -RKQ¶V &ROOHJH /LEUDU\ The National Archives University of Cambridge Cambridge University Information Services

Annual Report 2020-2021

The Working Library Operating the Working Library in the last academic year has been so different from previous years as a consequence of the pandemic. It has been a challenging year for both students and Library staff with new arrangements ± which often changed - put in place. At the start of Michaelmas term, face-to-face Library induction tours were UHSODFHG E\ YLUWXDO /LEUDU\ WRXUV /LEUDU\ RSHQLQJ KRXUV EHFDPH µH[WHQGHG¶ UDWKHU WKDQ the normal 24/7. Seating capacity across all floors was reduced to nearly half the normal capacity. In order to control user numbers in the Library, readers were required to pre-book study sessions online. No browsing for books was allowed. Borrowing was RQO\ IHDVLEOH YLD D µFOLFN FROOHFW¶ system. Postgraduate students were recruited to invigilate in the Library in the evenings and at the weekends during term time. In order to support students who were studying remotely or in self-isolation, Library staff hosted online study sessions. Despite all these changes and new arrangements, the Library services provided were DSSUHFLDWHG E\ RXU UHDGHUV $ VWXGHQW FRPPHQWHG DV IROORZV ³7KDQN \RX IRU GRLQJ VR much for us in such a difficult year. Your willingness to go above and beyond to keep VR PDQ\ VHUYLFHV UXQQLQJ LV PDVVLYHO\ DSSUHFLDWHG ´ $QG DQRWKHU VWXGHQW Ddded; ³7KDQN \RX IRU EHLQJ VR KHOSIXO DQG DFFRPPRGDWLQJ WKLV \HDU DQG PDNLQJ VWXG\LQJ WKURXJK ORFNGRZQ D ORW PRUH EHDUDEOH ´ $ WKLUG VWXGHQW FRPPHQWHG ³«,¶P QRW VXUH LI ,¶G KDYH EHHQ DEOH WR ZRUN HIIHFWLYHO\ DW DOO KDG \RX QRW DOO EHHQ VR NLQG DQG KHOSIXl. The sessions helped me structure my day, which allowed me to work more SURGXFWLYHO\ 7KH\ DOVR PDQDJHG WR NHHS PH VDQH ´ /DVW \HDU WKH :RUNLQJ /LEUDU\ ZDV DZDUGHG DFFUHGLWDWLRQ WKURXJK WKH µ7HFKQRORJ\ Excellence in Libraries Accreditation (TEiLA) run by BIC (Book Industries Communications), the UK standards body for the book industry. The accreditation is granted for a year and may be renewed annually. I am delighted that our application for renewal in June 2021 was again successful and another year of accreditation was granted. To achieve this award, we were required to demonstrate how we use technologies to streamline the workflow to provide a more efficient library service. The main criteria to be met included the use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology for self-issue/self-return of library items, security and stock checking; the employment of EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) function in the library management system to facilitate an efficient communication with book suppliers for library orders and invoices; demonstration of how the Library supports the adoption of new technologies in its work; and how it obtains accurate, up-to-date and comprehensive bibliographic information for use by library staff and users. The significance of the accreditation is to give reassurance to Library staff that we are meeting the highest standards expected of libraries today. It also acknowledges that readers in College are receiving the best provision of Library services. 18

Annual Report 2020-2021

Our programme of renovating parts of the Library and its physical fabric continues apace. Following the installation of new windows and blinds in the Computer Room on the Third Floor in summer 2020, work continued refurbishing the Library Office. Old cupboards have been removed. Shelves and desks have been installed in the photocopier room, which can now potentially be used as temporary work space. The Office is now lighter, more airy and spacious for colleagues to work in. Essential work has also been carried out in the Library Basement during summer 2021. A new water heating system has been installed in the Plant Room in the Basement to provide hot water to the toilet basins on all Floors. New pipes have been installed behind the panels in all toilets. Improvements, however, have not just focused on technology and the physical fabric. Library staff have been finding ways to improve Library services. Our Library Assistant, Rebecca Le Marchand, inspired by Churchill and Wolfson Libraries, introduced an innovative idea to display new books on Pinterest. Readers can browse new books organised by the month. There are also links to iDiscover to enable readers to find a particular book in the Library or read it online if the book is available electronically. Last Easter term the Library ODXQFKHG D µ7H[W D /LEUDU\¶ VHUYLFH Students can text or WhatsApp the Library (i.e. staff) during staffed hours, and report any situation in the Library with which they feel uncomfortable. For many years, the Gallery on Mezzanine Floor has been home to the General Interest Collection. The Collection consists of relaxing reading such as non-fiction, short stories, graphic novels and health and wellbeing books. In order to encourage students to read and borrow more non-academic books, the General Interest Collection was re-located to a prominent position on the Library Ground Floor ± a move which so far has achieved its aim. Janet Chow Academic Services Librarian

Annual Report 2020-2021

Library Usage The number of Library users an and visitors accessing the Libraarry is recorded throughoout the year ar by an electronic countter positioned at the main entrance of the Workiing Library. A reading is taken from this at 9am every weekday. The numbers are recordded ften in a spreadsheet and the resulting g daatta can be an analysed to give us an idea of how oft the Librar ary building has been useed byy the College communityy over the past year. Total number of entries

152712

144356

139840

76 6572

30701 2016-17

2017-18

2018-19

20 019-20

2020-21

Figure 1 - Five-year comp mparison of totaal entries to the Library by acad demic year

five Figure 1 (above) illustraattes the total t number of visits to thhe Library over the past fi year ars. We W can use the information in this table to illustraatte trends in Library footffaall. mic This is diffficult to do this year as the figures for this past yeear and also for the academ year ar 20019-20 are not really compparab able to anyt ything that hhas gone before. The Libraarry was closed to all visitors from March until August of 2020 and then again during the t second naattional lockdown from Jannuary to Februaarry of 2021. This closure will w obviously mean an that the overall number of visits to the Libraarry will be much lower for these past two year ars. It might be expected that the figures for the academic year 2019-20 and the figures for this academic year should be roughlyy similar, given that in both years, the Library was w closed or paarrtly closed fo for one term and one vacat ation. Indeed, one might expect the t was figure for 2020-21 to be slightlyy higher than the previous year because the Library w not closed for such an extended period and it was open for the busiest term of the yeear ± the Easter term. However, the figure for last year (30,701) is actuallyy lower thaan n th hat of the previous year (76,572). This is quite simply because, although the Librar ary has h been open for most of this year ar, it has not been open in its normal 24-hour access forrm, but for a limited number of bookaab ble study spaces that were av available for three difffeereent time-slots per day during term time, an and for two slots per day during the vacat ation i periods. For a large paarrt off the second national lockdown, ffrrom Februaryy until Aprill of this year ar, the Libraarry was only open for one study session in the afternoon. Wh hen comparing the figures for the last two years it is important to keep in mind that, ev ven though 2020 was a very draam matic and disruptive year ar, the Library was actuallyy open n in its 24-hour access capacity for half the academic year from October to March. Thiss is 20

Annual Report 2020-2021 very difffeerent to the most recent academic a year in which the Library has been open onnly for timed study sessions. Because s of this, we cannot really compare with an any fairneess the total footfall figures even forr the two yearrs thaatt haav ve been disrupted by Covid. Figure 2 (below) break aks down thhe total number of entries to the Library over the past three academic years and gives th he figures byy terrm m.

42582

35184 32097 30996

Number of entries

3 31633

17374 11097 10199

8880

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Michaelmas Term

Christmas Vacation

Lent Term

4166 1932

2231 1149

1534

Easter Vacation

0 Easter Term

Summer Vacation

Term 2018-19

2019-20

2020-21

Figure 2 - Three-year comp mparison of ent ntries to the Library by term, 2018-21

We cannot make an any real comparisons between this year an and any of the years that haave gone before, becau ause the Librar ary has been open in a very difffferent cap apacityy this yearr to any other year ar. We can an however, see a very unusual occurrence displayed in the figurres mas here in that the number of entries to the Library was actually higher last Michaelm terrm (11,097) than it was in the Easter terrm m (8880). This might be the first time that tthis has ever haap ppened! This is firstly because, owing to the need to increase safety as neew varriaan nts of Covid-19 took hold, bookaab ble desk spaces were reduced fr from 63 duriing Michaelmas terrm m to 50 during the Easter term. Only those desks that had adequate ventilation were av availab able for use during the Easter terrm m. During the Michaelmas teerm the Librar ary was open for printing an and scan anning services and for returning books on the t ground floor. The click and collect table was also situated on the ground floor of the t Library at at this time. Students did not need to book a study space in order to use any of these services. However, it becam ame necessary to reopen the Library for Easter terrm mw with stricter safety measures in place and access to the Library was limited thatt terrm m to students with booked study spaces only. The click an and collect table was moved to the t )RUHFRXUW 3RUWHUV¶ /RGJH DQ DQG D SULQWHU ZDV VHW XS LQ WKH )LVKHU %XLOGLQJ 7KLV ZDVV LQ 21

