You’re invited to the launch of ‘Sex, Death and Panto’!

Posted on April 4, 2017 by Joanna Baines

The end of the Spring Term is finally upon us (farewell deadlines; hello chocolate) and with that brings the annual launch of the DR575: Victorian and Edwardian Theatre exhibition, which is being held tomorrow (5th April) at 4.30pm.

This is the second year in a row that our second-year Drama and Theatre Undergraduates have had the challenge of designing an exhibition to fit in the new Templeman Library Gallery space as part of their final assignments. This year, the students have split into two groups looking at very different topics:

Group one: Crime, Scandal and Theatre

The Victorian fascination with the gothic and macabre was a key feature of 19th century society. But when scandalous crimes – like the Jack the Ripper murders – became all too real on the streets of London, how did playwrights reflect the concerns of their audiences? This exhibition will focus on several sensations of the period and explore how the theatrical world reacted. This topic has never been explored as part of this module before, and we can’t wait to see what our students come up with.

Group two: Drury Lane Pantomime of the Late Nineteenth Century

The Theatre Royal at Drury Lane stands on the oldest site of a theatre in London. The 1812 building that stands today is the fourth theatre erected there, and it has a rich history. This exhibition will explore how Augustus Harris’ management in the late 19th century changed the fortunes of the Theatre for the better – and, in particular, how Harris’ role in establishing the Pantomime tradition. It will explore the roles of actors and actresses working at the theatre through analysing material held in Special Collections & Archives.

The Victorian and Edwardian theatre module is always a highlight of the Special Collections & Archives team’s year; this time you’ll also be able to take a look back at past exhibitions to see how far the course has developed. Come along, have a drink and discover how fantastic an insight into Victorian Britain (and beyond) our wonderful theatre collections can provide!

DR575: Victorian and Edwardian Theatre FAQs

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Joanna Baines

The Bad Girl of the Familt publicity postcard

Publicity postcard for Fred Melville’s melodrama ‘The Bad Girl of the Family’, c.1909

We’re really looking forward to welcoming students on the DR575: Victorian and Edwardian Theatre module to Special Collections & Archives this term! It’s always tremendous fun for both our team and everyone studying.

To help everyone settle in, we’ve collated a list of the most commonly asked questions we get about using Special Collections & Archives during the module. This list is by no means exhaustive, and we’ll try and update it throughout the term. However, if you have a question please do have a look through this list to see if the information you need is here. As ever, we encourage you to get in touch with any queries you might have. See you in our Reading Room!

Accessing Special Collections & Archives

How do I find material to use from Special Collections & Archives?
How do I book an appointment to view material?
Can I book in to the Reading Room with a group of people?
How can I access the playbills you hold?

Contacting Special Collections & Archives

When is the Reading Room open?
I’ve emailed you with a query – when can I expect a reply?

Handling material in Special Collections & Archives

Do I need to wear white gloves?
How do I handle this item?
What can I bring into the Reading Room?

Accessing Special Collections & Archives elsewhere

How do I find other archives for my research?
Where can I find [X] archive?
How do I contact [X] archive?

Exhibition queries

I need a scan of this item! What do I do?
How long will it take you to scan items for me?
Can I use this image for my exhibition?
What should I get my exhibition material printed on to?
Where can I get material printed?
When do I need to get items sent to the printers by?
How much does [X] cost? Can I reclaim this money? How?

Accessing Special Collections & Archives material

How do I find material to use from Special Collections & Archives?
The majority of Special Collections material can be found on LibrarySearch. There are two main ways of finding material:

You can either select ‘Special Collections’ (or ‘British Cartoon Archive’) from the drop-down box on the right-hand side of the search bar, then enter your terms…

…Or you can enter your search terms as usual, then scroll down and select ‘Collections’ from the right-hand side of the screen. You can then select ‘Special Collections’ from the list:

Some Special Collections & Archives material is currently only catalogued on our own website, so it’s worth checking both. Our catalogue can be accessed on the first page:

Enter your search terms, and then you can narrow down the results by collection/type of material/subject…

Once you’ve found an item you’d like to see in our reading room, note down as much information as possible (especially the identifier) and drop us an email.

