An interesting meeting with a full-house audience in the opulent surroundings of the Royal Society in Carlton House Terrace last week (14th March 2025). ‘Libraries of Science’ is an apt enough title, although the topics covered were mostly more specific. Talks focused mainly on aspects of the libraries of British learned and societies, from Antiquaries and Astronomy to Zoology, as well as on the Royal Society itself, during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Particularly interesting was the overlap, from the earliest times, between the collections of libraries, archives, and museums. Naturally most attention was given to London-based institutions, although Glasgow, Spalding, and Tunbridge Wells got a look in. There were some exceptions to the temporal focus, with a presentation on astronomy books ranging from the earliest depictions of constellations to the present day.
Perhaps of most interest to me was the talk by Emmeline Ledgerwood, from the National Life Stories team at the British Library, who spoke on the involvement of scientists in library work in the period following the 1939-45 war, as specialist librarians who understood both science and documentation. This talk focused on how this led to the establishment of a National Lending Library for Science and Technology at Boston Spa.
Further details of the presentations are available on the Royal Society site.
The Occasional Informationist 