Annual Report 2020-2021 order to stop too many people coming in and using the ground floor which is not a wellYHQWLODWHG VSDFH 7KLV PHDQW WKDW VWXGHQWV ZHUH QRW µGURSSLQJ LQ¶ WR SLFN XS ERRNV RU printing as they were before and it explains why Library footfall over last Easter term is a smaller figure than that of Michaelmas term. In addition to monitoring footfall, the Library also gathers data on the usage of collections and services during Week 5 of each term. This provides a more detailed VQDSVKRW RI OLIH LQ WKH /LEUDU\ GXULQJ WKH EXVLHVW ZHHNV RI WHUP DQG WKLV \HDU¶V GDWD KDV thrown up some interesting pictures of Library life during the pandemic. Staff issued

Self-issued

253

250

252 177

51 50

0 22

74 21

Figure 3 - Items issued in Week 5 by term, 2019-21

Figure 3 (above) compares the number of items issued from our collections to students using the self-issue machines with the number issued by a member of staff. This data is collected during week 5 of every full term. As might be expected, we can see that the number of issued items in Week 5 over all terms has decreased since the outbreak of Covid-19. This is explained by the fact that students over the past two years have been studying, at least in part, from home and have only had access to ebooks or to the books they already had on loan. The figures for issued items in this chart are for physical books being borrowed from a physical space so they are understandably lower over an academic year where students have been more reliant on ebooks and been less able to access the Library building. However, it is interesting to note that the ratio of self-issued books to books issued by staff has changed significantly over the course of this past year. In the two terms that the Library has been open during the pandemic, the number of books issued to students by staff is very nearly the same as the number issued via the self-issue machine. In Week 5 of Michaelmas term there were 74 items issued by staff compared to 76 selfissued items. In week 5 of Easter term the numbers were even closer with 50 items issued by staff and 51 by self-issue machine. This is a marked difference from previous µSUH-SDQGHPLF¶ WHUPV ZKHUH VWDII LVVXHG LWHPV DFFRXQWHG IRU D PXFK VPDOOHU IUDFWLRQ 22

Annual Report 2020-2021 of the total items issued. One explanation for this trend is the implementation of the /LEUDU\¶V FOLFN DQG FROOHFW VHUYLFH 7KH ZD\ LQ ZKLFK /LEUDU\ XVHUV VHDUFK IRU and borrow their books has changed over the pandemic. Instead of coming into the Library to search for a book for themselves, users are emailing the Library with the details of the item they require and then picking up that item from a designated area after it has been issued to them via Library staff. It is good to see from this data that the service is proving effective. In a similar way, the data for the number of enquiries to the issue desk in Week 5 also throws up an interesting picture of how use of the Library has changed during this last year. In Figure 4 (below) we can see that something quite different has been happening with regard to the number of enquiries taken at the issue desk during week 5 of full term. 2018-19

TERM

Michaelmas

110

Lent

Easter

2019-20

2020-21

182 294

92 91

99 464 100

200

300

400

500

NUMBER OF ENQUIRIES

Figure 4 - Enquiries in Week 5 by term, 2018-21

The two terms in which the Library has been open with the Covid-19 safety measures in place (Michaelmas 2020 and Easter 2021) are the two terms with the highest numbers of enquiries to the issue desk. These numbers are significantly higher than any seen in previous years, with 294 enquiries during week 5 of Michaelmas term and a huge 464 enquiries during the same week in Easter term. Even when compared to Week 5 of Michaelmas 2018 where the issue desk received 182 enquiries, these numbers are very large. This can be explained by the fact that all students who booked a study space needed to enquire at the issue desk in order to be allocated a desk number and be talked through the Covid safety measures. However, it is interesting to note how large the number of enquiries is during week 5 of Easter term in comparison to that of the Michaelmas term. This becomes even more interesting when we remember that footfall numbers for the same two terms showed that significantly fewer visits were made to the Library during that Easter term. This can be explained in part by the fact that anyone coming in to the Library to use a printer also needed to ask at the issue desk that term, as the printers were only accessible to students who had booked study spaces. However, by Week 5, most students had realized this and were doing their printing at the Fisher Building. It is certainly interesting that the number of enquiries should be so much higher in that term. One of 23

Annual Report 2020-2021 the things we have felt to be a positive consequence of the pandemic is that we are now JHWWLQJ WR NQRZ VWXGHQWV LQ D ZD\ WKDW ZH GLGQ¶W EHIRUH DV ZH DUH ERRNLQJ WKHP LQ IRU their study sessions every day. This has resulted in a more personalized and relaxed experience for students who are using the Library. It may be that as a result of students feeling that they are known by Library staff, they feel more confident to ask questions at the issue desk. Whatever the reason is behind these large numbers of enquiries, it certainly does illustrate how important the Library issue desk has become during the pandemic. The final set of data taken during Week 5 of full term is a count of the number of books cleared from desks or trolleys by staff in the morning. This count is then broken down by subject area and displayed in Figure 5 (below). 30 24

25 20

15 10 5

2 2 2 2 2 2

6 6 6

Criminology Reference Music Vet. Medicine Education Geography Asian & ME Studies Anthropology Engineering Psychology /LWHUDU\ &ULWLFLVP )LOP« Linguistics Archaeology HPS Other MML (incl. ASNaC) Biological Sciences Art Medicine Law Maths Theology English General Interest Philosophy Classics Economics Physical Sciences History HSPS

0 0 0 0 0 0

1 1 1 1 1

4 4 5 5 5

Figure 5 - Total books cleared in Week 5 (all terms) by subject, 2020-21

This information reveals more about which sections of the Library collection are being used by students, but not necessarily borrowed. This graph shows a very different picture than the same chart from the last two years. With the exception of History, all of the top six subjects from the previous two years have seen large reductions in the number of books being referred to in the Library but not borrowed. This can be explained by taking a number of factors into consideration. Firstly, the significantly lower footfall for 2020-21 that has already been observed in this report will obviously have affected the number of books being consulted in the Library. Secondly, for the whole of the 2020-21 academic year, students have been required to clear desks completely at the end of a study session in order to expedite cleaning between sessions. This means that students are not able to leave books out on desks and come back to them later. There has also been a book quarantining system in place for the whole of the year. This safety system ensured that both returned books and books left out on desks or trolleys were removed from the system for quarantining for three days before being shelved. This might have resulted in students being more likely to 24

Annual Report 2020-2021 borrow items than leave them out in the Library, as they would know that the books would be out of circulation for a few days if they were left out on trolleys. These last two factors, combined with the overnight closure of the Library, resulted in a change in the way students referred to books whilst studying. Before the introduction of study sessions, students working overnight in the Library would leave books out on desks or trolleys and return to them in the morning. They would still be there where they left them until the staff completed the morning shelving which would be at around 11am. This year, because students were expected to clear their desks completely at the end of a study session and leave any books on trolleys for quarantining, they would be much more likely to borrow books at the end of their session rather than leave them on the desk where they had been studying.

It is also important to note that, because of the lockdowns and the consequent remote studying, students have been much more aware of and reliant on ebooks this past year than ever before. It is almost certainly a factor worth considering when looking at these figures. It is possible that students may have simply got used to consulting ebooks for a quick reference and are continuing to do that even when in the Library rather than look for and use a physical copy of the book they need. It will be interesting to see what happens to these figures in the coming year. Rebecca Le Marchand Library Assistant

Annual Report 2020-2021

Annual Circulation The borrowing levels (based on frequency counts of items borrowed) in the last academic year (2020-2021) have dropped from 8,846 to 8,237 (Figure 1). The decline is largely due to the global pandemic which led to many students studying away from Cambridge for part or whole of the academic year. Consequently, borrowing numbers fell. An additional reason for a decline in borrowing is that since many students were unable to access physical books during the last academic year, a compensatory and significant increase in accessing electronic books took place. The availability of, and easy access to, electronic books provided an additional option for all students, whether they were in Cambridge or elsewhere. A further possible explanation of the decline in borrowing figures is that the physical absence of students from the Library led to a significant rise in student requests for Library staff to scan book chapters and to send them to students electronically.