If you’re interested in searching the British Cartoon Archive, you can search for books using LibrarySearch as above…or you can use the British Cartoon Archive catalogue to search for cartoon artwork:

You can search using the box on top right-hand side of the screen, or click Advanced Search (cartoons) to locate more specific material. By using Advanced Search, you can narrow down results by several terms (such as artist and date). Once you’ve found something you’re interested in viewing, click the image thumbnail to view a bigger version of the image or click the artist’s name to find out more information about the artwork.

If you want to view higher resolution images, or see any original artwork, please do get in touch. It’s worth noting that artwork from the British Cartoon Archive is currently stored offsite due to the Library Refurbishment so we need at least two weeks’ notice to get any material for you. Additionally, some material from the British Cartoon Archive is very fragile, so if we have a digital copy we’ll likely ask you to use that for your research instead.

Return to FAQs list

How do I book an appointment to view material?

The main way of booking an appointment to view material is as follows:
When you find Special Collections & Archives material through LibrarySearch, you’ll see an option to request the item from Special Collections:

Once you click on the link, a pop-up window will emerge. Fill in the form using the details of the item on LibrarySearch, then scroll down to fill in the date you’d like to see the item (remembering that you need to give us at least two working days notice – and that we’re closed on Wednesdays):

Special Collections & Archives staff will then respond to your email to confirm the time of your appointment.

If you can’t make your appointment, or don’t need the material any more, please do let us know as soon as you can – it takes time to retrieve items from the stores and we’re limited on space for holding items in the Reading Room for you.

You can also email your request over to us at specialcollections@kent.ac.uk (giving as much information as you can about what you want to see) or pop in the office to see us.

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Can I book in to the Reading Room with a group of people?

You can, but please let us know in advance (how many people and what material you need) so we can check who else is booked in for that day. The Reading Room is often used by other researchers, and it tends to be a quieter space, so you’ll need to bear this in mind if you’re working as a group! If we have a lot of researchers booked in, we may need to ask you to come back on a different day.

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How can I access the playbills you hold?

Our playbills are currently being stored offsite during the Library refurbishment. The majority of them, however, have been digitised so we can generally supply you with a digital image of items via email or in the Reading Room. You can also view them online via searching our MODES catalogue. If you let us know the classmark (which will generally begin with UKC-POS), we can check if there’s a digital copy available. If there isn’t, we’ll need at least two weeks’ notice before we collect them from our offsite stores.

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Contacting Special Collections & Archives

The SC&A Reading Room

When is the Reading Room open?

The Reading Room is open Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 9.30am and 4.30pm. We are closed on Wednesdays and at weekends! Although we require 48 hours’ notice to retrieve material, you’re very welcome to drop in with any questions about using our collections during these hours.

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I’ve emailed you with a query – when can I expect a reply?

We aim to answer any queries about booking appointments within one working day, but more specific queries about your course/reprographics for your course will be answered on Tuesday afternoons. Please send any requests or questions over to us by Monday morning.

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Handling Special Collections & Archives material

Viewing an item in the Special Collections & Archives Reading Room

Do I need to wear white gloves?

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to wear white gloves to handle archival material – except in very special circumstances with certain items. White gloves generally don’t fit your hands exactly, and by wearing them you lose dexterity which can make turning fragile pages much more difficult. As long as your hands are clean and dry, and you haven’t used anything greasy on them beforehand like hand lotion, then touching material without gloves is fine. The British Library have some excellent guidelines that we all follow here.

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How do I handle this item?

The short answer to this question: ask us! We’ll always advise you on how to handle the items you’re looking at, but there are some general guidelines that apply to all our material:

If the item is on a book rest, it needs to stay on the book rest
Many of the books we hold require you to use snake weights to keep the pages open – this is to avoid putting excessive pressure on an area of the book in order to read it
Some of our material is in plastic (melinex) wallets for protection. Occasionally it’s possible to take items out of these wallets to view them, but if this is the case we’ll do that for you. If it’s in plastic, assume it stays in plastic
Treat every item (regardless of its age) carefully, even if it looks in great condition – it’s likely in such good condition because we’ve been so careful with it before!

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What can I bring into the Reading Room?

Before entering our Reading Room, you’ll need to put your coats and bags in one of our (free) lockers/on a coat hook and get out the items you need. You can bring in pencils, paper and laptops/tablets into the Reading Room. Ideally, any devices you bring in need to be charged up as we don’t have many plug points easily accessible at the moment. You are also welcome to take photos of material using your phone, as long as flash isn’t turned on. You can’t bring food, drink or pens of any kind into the Reading Room – doing so runs the risk of damaging the items out on display.

