Yeah, you can touch that!

Wednesday 7/10: National Art Library at the V&A

We found ourselves at the Victoria & Albert (V&A) museum early Wednesday morning after a very late night (our bus didn't get back from Stratford until 2:30am!).  And though I am so not a morning person, this visit would prove to be worth the severe sleep deficiency I was experiencing.

Our lovely guide, Sally, took us through the National Art Library on a behind-the-scenes tour that very few get to see.  Opened to the public in 1858, his library at the V&A is one of the top 3 art libraries in the world, and its strength lies in its holdings which number over 1 million items.  The collections cover many countries and many time periods, and all topics in the arts.  The library is a closed-access facility, meaning that items are not loaned out, and all requests for materials are made through the online system.  Items are issued through a counter, but in order to provide better service to their users, they are working to implement a self-service counter that will streamline retrieval.

Interestingly, the books have no classification system that we would be used to in the U.S.  Instead, books are shelved by size, and an in-house numbering and shelving system is implemented.  Organizing the books in this way allows for maximization of space, an important commodity when storage is limited; there are still many books in the intake area which are still waiting for homes.

The last part of our visit was a very special treat.  Sally brought us to a room with a table that was covered in beautiful books.  She explained each one in order of its date, beginning with an exquisite illuminated manuscript, a Book of Hours, from the early 15th century.  Next was an exact reproduction of one of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, worth huge sums even as a copy.  Other items included a book of prints from Edward Leer, the manuscript from David Copperfield (in Dickens' own hand), and a drawing from Picasso.  Not only did we get to see, and touch, these amazing works, we also were shown some examples of books as works of art including a book sculpture by Genevieve Sielle, and a binding and housing for one of Dickens' Edwin Drood.

What a(nother) fantastic day!