Figure 1. Library Borrowing ± Annual Circulation

As shown in the termly borrowing figures for the past three years (see Table 1 below), the borrowing figures of Lent Term in 2020-21 shows a significant drop compared to previous year (2019-20). In Lent Term the Library was closed for a period and students continued to study remotely possibly explain the low level of borrowing. With more students returning to Cambridge for Easter term, the borrowing figure on Easter Term shows a significant increase compared with previous year (2019-20). 26

Annual Report 2020-2021

Michaelmas Term Christmas vacat ation Lent Term Easter vacation Easter Term Summer vacat ation Total

2020-21 3617 290 1612 238 2065 415 8237

2019-20 3975 374 3754 483 35 225 8846

2018-19 4607 482 3721 475 2457 768 12510

Table 1. Borrowing fi figures fo for the last three academic years by term

Figure 2 presents daatta on circulation of books by subject. Given that the overrall circulation figures fe fell, it is to be expected that many individual subjects saw w a decliine in borrowing compared with previous year ars. For 2020-21, the three most heav avvily borrowed subjects were History, Biological Science and English. Despite History beiing the most heav avily borrowed subject, the borrowing figure fell from 1170 (2019-20)) to w a noticeable decline in borrowing - includiing 947 (2020-21). Other subjects also saaw Geograap phy, HSPS and MML. with By contrast, subjects experiencing an an increase in borrowing in 2020-21 compared w the previous year ar (2019-20) were Linguistics, Arrtt & Architecture, Theology, Maths and English.

Figure 2. Circulation of books by sub ubject e area in 2019-20 and 2020-21 1

Janet Chow C Academ Academic mic Services Librariaan n

Annual Report 2020-2021

Audio-Visual Room and Seminar Room Audio-Visual Room The number of DVDs being processed for the Audio-Visual collection has most definitely not been affected by the pandemic! The collection has grown to nearly 3,000 items thanks to the generosity of Dr Terence Denman (PhD 1976) and the work of the Library Assistant. This year the focus has been on expanding the smaller areas of the collection, particularly the documentary film, Shakespeare and music sections which are now looking very fine indeed. The most borrowed film over this last year has been 7DLND :DLWLWL¶V darkly comic JoJo Rabbit, which was released for DVD in 2020. Perhaps it is a sign of the stresses of current times that the majority of the most frequently borrowed items from the Audio-Visual Room this year have been comedy films or box sets. In response to this growing need, the Library Assistant has made sure that a slice of the Audio Visual Room budget is set aside for things that will make people laugh. As cinemas were closed for most of last year and so many students have found themselves confined to quarters because of quarantine or self-isolation, we thought this might result in an increase in the number of items borrowed from the Audio-Visual Room. However, in discussions with students, it became clear that many of them were XQDEOH WR WDNH DGYDQWDJH RI WKH /LEUDU\¶V $XGLR-Visual collection because they did not have access to a laptop with an inbuilt DVD player. In response to this, we decided to purchase three portable DVD players for students to use with their own laptops. This has been very much appreciated and the portable DVD players have been very popular, enabling students to enjoy our amazing Audio-Visual collection in their own rooms.

The Audio-Visual Room also now has a small display table, which is situated just outside the room. This table was seized by the Library Assistant during the refit of the office areas of the Library. It has found a new purpose outside the Audio-Visual Room as a means to entice people in and to highlight the range and depth of the collection with themed displays. During term time, the displays are changed every week and themes so far have included the family on film, films set in the sunshine, films with a twist and films based on true stories. The new display table outside the Audio-Visual Room

Annual Report 2020-2021

Seminar Room The Seminar Room has had a much quieter year than usual. This was because during most of last year, supervisions were conducted mainly on Zoom and the number of people able to use the Seminar Room at any one time had to be reduced to three because of social distancing. However, the Seminar Room was still used by staff for both online training and staff meetings. During Lent term when the Library was closed, the Seminar Room was used for virtual study sessions. These were set up and run by the Library Assistant with invaluable help from the Graduate Trainee and the Projects Assistant. We were able to run a study session every afternoon for students in lockdown which helped them to stay focused, get some work done and feel less alone whilst doing so. It was very important to have a space from which we could run these sessions and the Seminar Room proved to be ideal. Rebecca Le Marchand Library Assistant

Annual Report 2020-2021

The Old Library Annual Report 2020-21 Statistics

Readers consulting special collections material* Visitors taking a tour of the Old Library** Letters filed E-mail responses to enquiries Reproductions of special collections material processed outside College Onsite professional photography Reproductions of special collections material processed in house*** Permissions granted to reproduce special collections material in published works Use of special collections material in connection with biographical work

2020-21 6

2019-20 206

2018-19 288

873

1395

1 987 0

3 1077 6

11 1360 4

2 days 1700

3 days 1478

* The Old Library closed on 20 March 2020 and reopened just for readers who were members RI 6W -RKQ¶V RQ -XO\ ** Does not include visitors at public open days or educational and group visits *** Includes reproductions of material to answer biographical enquiries.

These figures cover the period from 1 August to 31 July in each year. Much of the work this year was carried out remotely. Special collections staff worked from home, with site visits to monitor environmental conditions, answer enquiries, and copy material for both special collections and biographical enquirers. The number of reproductions underestimates the amount of work undertaken, as in some cases a reproduction request could involve several folders of papers or entire manuscripts, recorded as a single item. It is to be expected that more material would be copied while researchers were unable to travel to access the collections in person. It will be interesting to see how many requests are received over the coming year. The drop in responses to enquiries may in part reflect the fact that so many requests were simply asking for copies of material or facts to be checked, rather than making bookings to consult the material. Readers started to be admitted from 5 July. One remote consultation was carried out over Zoom prior to the re-opening, giving the opportunity to trial technology which may prove useful for overseas readers who are unable to travel to view material in person. Purchases Thanks to the Noel Marshall Fund the Library has added an eclectic mix of material, all with some Johnian connection, to its collections this year.

Annual Report 2020-2021 Robert Osborne Clarkson medallion (1840)

Clarkson Medallion

Visits and classes It was not possible to run any in-person school sessions, group visits or university teaching using the Special Collections in 2020-21. The Sub-/LEUDULDQ GHOLYHUHG D µVKRZ-and-WHOO¶ VHVVLRQ IHDWXULQJ WUHDVXUHV IURP WKH collections via zoom for the SBR in May 2021. Events For the Cambridge Festival in March 2021, a joint event was organized with the Wisbech and Fenland Museum. A virtual exhibition Slavery and Abolition: Collections Uncovered was designed drawing upon Clarkson and slave trade materials in both repositories. An online panel discussion complemented the exhibition. The panel discussion had 139 views at time of writing. For Open Cambridge in September 2021, the Sub-Librarian gave an online illustrated talk on the history of the book, drawing on the collections of the Old Library. Seventeen people attended the talk. Preservation The final report was received from Tobit Curteis regarding the environmental issues in the Lower Library, indicating that high humidity in the summer months required intervention. Large-scale mechanical control of temperature and relative humidity would be expensive, difficult to achieve successfully in an old building of that size, and would involve a higher level of energy use than desirable. Smaller interventions will continue to be tested for their efficacy.

Annual Report 2020-2021 The au autumn of 2020 unffoortunately brought the discovery of a further mould outbreak ak LQ WK WKH /RZHU /LEUDU DU\ UHLQIR IRUFLQJ WKH IL ILQGLQJV RI 7RELW &XUUWHLV¶V UHSRUW WK WKDW KLJK 5+ LQ the summer was a serious issue. Given the Covid situattionn at the time, afffeected books were treat ated in-house with faam mily assistance rather than calling c in exterrnnal help from the Conservation Consortium. Due to Covid restrictions regular book cleaan ning in the Upp per Library was suspended. The Cam ambridge Colleges Conservaattion Consortium continu ued to carry out conservation ZRUN UN WK WKURXJKRXW WKH \HDU (LJKW YROXPHV IU IURP RXU µ$ ¶ SULRULWLHV OLVW ZHUH FRQVHUYHG These were books which were severely damaged, whosee condition meant that they could not easily be consulted, typ ypically with the text block completely c split. Such works arre time-consuming to repair. There is always a balancee between repairing a small number of very damaged works or a larger number more quickly. q During a year when exchaan nges of material were more diffficult to ar arrange, it was w more practical to do the former. Online Exhibitionss As no physical exhiibitions could be held in the Library Exhibition Area this year ar the regular terrmlyy exhibitions w went online. 2QOLQH H[KLELWLRQ LLQ WKH /HQW 7HUP UP µ%DU DUEoy, Scholar, Poet, Spy: the paarrty-FRORXU¶G OLIH IH RI 0DW DWWKHZ 3ULRU¶ FXUDDWHG E\ 5HEHFFD :DWWV 2QOLQH H[KLELWLRQ LQ WKH (DVWHU 7HUP µ9LVLRQV RI WKH (QG VHOHFWHG DS DSSRFDO\S \SVHV IU IURP WKH /LEUDU DU\¶ curaatted byy Adam Crrothers.