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Accessing Special Collections & Archives elsewhere

How do I find other archives for my research?

There are lots of other databases now that will help you find relevant material – here are a few of the main websites…
Archives Hub searches over 300 UK institutions, mainly from the UK education sector:

Discovery at The National Archives searches over 2500 archives in the UK (and, of course, the National Archives themselves):

Europeana searches archives across Europe to help you find what you need:

If you’re interested in finding theatre resources, the Association of Performing Arts Collections is a great place to start:

As ever, if you need extra help please do ask us – we’re here to help you with any aspect of using archives, not just our own lovely collections!

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Where can I find [X] archive?

Most archives are 21st-century friendly and have their own websites, so searching for them online generally yields results. If not, try using either Discovery or Archives Hub to find the collection you’re looking for.

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How do I contact [X] archive?

Once you’ve located the website of the archive you’re looking for, there should generally be a ‘Contact Us’ page with email or phone details. Like us, most archives will require you to make an appointment in advance to view material; the amount of notice you’ll need to give the material varies. Many archives will require you to fill out a form to register as a user, either online or in person when you arrive, and show proof of ID (passport or driving licence, generally) as well. Some may also require a letter of recommendation from a tutor – they should let you know this before you visit, so it’s always worth getting in touch.

Most archives will have similar rules about us regarding what you can bring in to their reading rooms – so always ensure you have a pencil with you!

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Exhibition queries

Objects and captions on display during the DR575 exhibition from 2016

I need a scan of this item! What do I do?

Please email specialcollections@kent.ac.uk and mark your email for the attention of Joanna, the Special Collections & Archives contact for this course.

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How long will it take you to scan items for me?

If you email your request to us by Monday, we’ll have a reply sent your way by Tuesday afternoon (along with the images). However, if your request is large (or you email us after Monday) this may take longer – we will let you know.

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Can I use this image for my exhibition?

Special Collections & Archives material (including British Cartoon Archive items) often has very strict regulations attached to it about who can use it and what for – sadly there’s no single rule about it, and you need to ask us before you use any images. Give us as much information as you can and we will get back to you as soon as possible. You can also check with your tutor.

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What should I get my exhibition material printed on to?

The quick answer: check with your tutor! In previous years, students have either had their captions and images printed onto Foamex boards (5mm), which is a little more expensive but tends to look really professional, or print out their own images and stick them onto Foamex by hand, which requires being rather adept with rulers and glue. It’s up to you!

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Where can I get material printed?

We recommend that you use the Design and Print Unit on campus, giving them as much notice as you can. You’ll need to send your items over to them via email in PDF format (no JPGS or DOCX files). In previous years, students have also used Omicron Reprographics in Canterbury – if in doubt, ask your tutor.

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When do I need to get items sent to the printers by?

The exhibition launches on Tuesday 4th April this term, and our Reading Room will be reserved for you to prepare your material on Monday 3rd/Tuesday 4th. We recommend checking with your tutor and the printers for specific deadlines, but please do allow time before these days to check your material has been printed correctly.

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How much does [X] cost? Can I reclaim this money? How?

If you’re using the Design and Print Unit on campus, they will be able to give you a quote before they print your work. All other budget-related queries go to your tutor, please!

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Special Collections & Archives 2016: our highlights

Posted on December 12, 2016 by Joanna Baines

With winter frost beginning to appear around campus, the wonderful end of term carol service just around the corner, festive activities everywhere and our Reading Room winter closure dates announced, it seems the end of 2016 is in sight at last. With this in mind, we thought we’d take a look back over our year as a team and share some of our favourite highlights with you all!

2016 has been a big year for Special Collections & Archives: we’re still amidst the ongoing Templeman Library refurbishment, but we’re settling into our new home in the shiny West extension well. We’ve seen launches of a new website for the British Cartoon Archive, and the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive got its collections out to the world online too. We launched our Instagram account, welcomed hundreds of you into our Reading Rooms and got involved with several exhibitions along the way. It’s no surprise that this year has really flown by for us – but there are many events we’ll remember well into the future:

Opening night of the DR575 Victorian Theatre exhibition, April 2016

Rachel (Special Collections & Metadata Library Assistant): “On Wednesday 6^th April the yearly exhibition by Kent second year students on the British Theatre History module launched. Whilst this has been an annual event for several years, this time the students faced a bigger challenge than ever: the size of the Templeman exhibition space. This was only the second exhibition in the new space, and was more than twice the size of spaces used in the past! The students rose to the challenge admirably, and created a very successful and effective exhibition on Women on Stage and in Society : 1850-1915.”

