Today we went to St. Paul's Cathedral. It is a protestant cathedral completed in 1710 (after being destroyed 3 times before). Over the west entrance, a sculpture featuring cherubs, a heart, and a book remind the visitor that the Cathedral is not just a landmark our tourist destination. Joseph Wisdom was kind enough to give us a tour of the Cathedral's Library. After ascending 140 steps in a circular staircase, we entered the triforium. Within the triforium, many relics of the church had been gathered over 3 attempts to make a cohesive collection. Blocks of stone from the blitz, former pulpits, Biblical artwork, and even old tools are included in this mix.
In the west end of the Cathedral, two rooms were designated as library rooms. Within one room that was supposed to house the library, a large oak model of Christopher Wren's Cathedral design dominates the room. This model was designed to be physically walked through at eye level. Unfortunately, it resembled the Basilica too much and the design was rejected. The library is housed in the other room. This collection was almost completely destroyed by the Great Fire of 1666. Only 10 books and 3 manuscripts remained, including one psalter. In order to reestablish the collection, the librarian sought to buy books and take donations. One option was to buy the collections of deceased clergy. When World War II hit, the library was moved to a cave in Wales to protect it. After the war, all the books but one returned to St. Paul's Cathedral.
Today, the collection at St. Paul's serves churchgoers, novelists, historians, genealogists, and students, among others. The books themselves are sorted by subject, with the smaller books on the top shelves and the larger books towards the bottom shelves (as suggested by Humphrey Wanley). Though the library has restored its collection, it is still formally collecting books. The collection policy targets books about theology, as well as materials relating to the history and people of the Cathedral.
After explaining the history of the collection, Mr. Wisdom showed the class the correct method for handling aged books and other materials. This was very helpful for the members of the class who have not had the opportunity to interact with old books. He presented a question to the class, debating preservation strategy vs. use. He emphasized that it is important for items in a library to have context, and solely preserving or solely using books denies them their context.
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