Portrait of Matth t ew Prior by Hyacinthe Rigaud

Online exhibition sum mmer/Michaelmas Term: µ7KH +XJXHQRWV WKH VWRU\ RI WKH )UHQFK Reforrm mation.

Loans $Q KLVWRULF VLOYHU VKHNHO GDDWWLQJ IIUURP WKH HDDUUO\ PRGHUQ SHULRG SDDUUW RI WKH &ROOHJH¶V FRLQ coll llection permaan nentl tly loane n d to t the th Fitzwill illiam i M Museum m went on display there from Januar n ry ry to May 2021 in their Human touch : making artt,, lleaving traces exhibition . The loan of the portrait of Elizab abeth I to the Theat atre, Shorreditch was can ancelled, as the Museum was unaab ble to open economically.

Annual Report 2020-2021 Projects As paarrt of the Southampton Psalter project headed by Proffeessor Máire Ni Mhaonaigh and funded by the &ROOHJH¶V $QQXDO )XQG RQH RI WKH /LEUDU DU\¶V ROGHVW manuscripts, a tenth-century Irish Psalter known as the Southampton Psalter was digitized and is now av available both on the Cambridge University Digital Library an and Irish Scripts on Screen, where it may be consulted by scholars worldwide. The Special Collections Librarian an also supported the project team with resear arch informat ation, gav ave feedback on the online learning resource being developed by the project, an and contributed to a series of short videos to be loaded on that online resource. Work is continuing on plans to digitize paap pers from the slavery collections for loading to the Cambridge University Digital Libraarry along with traan nscriptions. Progress is GHSHQGHQW LQ SDU DUW XSRQ WKH &8'/¶V ZRUN UNORDG DV WKH\ GHDO with backlogs that have built up during the paan ndemic. Detail from the Irish Psalter )RXU PHGLHYDO PDQ DQXVFULSWV IU IURP WKH /LEUDU DU\\¶VV FROOHFWLRQV ZLOO EH XQGHUJRLQJ VFLHQWLLIL ILF pigment an analysis at at the Fitzwilliam Museum in the autumn of 2021 as part of an an AHR RC IXQGHG SURM RMHFW µ7KH SLJPHQWV RI %ULWLVK LOOXPLQDW DWRUV - ¶ ust Looking ah ahead, from March 2022 the Library will be participating in a Wellcome Tru funded project to digitize, catalogue, an and conserve over 180 medical manuscriptss in &DP DPEULGJH LQFOXGLQJ HLJKW IU IURP 6W -RKQ¶V DQ DQG WR WUDQ DQVFULEH DS DSSUR[LPDWHO\ medical recipes in full. Staffffing During the Christmas Vacation, two undergraduates of the College, Rebecca Gutteriddge annd Emily Murdoch, came forward to offfeer their services as volunteers. Although h it ZDVQ¶W SRVVLEOH WR SURYLGH DQ DQ\ RQ-site work, they took on a remote traan nscription projeect, worrking on the paap pers of Thomas Clarkson. In July 2021 they were joined by Adi A Leven. Media Filming of the Sub-Librar ariaan n with the Southam mp pton Psalter took place in the Old O Library forr the Southampton Psalter project in April 2021. Filming of Proffeessor Máire Ni Mhaonaigh with the Southampton Psalter took placee in the Old Librar ary for the Southampton Psalter project in Julyy 2021. Katthryn yn McKee Sub-Librar arian an and Special Collections Librarriaan n

Annual Report 2020-2021

The Biographical Office General Overview The period covered by this report is August 2020 to July 2021, and throughout this time GXH WR WKH *RYHUQPHQW¶V DGYLFH WR ZRUN IURP KRPH ZKHUH SRssible the Biographical Office staff continued to do this, as they had for the last four months of the previous year. A gradual return to the office commenced in May and by July the office was staffed at least two and often three days a week, in preparation for a full return to onsite working for all members of staff by 1 September. The work of the Biographical Office remained largely the same regardless of where we were working, although we offer thanks to our colleagues who live in Cambridge and whose jobs did require them to be on site, as they ensured post got opened, scans of items of mail and of material from the collections that we needed were kindly produced, printing was done, and letters put in the post. We could not have continued to do our jobs remotely without that assistance so are very grateful for the wider Library team for their help, and indeed staff in other departments in College who were sometimes in receipt of mail intended for the Biographical Librarian, in particular death notifications, and emailed scanned copies through. The table below offers an insight into the volume of biographical information received and correspondence generated over the last year, concerning members of the College from the sixteenth century to the present GD\ 7KH SUHYLRXV WKUHH \HDUV¶ ILJXUHV DUH provided for comparison. Action Biographical material received Biographical Archive consulted Items filed in Biographical Archive Emails and letters sent Proactive research

2020-21 2971 470 978 6100 1575

2019-20 4099 559 235 5019 2390

2018-19 4021 611 515 3816 2415

2017-18 4169 651 527 3791 2402

The amount of new material received is less, due to Covid-19 with departments not being on site in order to pass information to us, and Johnians not posting information as much during that time either. However, the volume of correspondence has increased, mainly via email, much of which is connected with work on the death of members of the College and does not necessarily provide new biographical material for recording on the database in every instance.

Annual Report 2020-2021 It was not possible to file items in the physical Biographical Archive over the last year, however we ensured material was saved digitally, and the figures above reflect this new way of working, including incorporating figures for material not filed last year. In terms of proactive research, there was no concerted effort to find Johnians from certain year groups this year, as other work needed to take priority, and a backlog of data entry from material received is more important to concentrate on, than seeking new information.

The vast majority of the work of the office continues to be carried out by the two full time members of staff, but the assistance of the Library Graduate Trainee 2020-21, Katie Hannawin, has been invaluable, particularly as she was on site and kindly looked up information we could not access from home. She also diligently checked the announcements of death in The Times and the Telegraph for any Johnians. As with the SUHYLRXV \HDU¶V WUDLQHH LW Ls a shame that her traineeship was severely disrupted by restrictions due to Covid-19, and she had little opportunity to work on enquiries for this office as her time was taken up helping to keep the Working Library running smoothly. It is all the more pleasing, therefore, that she has been successful in securing the position of part-time Library Assistant and will remain with us in that role and continue to provide a limited amount of assistance to this office. That position became vacant due to the former Library Projects Assistant, Rebecca Watts, leaving the Library 5HEHFFD¶V assistance ² particularly when it came to researching information and creating webpages for this office ² has been very helpful, and we are grateful for all she did for us. Biographical Data Entry /DVW \HDU¶V $QQXDO 5HSRUW LQFOXGHG D WDEOH RI VRPH UHJXODU WDVNV XQGHUWDNHQ E\ WKH Biographical Office, and data entry featured strongly on the list. It is a key part of our day to day work, and meticulous attention to detail is required in using different sources for information, noting discrepancies and researching the correct information. It is timeconsuming, sometimes frustrating, but essential to the accurate maintenance of the &ROOHJH¶V UHFRUGV $V ZHOO DV HQVXULQJ LQGLYLGXDO UHFRrds are updated from CVs or other sources, data entry also relates to key groups of people.

Annual Report 2020-2021 This is the second year of the Biographical Assistant being responsible for the management of information relating to College and University clubs and societies, a task that historically fell to Library Graduate Trainees. This involves researching every club and society for Johnian involvement, and adding relevant committee membership/sporting participation to the database. In the case of College clubs and societies (of which, there are around 64) the information can be very hard to come by as they often have no independent web presence, and despite being an internal matter, no formal team/committee lists come our way. Counterintuitively perhaps, the process is easier with the University ones, as they often have their own websites and social media presence, meaning that it is just a case of checking the names of committee against our database to identify Johnians. Often though, committees are published undated (if at all), or in some cases, by forename only ± all highly dependent upon the efficiency of the incumbent members, and thus, often lacking consistency. What should have been a year of consolidation ± building on and improving the process ± has instead been frustrated by the pandemic, as various societies have let their websites lapse, and simply stop engaging with social media, which has made an already difficult task, more so. This year we have embarked upon a structured, rolling process to monitor Johnians who feature in :KR¶V :KR. Published in December each year, our approach will now be three-tiered: firstly, a complete check of :KR¶V :KR for every Fellow and Honorary Fellow featured (currently 77 entries). Secondly, to ensure that no featured Johnian goes more than 5 years without having :KR¶V :KR checked in full, a further 80 entries will EH FKHFNHG /DVWO\ D µKHDGOLQH¶ FKHFN IRU WKH UHPDLQLQJ -RKQLDQV ± this means using :KR¶V :KR¶V VHDUFK VXPPDU\ WR HQVXUH WKDW FXUUHQW WLWOH DQG FDUHHU FKDQJHV DUH captured. We are planning to commence work of a similar nature on Johnian clergy, by implementing a biannual check of &URFNIRUG¶V &OHULFDO 'LUHFWRU\ (which had always been our ideal, but in reality it was done less often due to other pressures on our time). This is likely to be less time consuming than the work on :KR¶V :KR given the numbers involved, and because in order to use &URFNIRUG¶V, we need to know the name of whom we are searching for in advance. Unfortunately there is no way to search for all clergy who have DWWHQGHG 6W -RKQ¶V DQG WKXV ZH FDQ only research those we already know to be ordained. The other large-VFDOH SURMHFW WR KDYH EHHQ VXEVXPHG LQWR WKH %LRJUDSKLFDO $VVLVWDQW¶V ongoing responsibilities is the creation of records for each new cohort of Freshers. For the 2020-21 academic year, this meant the creation of approximately 270 records, and then subsequently dealing with the associated data entry, a process which should be complete by the end of this calendar year, and which was initially delayed by a change in processes elsewhere in College. 37