Andy Capp and his wife Flo give as good as they get! AC3414, December 1969, British Cartoon Archive

Mandy (Digital Imaging Assistant): “I’ve been scanning material from the British Cartoon Archive so everyone can view it online. I’ve enjoyed seeing how funny the Andy Capp pictures were, and how things have changed as regards to how women were seen. I also got to catalogue some vinyl records – it was like going back in time! Getting them out of the cardboard sleeves with the A and B sides.”

Andy Hamilton talking at the Gulbenkian Theatre on campus, May 2016

Elspeth (Assistant Curator – Special Collections & Archives): “My highlight of the year would be the 2016 Linda Smith Lecture, the second annual lecture which is intended to celebrate comedy and its use in, and for, political and social comment (as well as to promote the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive). In May 2016 the lecture was given by Andy Hamilton. Andy is a comedian and comedy writer for radio and TV (and well known for regular appearances on topical and panel shows).

Andy covered a number of topics in his lecture, entitled ‘A Life in Comedy (and the Comedy in Life)’, including his career in comedy and the social importance of comedy. The lecture was audio recorded and can be accessed at the University’s Special Collections & Archives. Keep tuned for news about the 2017 guest lecturer!”

Clockwise from top left: – Illumination from 15thC Book of Hours. The skull begins The office of the dead [Officium Mortuorum, Officium Defunctorum or Vigiliae mortuorum] – Illuminated manuscript leaf from 15thC Fragment of Psalter and Kalender mss – Decorated letter from 12th century De consensu Evangelistarum by Saint Augustine, Bishop of Hippo – Josie talking about the collection at a public exhibition at Drill Hall Library in March 2016

Josie (Metadata Assistant and Rochester Cathedral Cataloguer):“Looking back at 2016 my fondest memory has been the opportunity I have had to catalogue the extraordinary collection from Rochester Cathedral Library. My involvement with the project grew to be more than I imagined it could be, giving me the opportunity to build new relationships and be part of the legacy of a beautiful, rare and culturally significant collection.”

Outreach posters, learning guides, feedback and groups

Clockwise from top left: Promotional posters, learning resource leaflets, group vists in action, and feedback post-its!

Joanna (Senior Library Assistant – Special Collections & Archives): “I’ve loved getting to know the wonderful collections we have here through running many teaching and outreach sessions. This year, we’ve hosted groups ranging from year 10 school students from Folkestone and Maidstone through to postgraduates at the University. The material we’ve used has spanned a huge variety of themes, including the First World War, Shakespeare and Early Modern playwrights, the history of comic strips, peace treaties, stand up comedy, Victorian theatre, local history and curation. We’ve been trying to integrate more material from the fantastic British Cartoon Archive into our sessions, and it’s always been a huge success! We’ve also been developing lesson guides so students have something to take away with them, and I hope we can develop our outreach even more next year.”

Clockwise from top left: Tavener Bible (1549, SC&A); illuminated leaf from Fragments of Psalter and Kalendar (c. 15th Century, Rochester Cathedral Library); A Display of Heraldry (1679, SC&A); Soliloquium de quatuor mentalibus exercitiis (c. 14th Century, Rochester Cathedral Library); Wingham and Chatham Dockyard indentures (c. 14th century, SC&A); A topographical map of the county of Kent (1769, Rochester Cathedral Library)

Melissa (Head of Academic Liaison): “Whilst it would be difficult to single one memory out, it would have to be viewing the collections themselves. Having the opportunity to engage with the wonderful, diverse and rich materials as part of the exhibitions and displays hosted by SC&A is a fabulously rewarding experience.

The collections do truly speak for themselves but this year, probably the stand out moment for me was when we were able to showcase some of the Rochester Cathedral collections alongside some of our own collections as part of the summer Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies Festival . This rare opportunity to engage with some of the highlights from the Rochester Cathedral collections, following our cataloguing project we have undertaken with them, was not to be missed. I am particularly drawn to old maps and rich imagery and I captured some of my favourite materials from the exhibition. I am therefore letting the photographs do the talking!”

Jane in her element – with rare books!

