78601 AALL Spectrum.Dec-work 11/21/02 12:49 PM Page 12 ive AALL In his opening address, David Vaisey, members joined librarian emeritus at the Bodleian Library, F more than 200 described the legacy, vision and character librarians, archivists of Sir Thomas Bodley, who appears to and scholars from have been the classic micromanager. around the world to Bodley assailed his first appointed celebrate the 400th librarian, Thomas James, with almost anniversary of the daily letters from London, passing down Bodleian Library Sept. edicts on every aspect of the library. He 18–20 at the University directed James on such details as what of Oxford in England. items to add to the collection (“no idle books and riffe raffe,” Bodley wrote), the Association nature and quality of the chains that were members Joyce McCray attached to the more precious manuscripts, Pearson, Robert Mead, and the accuracy and penmanship of his Hazel Lord, Sandra catalogers. Bodley even gave James reasons Wilkins and Billie Jo why he should not marry but devote his Kaufman attended the life to the library. James’ responses to these international conference letters have not survived. to mark the anniversary of one of the world’s In contrast, Michael Gorman, dean Located at the entrance of the Bodleian greatest research of library services at California State Library, the Tower of the Five Orders libraries. Established by diplomat and University in Fresno, Calif., discussed depicts the five orders of classical the core values of librarianship today. He atchitecture: Doric, Tuscan, Ionic, scholar Sir Thomas Bodley in 1602, the Corinthian and Composite. Bodleian Library is a scholarly collection raised such pressing issues as the costs of of about 6,872,000 volumes. It includes maintaining digital collections, the quality 185,150 manuscripts and approximately of training for new librarians, and the 6,500 incunabula, which serve not only the preservation crisis in 21st-century libraries. University of Oxford community but also With the rise in electronic text, libraries scholars throughout the world. have reverted to pre-printing press days AALL Members Up Close and Personal In this ancient seat of learning, attendees soaked up the history and culture of Celebrate 400th Oxford. The conference kicked off the celebration in the Sheldonian Theatre, Anniversary of erected by Sir Christopher Wren in 1664–1668. From the banquet at the medieval-style Keble Hall to the tours Bodleian Library of the constituent college libraries, the scholarly atmosphere reminded attendees Historic Issues Still about why they became librarians. “Going to the conference returned Relevant Today me to my ‘library roots,’” said Joyce McCray Pearson, director of the by Hazel Lord University of Kansas School of Law Library in Lawrence, Kan. “So often in a law school library and law school setting, where I am busy teaching and being an administrator, I forget that first and foremost I am a librarian. The conference Britain’s first circular library, the Radcliffe Camera is a brought home many of the reasons I reading room of the Bodleian Library and is not open to the public. purposefully chose to be a librarian.” Past and Present Collide and are in danger of losing the archival The conference featured international virtues of print, Gorman said. He pointed scholars who not only commemorated out the close correlation between the Bodleian Library’s historic past but manuscripts and Web sites — both are also examined the present-day challenges individualized, easily changed, and not libraries face. standardized or authenticated. Whereas 12 AALL Spectrum Magazine December 2002 © 2002 Hazel Lord 78601 AALL Spectrum.Dec-work 11/21/02 12:50 PM Page 13 very few printed books have dignitaries of the college, totally vanished, many who opened the chests at manuscripts and electronic rare intervals for special archives have disappeared ceremonies. These same without a trace. conservation concerns continue today: The librarian Lynne Brindley, chief at Oxford’s Queen’s College executive of the British has every item in that Library, examined the library’s rare book collection importance of national individually “shrink-wrapped” libraries in the 21st century, against the vagaries of its which offers a plethora of underground storage facility. electronic publishing. Brindley emphasized the Keepers of the Archive continuing need for deep and In the historical setting of broad collecting if national Oxford, the conference’s libraries are to fulfill their role celebration of the Bodleian as keepers of the national Library resurrected the archive and provide perpetual achievements and insights access to their nations’ of past scholars while raising memory. the challenges librarians and Speakers constantly archivists face today and in returned to the historic role the future as “keepers of of librarians and archivists the archive.” For Billie Jo as the guardians of human Kaufman, director of the law AALL member Hazel Lord (bottom right) got a chance to see Oxford’s sights, including knowledge. In his address the Bridge of Sighs, which was built in 1913. library and technology center on “Humanistic Scholarship and associate professor and the European Printed at Nova Southeastern Archive,” Bernard Fabian, professor Wilkins, law librarian and acting assistant University in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., the emeritus at the University of Münster in university librarian for public services at conference enhanced her dedication to Germany, described the significance of past the University of British Columbia Law the profession: “Attending the 400th scholarship and preservation issues. Library in Canada. “Issues such as shelving anniversary celebration of the Bodleian was Fabian stressed the importance of and storage space for books, buildings one of the highlights of my professional maintaining national archives, such as the that weren’t designed for today’s career.” British National Library and the Library connectivity requirements, and meeting Hazel Lord ([email protected]) is of Congress. Michael Keller, university budget requirements for electronic head of the access services department at librarian and director of academic resources needed by today’s technologically the University of Southern California Law information resources at Stanford advanced students.” Library in Los Angeles. University in Stanford, Calif., raised more The efforts of Sir Thomas contemporary issues of preservation and Bodley in the early 17th century digitization in his address on “The Future struck a common chord with of Great Research Libraries.” His rallying today’s information professionals: cry of LOCKSS — Lots of Copies Keeps finding donors for his fledgling Stuff Safe — described some of the current library; securing a fitting building negotiations with publishers to ensure to house it; safeguarding the that multiple copies of digital archives are precious books, which he had maintained. chained to the shelves; and providing accurate cataloging Common Bonds records. His concerns were part Despite the differences inherent among of a tradition that dated back different library types, AALL members were even further as attendees struck by the universality of library concerns discovered during a visit to not only throughout the present-day world Oxford’s Merton College Library, but also down through the centuries. For one of the oldest libraries in example, the initial tour of the Bodleian England. Founded in the 13th Library confirmed the similarities of century, Merton College Library’s modern academic law libraries. books were originally stored in The Divinity School, which was part of the original Bodleian “[Librarians] are dealing with similar chests equipped with triple locks. Library, features an elaborate fan-vaulted ceiling. issues regardless of location,” said Sandra The keys were entrusted to three AALL Spectrum Magazine December 2002 13.