Annual Report 2020-2021 Honours and Learned Societies 7KH EHODWHG 4XHHQ¶V %LUWKGD\ +RQRXUV OLVW ZDV SXEOLVKHG LQ 2FWREHU DQG LW ZDV DOVR an expanded list, with about 200 more names than usual at the MBE and BEM level. Despite this, the Biographical Assistant single-handedly checked every single name on the list in one day looking for Johnians so that our Communications Office could publish a news item on our website at the earliest opportunity and the Master could write to congratulate them all as soon as possible. Many other Colleges rely on the University Development and Alumni Relations (CUDAR) researchers to check the Honours List and feed back to them on which of their alumni have been honoured, which takes that team a week ± which is understandable as they are checking for all Cambridge alumni. We are proud of our reputation for regularly being the first of the Colleges to notify the University of all members mentioned in the lists. Once again this year our efficiency at checking the Honours Lists was mentioned by CUDAR in a circular to all Colleges following the New Year Honours list in January where the Biographical Assistant was the only person from outside that University department who was namechecked. AnnouncemeQWV E\ WKH FRXQWU\¶V OHDGLQJ OHDUQHG VRFLHWLHV DQG RUJDQLVDWLRQV DOVR continue to be monitored for news of elections to fellowships and prizes awarded, trawling thousands of names on the lookout for Johnians. While the list below is by no means reflective of the extent of Johnian achievement this year, it highlights that Johnians continue to be represented among the most respected of professional bodies, and in receipt of some of the most important honours. x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

1 Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 3 Officers of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) 2 Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) 1 Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) 2 Medalists of the Order of the British Empire (BEM) 1 Nobel Prize 3 Fellows of the Royal Society (FRS) 2 Fellows of the British Academy (FBA) 3 Members of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO) 1 Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales (FLSW) 1 QC 1 Royal Geographical Society Medal 1 Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal 2 Fellows of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (FRCVS) 3 Fellows of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL)

In addition to monitoring current awards, the Biographical Assistant embarked upon a project to FKHFN WKH OLVW RI WKRVH DZDUGHG WKH 5R\DO 6RFLHW\¶V &URRQLDQ 0HGDO DQG /HFWXUH VLQFH LWV LQFHSWLRQ LQ WKH V (OHYHQ -RKQLDQ UHFLSLHQWV ZHUH LGHQWLILHG DQG SXEOLVKHG RQ WKH %LRJUDSKLFDO ZHESDJHV DORQJVLGH WKH SUH H[LVWLQJ OLVWV IRU WKH 6RFLHW\¶V &RSOH\ 0HGDO 5R\DO 0HGDO DQG %DNHULDQ 0HGDO DQG /HFWXUH )XUWKHUPRUH DOO RI WKH 6RFLHW\¶V RWKHU DZDUGV KDYH QRZ EHHQ FKHFNHG DQG UHFLSLHQWV ZLOO EH DGGHG WR WKH ZHEVLWH LQ GXH FRXUVH $V DQ H[WHQVLRQ WR WKLV QXPHURXV KLVWRULF DZDUGV OLVWV 38

Annual Report 2020-2021 IURP YDULRXV QRWDEOH VRFLHWLHV KDYH EHHQ H[DPLQHG VXFK DV 7KH %ULWLVK $FDGHP\ 7KH ,QVWLWXWH RI 3K\VLFV 7KH 5R\DO $FDGHP\ RI (QJLQHHULQJ 7KH 5R\DO $VWURQRPLFDO 6RFLHW\ 7KH 5R\DO 6RFLHW\ RI &KHPLVWU\ DQG WKH )DUDGD\ 0HGDOOLVWV RI 7KH ,QVWLWXWLRQ RI (QJLQHHULQJ DQG 7HFKQRORJ\ ZLWK D YLHZ WR IXUWKHU HQKDQFLQJ WKH %LRJUDSKLFDO ZHESDJHV GXULQJ WKLV FRPLQJ DFDGHPLF \HDU 7KLV \HDU ZDV DOVR QRWDEOH IRU WKH DGGLWLRQ RI WKH &ROOHJH¶V WHQWK 1REHO /DXUHDWH +RQRUDU\ )HOORZ 3URIHVVRU 6LU 5RJHU 3HQURVH ZLQQHU RI WKH 1REHO 3UL]H LQ 3K\VLFV µIRU WKH GLVFRYHU\ WKDW EODFN KROH IRUPDWLRQ LV D UREXVW SUHGLFWLRQ RI WKH JHQHUDO WKHRU\ RI UHODWLYLW\¶ 7KH LPDJH EHORZ VKRZV DQ H[DPSOH RI 3HQURVH WLOLQJ DW WKH HQWUDQFH WR WKH /LEUDU\

Biographical Enquiries A conversation with the relative of a Johnian recently emphasised how the course of somHRQH¶V OLIH FRXOG VR HDVLO\ KDYH EHHQ GLIIHUHQW KDG RQH RI WKHLU DQFHVWRUV QRW EHHQ WR &DPEULGJH DQG VSHFLILFDOO\ 6W -RKQ¶V ,W EHFDPH FOHDU KRZ WKH SHRSOH KH PHW GXULQJ his time here, the academic rigour, and the surroundings, moulded him into the person he became and influenced key decisions he made about his life, which in turn altered the future of his children. The joy of dealing with enquiries of this nature is it can reveal new details to the person asking for assistance, or at least confirm what they may have already suspected. But it can also offer new insights to us as we conduct our research and identify information held on our records for years which comes to light as a welcome discovery. The majority of enquiries received by this office concern individual Johnians, but some are more wide-ranging, dealing with several members of the same family or those with shared interests, achievements or experiences. The pattern of enquiries completed this year is shown below, along with the previous thrHH \HDUV¶ ILJXUHV IRU FRPSDULVRQ

Annual Report 2020-2021 Century Sixteenth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty-first More than one century/Other Total

2020-21 9 10 10 43 257 24 9 362

2019-20 11 10 11 51 334 39 10 466

2018-19 15 13 14 53 348 45 12 500

2017-18 14 7 9 48 321 45 10 454

The figure is once again down from previous years. This is not due to fewer enquiries being received: the number of emails seeking assistance remain broadly the same, so there is a backlog in dealing with enquiries which will be addressed in the coming year. Almost all the enquiries were dealt with by the Biographical Librarian, whose time is split between this and other work, including obituaries, which increasingly take up a good deal of time for several months of the year, and this does impact on the number of people it is possible to help with non-urgent requests for information on alumni, especially more in-depth requests or those relating to groups of people. Those with urgent requests or deadlines have received a response in a timely fashion ± often the same day.

Not being on site has been less of a factor than might be supposed, thanks to the Special Collections Assistant in particular very kindly scanning in material to assist with answering enquiries. In addition the Graduate Trainee kindly consulted books in the Library in order to resolve specific queries. This has enabled much more to be done than would otherwise have been possible. As there was not a clear indication of when the return to work on site would be, however, certain tasks were left until we were back in College, and the period covered by this report ended a month before the full time return to on site working. 40

Annual Report 2020-2021 Deceased Johnians The College learnt of the death of 162 Johnians during the last year. The Biographical /LEUDULDQ XSGDWHV WKH &ROOHJH¶V UHFRUGV LQ WKHVH FDVHV OLDLVHV ZLWK WKH IDPLO\ RU IULHQGV where necessary, and informs all those who need to know, such as: x x x x x

the Master, in cases where it is appropriate to send a letter of condolence thH &ROOHJH 'HYHORSPHQW 2IILFH DQG WKH 8QLYHUVLW\¶V 'HYHORSPHQW DQG Alumni Relations Office, so that mailings cease, and in case it is relevant to contact they have had with the individual concerning fundraising or events their former Tutor or Director of Studies, if they are still a Fellow other educational establishments, if requested Johnian friends, if requested.