Jane (Humanities Liaison Libarian): “Although I have spent most of this year out of Special Collections, on a secondment as Liaison Librarian for Humanities, I’ve still been lucky enough to be involved. Back in January, I found myself starring (rather unexpectedly) alongside materials and academics in a promotional video for new modules running in the School of History and CompLit – my hands and skill at nodding are now out there on the web! It’s also been great to link up with the Marlowe Society and to be asked to take care of the two volume copy of Holinshed from the 16thC. This chronicle is believed to be the key source for both Shakespeare and Marlowe when they were writing their history plays, so an excellent addition to our Early Modern and theatre expertise.

Over in my new role, I’ve been delighted to help bring the wide range of collections to the notice of researchers and learners, particularly planning ahead for new courses and new interaction in the years to come. With such an array of exciting materials, I’ve no doubt that Special Collections & Archives will be engaging all kinds of researchers next year.”

Building of Rutherford College, October 1966

Ann (University Archivist): “I found 2016 a particularly exciting year, in which we celebrated 50 years since the opening of Rutherford college in 1966 and the second intake of University of Kent students. The history of the University of Kent, and the inspirational tales of some of Kent’s alumni, were celebrated in the BBC South East documentary ‘Living in ’66 – The Education Revolution’. Back to the present day, in 2016, I have been privileged to preserve the history of an institution that is so proud of its place within Europe, and still says very loudly that we are the UK’s European University. Special Collections & Archives serves both local and international communities, and in 2017 I will really look forward to seeing how we can engage new audiences in the fascinating pasts that we hold.”

We can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for us! What are your favourite archival memories of this year?

From all the team in Special Collections & Archives, have a very merry festive season and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year!

Exploring Italian books in Special Collections – a view from our work experience student Andrea

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Joanna Baines

By walking in a labyrinth of ancient books and rare materials from the past, I’ve found some books which reminded me of my country and my homeland.

One of them was particularly eye-catching thanks to its size and its green cover full of detailed designs in gold and black. I knew it was about my Home because of the bright title marked on the centre of the cover: Rome. I could not control my instinct of curiosity and so I chose to read that one.

‘Rome’ by Francis Wey – q DG 806

First of all I’ve found out that what I was holding in my hands was a book older than me, published in 1872 and written by Francis Wey. I thought it was going to be in Italian, but then I discovered it was in English and so I realised how much important traveling was, even in the ‘800s, and that human’s curiosity makes us travel seas and countries to be satisfied. And also, by going through some pages I’ve seen some really interesting illustrations: it was funny try to guess what part of Rome they were representing, and also it made me think about how the time changed those places during the years.

I had in my hands and in 552 pages one big wonderful city, my big wonderful city, and probably this is what made me choose the book at first sight.

Another one that I decided to look at was a little book (quartos, I think they call them) from 1828 with a design of red lions on the front white cover made of a material that lasts well during the years and does not make the book look as older as it actually is [vellum]. The title, “Ossian Poesie”, was on the spine and it looked like someone else has written it on by using an old pen.

Poesie di Ossian, PD 3546.1 Spec Coll

Unlike the book about Rome, this one was completely in Italian. I’ve found myself wondering about why there wasn’t any English in a book placed in a library in England, and I came to a conclusion about the fact that there might be some Italian students, or someone who was studying this language, that could have enjoyed it.
By reading some pages I understood the contest was about Irish royals, and it made me even more curious about why did an Italian writer, called Melchior Cesarotti, write about something which happened in another part of the planet.

Poesie di Ossian, PD 3546.1 Spec Coll

If it depended by me, I would have stayed around all those books for days and days, reading about everything from science to theatre, from geography to history.

Andrea Wlderk spent her Year 10 work experience placement with the Special Collections & Archives team this week. Having recently moved to Canterbury from Rome, she’s fluent in Italian, Spanish and English and wanted to know more about library work. Andrea learnt about how Special Collections departments are run and the activities we do, discovered our collections, shadowed meetings, was trained in basic conservation principles and worked in the stores with our volunteer team. Thank you so much, Andrea – we hope you had fun!

University of Kent Special Collections & Archives

News and views from the Special Collections & Archives team at the University of Kent.

Author Archives: Joanna Baines

You’re invited to the launch of ‘Sex, Death and Panto’!

DR575: Victorian and Edwardian Theatre FAQs

Special Collections & Archives 2016: our highlights

Exploring Italian books in Special Collections – a view from our work experience student Andrea