Of those 162 deaths, The Eagle 2021 contains brief obituaries for 134 Johnians, most of whom died in the calendar year 2020, but anybody who died between 2016 and 2019 whose death the College had not previously been informed of, is also included. This leaves a difference of 28 people which is made up of: x x x

)HOORZV UHTXLULQJ IXOO RELWXDULHV LQ WKLV RU QH[W \HDU¶V YROXPH RI The Eagle, which have not been arranged by this office for the last few years and are handled by the Editors who seek Fellows or others to provide a longer tribute. 21 individuals who died more than five years ago, so as much information is gathered for our records as possible, but the death is not published. 4 Johnians whose deaths were reported but there is not enough evidence to announce this. This may be because mail was returned from the current RFFXSLHU RI WKHLU DGGUHVV PDUNHG µGHFHDVHG¶ ZKLFK ZH QHYHU WDNH DV VXIILFLent evidence alone as occasionally people send mail back with such a note merely to ensure no further communication is received rather than because they really have died. In some cases we become aware of the fact a death notice has appeared in the press for someone with the same name as a member of the &ROOHJH EXW WKHUH DUH QRW HQRXJK RWKHU GHWDLOV WR FRQILUP LW LV µRXU¶ SHUVRQ RI that name. Further research is conducted in these cases, as far as reasonable, but is sometimes unsuccessful.

The Alumni obituaries, which appear on pages 98-151 of The Eagle 2021, are prepared by Colin Greenhalgh (1960), Fellow Commoner, and Tim Jones (1974), using information provided by the Biographical Librarian, in some FDVHV IURP WKH &ROOHJH¶V UHFRUGV from published obituaries, family and friends, and other sources. It is time-consuming and detailed work HQVXULQJ WKDW WKH &ROOHJH¶V UHFRUGV are up to date and the details put forward to use to compile the obituaries is accurate. 41

Annual Report 2020-2021 Several people have asked whether the number of Johnian deaths have increased due to Covid-19. The table below compares the figures given above with those from last year. We do not necessarily know how many Johnians have died as a result of the pandemic, as the cause of death is not always reported to us, but clearly the figures are very similar. Deaths recorded Total number Those included in Alumni obituaries section of The Eagle

2020 162 134

2019 160 137

Thanks should be given to those who have no connection with the College, but have helped in putting us in touch with friends and family members of deceased Johnians, or by supplying information which has broadened our knowledge of what they achieved in life. This includes old schools, local clubs and societies, churches, care homes, and funeral directors. The comment below was made by a member of care home staff, at the height of the pandemic, in response to being thanked for being helpful in putting the College in touch with the widow of a Johnian: µ:KLOH ZH DUH DOO TXLWH EXV\ ZLWK RXr daily tasks I like to think that we should never EH WRR EXV\ WR GR D NLQG GHHG ¶ Fiona Colbert Biographical Librarian

Paul Everest Biographical Assistant

Annual Report 2020-2021

College Archives Reading Room and Enquiries 218 enquiries were received and answered in the year beginning 4 October 2020. Research topics included Kent manorial records, College gardens, individual properties on College estates, the Lady Margaret boat house, provisions in the 16th-century College statutes for religious worship, and family history research into possible former College employees and tenants. The Reading Room opened to visitors in July, after the government lifted the majority of national restrictions. However, the specialist air conditioning system used to regulate environmental conditions for the long-term preservation of the manuscripts, and which cannot therefore be turned off, recirculates 90% of the air within each room, and windows are sealed shut: in order to balance accessibility with safety, whilst the number of days per week on which the archive centre is open is at its pre-pandemic level, at the present time opening times have been changed to half-days, with only one researcher using the space at any one time. Future changes to this arrangement will be published on the archives webpage. Exhibitions Two virtual exhibitions have been curated this year: a seasonally-inspired look at DUFKLYH HYLGHQFH IRU WKH ³)HVWLYH 6HDVRQ DW 7XGRU 6W -RKQ¶V´ (https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/festive-season-tudor-st-johns) and an exploration of how medieval deeds in the archives can be interpreted to understand more about female landholders in Cambridgeshire between c. 1200 and c. 1400 (https://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/women-and-landholding-mediaeval-cambridge). This last includes examples of deeds featuring the same parties, building a more detailed picture of individual families. As more deeds are added to the online catalogue (currently in draft form), these connections will become more readily detected and traced. The Archivist has also begun contributing to the LibraU\¶V WZLWWHU DFFRXQW RQ D UHJXODU EDVLV

3D\PHQWV LQ WR %DUWKRORPHZ 'RGLQJWRQ )HOORZ IRU VHUYLQJ DV WKDW \HDU¶V µ/RUGH LQ &KULVWLQPDV¶ DQG WR WKH WRZQ ZDLWV µDFFRUGLQJH WR \H ROGH &XVWRPH¶ 5HI 6-&5 6-$5

Cataloguing :RUN RQ WKH µJRYHUQLQJ UHFRUGV¶ VHFWLRQ RI WKH RQOLQH FDWDORJXH UHODWLQJ WR WKH foundation of named scholarships, fellowships, and exhibitions has been completed, the items physically renumbered and moved so that they are stored together. Work on the YHU\ ODUJH µHVWDWH UHFRUGV¶ VHULHV FRQWLQXHV ZLWK WZR SDUDOOHO OLQHV RI SURFHGXUH typescript card indexes created in the mid-20th century for large groups of mediaeval deeds, mostly relating to estates in Cambridgeshire, are being transferred to the online catalogue and re-arranged by estate (this amounts to thousands of documents); lists are created from searches of the database created in the 1990s for the names of individual estates, and records that under the old system were formerly held in the same drawer as the database µKLWV¶ DUH FKHFNHG DV LQVWDQFHV KDYH EHHQ IRXQG ZKHUH WKH\ UHODWH WR WKH 43

Annual Report 2020-2021 same estate but it is not named in the database description. There is also a third strand, where records that have been grouped together on the database under a single description, but contain individual manuscripts relating to different estates, are being itemised to understand whether the grouping is their original order or whether they can be re-arranged into the relevant estates (former references always being retained as part of the catalogue entry). Although the original intention was to work through the estates alphabetically, as that is how they will be arranged in the finished catalogue, it has become clear that it is more efficient to work on estates within the same county, as those records are often related. Enquiry work on Kent has led to records relating to estates within that county being described and dated in more detail, for the benefit of future researchers, so those descriptions are being fed into the online catalogue now, even though they are not next in the alphabetical sequence.

Grant by Margaret Rumbold, widow, to William Wauberd of lands in the fields of Coton. It can be dated to between 1232 and 1241-3 thanks to the reference to a neighbouring landholder, Lady Hawise of Chester. Ref. SJCA/D25.59

Annual Report 2020-2021 Preservation SJAR/6/1/6/1 (Residents' Register 1770-1817) has been treated by the Cambridge Conservation Consortium. A noted entry in this book is that of Patrick Brontë, who in his time at Cambridge changed his surname from Branty.

Entry in the Residents¶ Register for Patrick Brontë, 1802-05, the original spelling of his surname, µBranty¶, crossed out.

Currently being treated by the Consortium is the charter of confirmation by the Bishop of Ely of the foundatioQ RI 6W -RKQ¶V ,WV FRQGLWLRQ LV QRW SRRU EXW LW LV GLIILFXOW to handle as it consists of several parchment membranes which have been folded into quite a small parcel, along lines into which the parchment is now settled, so it will be humidified, flattened, cleaned, and housed in a custom-made box which will accommodate the large wax seal, attached to the document by a rather fine plaited green and white cord woven with gold thread. This has the further advantage of providing a display item for group visits in the future. Work has begun in-house on boxing smaller volumes, dusting them with special brushes before putting a number of volumes into standard-sized archive boxes, which will give them greater protection as well as reduce shelf space used. Archive Service Accreditation In late 2017 the College archives was awarded accreditated status under the Archive Service Accreditation Scheme, the UK standard for archive services. In order to retain this status, a full review is undertaken six years after the first award, with an interim three-year review. Although smaller-scale than the full review, the interim review is nonetheless a rigorous process and requires the submission of a lot of supporting documentation. After the application was submitted, the Archivist was interviewed by the programme manager, who reported back to the award panel. The panel agreed that WKH DUFKLYHV VKRXOG UHWDLQ LWV DFFUHGLWHG VWDWXV DQG LWV QRWLILFDWLRQ OHWWHU QRWHG µKRZ well the change of personnel had been managed in the archive service and commended the solid improvements made by this small archive service since accreditation¶. 45

Annual Report 2020-2021 Gifts The following items have been received, with thanks to the donors: x 0DWHULDO EHORQJLQJ WR 3URI (UQHVW $ %HQLDQV 0DVWHU RI 6W -RKQ¶V -52: photograph of 1905 Debating Society; photograph of 1941 Hockey XI; speech notes, letter, and menus; published monographs / pamphlets about St John's x Order of Service, memorial for College members, choir school and servants who died in active service 1914-1919 x Memorabilia belonging to Basil Walter Vincent (BA 1928): dinner menus, records of sporting fixtures, signed College Ball programme, and concert programme x $UWLFOH E\ 'U $QWRQHOOR $OLFL ³/¶DOWUD &DPEULGJH /D 6ILGD GHOOD 0RGHUQLWj nel Paesaggio dell'accedemia: Cripps Building at St John's College" (journal offprint) x 6W -RKQ¶V 3RHWU\ 3DPSKOHW x Material belonging to Dr George Osbaldiston (PhD 1966) and Mrs Diana Osbaldiston: programmes and ticket for events celebrating the 450th anniversary of the foundation of the College; May Ball tickets 1963 and 1966; May Ball programme 1963; engraving of the College Chapel

Debating Society, 1905. Ref. SJCR/SJCS/15/9/1

Lynsey Darby College Archivist

Annual Report 2020-2021

Digital Activities Website In a year where restrictions on our daily lives have been in a state of constant change, the Library website has proved to be an invaluable resource and means of communication. Each term we have had to implement different safety precautions within the Library, and the website has been a key way in which we have been able to communicate the changes to students and staff alike. From our opening hours to the different services we have RIIHUHG RYHU WKH FRXUVH RI WKH SDQGHPLF WKH µ&29,'-19 8SGDWH¶ VHFWLRQ RI the Library page has provided students with up-to-date details of Library operations. We have also made sure to maintain the more day-to-day sections of the Library website VXFK DV WKH µ:RUNLQJ /LEUDU\¶ DQG µ/LEUDU\ &DWDORJXH¶ SDJHV as students have still needed these to support their learning. Physical exhibitions have been unable to take place in the Library, and consequently we have also made use of the website to continue the production of online exhibitions. There have been four online exhibitions RYHU WKH FRXUVH RI WKH \HDU µ%DUER\ 6FKRODU Poet, Spy: The party-FRORXU¶G OLIH RI 0DWWKHZ 3ULRU¶ µ6ODYHU\ DQG $EROLWLRQ &ROOHFWLRQV 8QFRYHUHG¶ µ9LVLRQV RI WKH (QG 6HOHFWHG $SRFDO\SVHV IURP WKH /LEUDU\¶ and, most recently, µ7KH +XJXHQRWV 7KH 6WRU\ RI WKH )UHQFK 5HIRUPDWLRQ¶ $OWKRXJK we have missed being able to welcome the public into the Library to see these exhibitions in person, making more of our collections visible online has been a very rewarding experience, and something we hope to continue doing in the future.

The Exhibitions section of the College website, October 2021

Annual Report 2020-2021 Social Media Facebook Last year we noted that our Facebook reach was relatively limited, and that a more targeted approach in our use of the site would be more effective in communicating with students. In response to this, we made contact with both the JCR and SBR Presidents, and asked for the Library Facebook page, @StJohnsLibCam, to be added as a member to their respective student Facebook groups. This has enabled us to share important information about the Library directly with our student bodies, and has meant that even students who do not follow the Library Facebook page have still been able to engage with the information we post on there. It has also made the Facebook page visible to far more students than previously, and as a result we have had a surge in page likes and follows. In August 2020 we had just 151 likes and 159 followers; as of 25 September 2021, we have 344 likes and 382 followers. This by far exceeds our previous average of 20 additional likes per year, and, as can be seen in the graph below, there is a direct correlation between the time we started posting into the student pages (end of October 2020), and the increase in the number of followers.

Followers gained by the Library Facebook page, August 2020 to September 2021. Followers jumped from 180 on 25 October 2020, to 249 on 30 October 2020.

Pinterest The Library Pinterest account, @stjohnscollegelibrary, is a new account that was set up this year by Rebecca (Library Assistant) and Katie (then Graduate Trainee). Due to Covid-19, many students were away from College for significant periods of the year, and consequently were unable to browse the shelves for books. It came to our attention that Churchill and Wolfson Colleges were using the social media site Pinterest as a way WR FUHDWH D µYLUWXDO¶ EURZVLQJ HQYLURQPHQW IRU VWXGHQWV DQG LQVSLUHG E\ WKHLU VXFFHVV we decided to create our own account. On our account page, we upload photos of all of our new books, as well as any books or DVDs used in the monthly Ground Floor displays. We then create a pin which links to the University catalogue, iDiscover, or to the film trailer if the item is a DVD. We 48

Annual Report 2020-2021 also include the publisher blurbs, as well as information about where they can find both the physical and (if available) virtual copy of the item. This enables students to scroll WKURXJK DQG µEURZVH¶ RXU GLVSOD\V IURP ZKHUHYHU they find themselves in the world! $OWKRXJK ZH FXUUHQWO\ GRQ¶W KDYH PDQ\ IROORZHUV WKLV KDV EHHQ D YHU\ ZRUWKZKLOH project, and we hope to be able to promote it much more effectively within the student community once the new academic year starts. Katie Hannawin Library Assistant

The Library Pinterest homepage, October 2021

An example of a 'Pin' from the Library Pinterest page, October 2021

Annual Report 2020-2021

Environmental Monitoring and Control Working Library Environment The Library uses small electronic sensors called Tinytags to monitor temperature and relative humidity levels within the Working Library. There are six tags in total; five at various locations in the Working Library, and one in the Library storage area in the Old Divinity School basement. The tags record readings from their environment every 10 minutes. This data is then downloaded from the tags every two weeks, and entered into a spreadsheet. This enables Library staff to easily notice when a reading is unusual. This year there have been a few disruptions to the recording of the data, due to several tags running out of battery, and access being restricted to the Old Divinity School until June. Nevertheless, the data is still mostly complete for 2021 so far. Maximum Temperature ( C) by Month 50 40 30 20 10 0 January XBS

February Chapel BS

March Garden BS

April

May

First Floor CC

June Third Floor

July

August

Divinity School

Minimum Temperature ( C) by Month 50 40 30 20 10 0 January XBS

February Chapel BS

March Garden BS

April

May

First Floor CC

June Third Floor

July

August

Divinity School

As can be seen in the graphs above, the maximum temperature of the Library is very similar to previous years, although July saw significantly higher temperatures than normal on the Third Floor. The minimum temperatures have been much lower this year, with the First Floor being the coldest part of the Library. This is almost certainly due to the windows being open to mitigate the risk of Covid-19, and it is interesting to see how much impact this made ² in January and February, temperatures reached lows of 13°C on the First Floor! The windows will be remaining open for the foreseeable future, so it will be interesting to see how WKLV \HDU¶V GDWD ZLOO FRPSDUH ZLWK WKDW RI -22. Katie Hannawin Library Assistant 50

Annual Report 2020-2021

Old Library Environment Temperature and relative humidity are constantly monitored in the Old Library by means of sensors located on the north and south sides of the building and in the Oriel Window, in both Upper and Lower Library, in the Manuscripts Store, and in the Reading Room. The Manuscripts Store is kept at a constant 15 degrees Celsius and 50% RH. This was maintained throughout the year, any occasional faults being addressed rapidly by the Maintenance Department. Conditions in the Upper and Lower Library are monitored, but no controls are in place. In general conditions the Upper Library remain fairly stable, as in a space that large and with thick walls, any change is very gradual. RH is high in the Oriel window over the summer months, due to proximity to the Cam, but overall both temperature and humidity stayed within acceptable parameters throughout the year, and the cool summer meant that no bread beetle larvae hatched in the summer of 2021. The Lower Library has seen problems with high relative humidity in some years. High RH levels in July, August and September of 2020 brought the predictable mould outbreak in the autumn of 2020. Unfortunately, the summer of 2021 has seen similar conditions, so collections will be checked for mould again. Kathryn McKee Sub-Librarian

Annual Report 2020-2021 School of Pythagoras Environment Air conditioning and the dehumidification system in the Pythagoras Building are maintained by external contractors and monitored by the College Maintenance department, which also has some control over the plant. In addition, the Archivist monitors temperatures LQ WKH WZR VWURQJ URRPV XVLQJ µ7LQ\WDJV¶ GHYLFHV 7KHUH ZDV D gap in monitoring in March while the Tinytags devices were sent away to be recalibrated and have new batteries fitted, after one of the batteries ran out. The goal is for temperature and relative humidity to remain stable to within a few degrees or percentage points and within certain parameters. Seasonal fluctuations are always still apparent, and of course the effect of any power outage is immediately noticeable when the monitors are checked. In January to February this year, temperature and humidity were slightly outside accepted parameters (higher and lower respectively), particularly in the upper strong room, which may be attributed to work to the chiller units in the maintenance yard. Apart from a spike in temperature in early to mid-June, conditions are now stable. Insect traps spread throughout the building are also monitored and replaced, usually by the Graduate Trainee Assistant, but in current circumstances by the Archivist. Silverfish nymphs were found in these sticky traps in the early months of the year, and booklice twice in June and July, when external conditions were hot and humid, although fortunately the booklice were in a trap which is not near books or manuscripts. Areas near traps where these insects were found were cleaned by the Archivist using an alcohol solution and there is no evidence of any damage to documents, nor of the booklice having returned.

Lynsey Darby College Archivist

Annual Report 2020-2021

Sustainability ar, due to the overwhelming impact of Covid upon the t There is very little to note this yeear nly operaattional life of the Libraary. With large periods closed to readers, an and then on allowing small numbers in restriicted time slots, it is haarrd to gain an any real insight in nto changes in user behav aviour ± sim mply, energy use and wastage are drastically dow wn compared to other years, but purrely becau ause of the lockdowns and restrictions in plaace ven us limited opportunities to engage proactively with due to the pandemic. This has giv w the space and its users with an an eye to sustainability issues. One maintenan ance issue woorrth highlighting is the installation of new n pipes and a hot waatter cylinder in the t basement plant room over the t summer. These upgraded facilitties replace daatted an and poorly insulatted pipework, and high-energy usage ono demand electrical units, bringing muuch needed consistency and efffiiciency to tthe /LEUDU DU\¶V SOXPELQJ We continue to be a collection point for an an ar array ay of recyclin ng, such as batteries, printer cartridg ges, and blue bin waste. The Biograp aphical Assistant continues con ntinues to sit on WKH &ROOHJH¶V &ROOOHJH V 6XVWDLQDE DELOLW\ )RUX XP which means thaat we haav ve the opportunity to gather new ideas and to promote Libraarry initiat atives, so that we can an continue to meaningfully contrribute WR WKH &ROOHJH¶V ZLGGHU successes in the area of sustainability; this year winnin ng a Platinum Award in tthe 8QLYHUVLW\¶V *UHen Impact Awaarrds. TerraCycle The Terr rraCycle recycling initiatives haav ve changed somewhaatt since their inception. From the three streams managed voluntarily by the Biograap phical Assistan ant, we lost the biscuit and cracker packaging to the closure of the scheme to privaatte collectors in 2019, annd the conffeectionaarry waste scheme is still on hold due to the cessation of collection at at the school to which it was being taken. In more positive news, a return to worrking on site meaan nt being able to send off the am amassedd crisp packaging waste, an and since collecting began an in December 2019, we have saav ved an an impressive 46.5kg of waaste from landffiill. ll The Biographical Assistant has also signed upp to collect cheese packagi packaging ing waste for TerraCycle, and regularly monitors new developments to communicate to the wider College community; we also continue to be a drop-offf point for the writing implements collection managed by the University Counselling Service's Green Impact team m. The loss of biscuit an and confectionaarry packaging collection has hopefully been largely mitigated by the Co-RS¶V KXJHO\ ZHOFRPH DQQRXQFHPHQW LQ -XO\ WKDW LW ZRXOG begin collection of all flexible plastic packaging in stores https://www.coop.co.uk/environment/soft-plastics. Paul Everest Biograap phical Assistant 53

Annual Report 2020-2021

Feedback Working Library x

Thank you for doing so much for us in a difficult year. Your willingness to go above and beyond to keep so many services running is massively appreciated. The Library is by far my favourite place in College, and that is because of all of your hard work and kindness. Thank you for being so helpful and accommodating this year, and making studying through lockdown a lot more bearable!

Study space: x Thank you so much for always being there to greet us with a smile and words of encouragement. You genuinely made studying a tiny bit better. Click-and-collect: x 7KDQN \RX VR PXFK IRU JHWWLQJ DOO WKRVH ERRNV RXW IRU PH« DQG QRZ SXWWLQJ them all back. Well beyond the call of duty. Virtual study sessions: x 7KDQN \RX IRU \RXU LQFUHGLEOH HIIRUW DQG VXSSRUW GXULQJ /HQW 7HUP ,¶P QRW VXUH ,¶G KDYH EHHQ DEOH WR ZRUN HIIHFWLYHO\ DW DOO KDG \RX QRW DOO EHHQ VR NLQG DQG helpful. The sessions helped me structure my day, which allowed me to work more productively. They also managed to keep me sane. Newsletter x

Thank you for this newsletter. It is always a pleasure to read, and has triggered for me many discoveries!

Special collections x x x x x

x x x

Please accept my appreciation and gratitude for not only the content of your replies but also the inspiration through the quality of your research. Would that all requests for permission to reproduce images were so smooth! Shoutout to the staff at @stjohnslibcam for being amazing. #phdlife Thank you so much for these beautifully scanned pages. I cannot properly express my gratitude for your kindness and efficiency on this occasion. BIG shout out to librarians and archivists. I emailed the @stjohnscam Library Special Collections about some papers I would love to see and had a reply within 2 hours, with additional information and documents. So grateful to all the librarians who help me with book research! Thanks for your quick and informed reply. I have already finished reading this source online thanks to you, and so there will be no need to drop by to read it on site. Thank you so much for the detective work. I'm wholly persuaded ± and relieved! ± by what you've found. It's been a real pleasure to find such kind assistance and support. I begin to wonder whether my goal is to reach new perspectives on a matter through research, or to enjoy the kindness I'm offered in the attempt. 54

Annual Report 2020-2021 Exhibitions x x x

Could you convey my appreciation of the Matthew Prior online exhibition featured in the latest email bulletin please, I found it very enjoyable, instructive and nicely pitched. Thank you to the Library. I cannot say how much I appreciate the manner in which the College archive on slavery has been presented. I read the account of the slavery exhibition with great interest and very much commend it.

Biographical Office Deaths: x I really appreciate you taking the time to write such a personal and compassionate email, thank you. x As ever a lovely reply and thank you so much for your kindness. x You have made a very difficult time so much easier thanks to your caring and sensitivity. x My father was so proud to be a member of the College, and from corresponding with you I can tell it is still a unique and special place. x <RX¶YH EHHQ YHU\ NLQG DQG FRQVLGHUDWH GXULQJ WKLV SURFHVV and thank you for your thoughtful words. Enquiries: x Thank you so very much for taking the time to send me such new and exciting information. Just as I feel I've hit a brick wall something new pops up! x Your tenacity and attention to detail is extraordinary! x You are a gem! What a lovely helpful reply! I can tell you enjoy your work ± and I am not surprised, as this is fascinating. x I am amazed at the amount of detail you have been able to uncover regarding [my relative]. I did not expect to find out so much as a result of my speculative communication. x Job well done! Thank you for your very fulsome and prompt reply. This is beyond helpful to me. Archives x x

Thank you yet again for all the diligent and impressive work you have undertaken. Brilliant, thank you, you have honestly been more helpful than you know.

Annual Report 2020-2021

Appendix 1 ± Regular Donors We are most grateful to the following donors for their generous and ongoing financial support in 2020 and 2021. This list includes those who contribute through the Sponsor a Shelf scheme to support the acquisition of new books in specific subject areas. Professor Bob Aliber Bill Ball FIMechE (Mechanical Engineering) Hugh M. F. Barnes-Yallowley (Political Economy) Ian and Fumiyo Boulton (Chemistry) Paul Cockerham FSA (Art History) Dr John Crompton Alan Daniels, in memoriam Reginald W. Daniels (Economics and Social Sciences) Patrick Field (Linguistics and Languages) Dr Bernard Freudenthal Barbara Goodman, in memoriam Henry Goodman (Computer Science) Dr Peter Hacking (Medicine) Simon Holmes David Hughes Christopher Joseph (Historical and Human Geography) Professor Edmund King Garth Lindrup (Private International Law) Greg Lowden (Modern History) Marika Mikuriya John R. Morris (Engineering) Dr Michael Neiditch 0LFKDHO 2¶+DUD Professor Stefan Reif Dr John H. W. Shaw (Victorian Poetry) Christine Schoenzart Irene Vest, in memoriam Michael John Vest Nicholas Wood (British History and Politics from 1980 onwards) David M. Wright (Geology and Earth Sciences) A full list of donors to the Library is published annually in The Eagle.