From my own experience, the library is very comprehensive, if somewhat
chaotically organised and difficult to use. The librarian is very welcoming
and helpful but users should reckon on spending a day on getting to grips with
how to access the material before expecting to make much real research
progress.
I think that it will be a disgrace if it leaves London (when IMM merged we
were promised it would stay) and I for one will resign my membership if it
moves. Without its library I cannot see what useful purpose the IMMM will
fulfill. Its difficult and expensive to use resources in London, but Grantham
is not a viable alternative.
Roger
>===== Original Message From "The mining-history list."
<[log in to unmask]> =====
>Following the recent enquiry about the Selukwe Gold Mining and Finance
Company,
>it occurred to me to enquire what the situation is these days regarding the
old
>Institution of Mining and Metallurgy library which, following the merger of
various
>institutions, is now housed in the basement of 1, Cartlon House Terrace,
London,
>the headquarters of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining
(www.iom3.org).
> I asked Frances Perry, the librarian, what the situation is, and this is
what she
>says:
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------
>The bad news is that alas, we are constantly inundated with historical
enquiries from
>
>all sorts of people and that our staff resources are quite inadequate for
dealing with
>
>them! However, do keep mentioning to people that we exist (maybe one of
these
>
>days we could get a lottery grant or something to fund a member of staff, as
we've
>
>a valuable public resource here in historical terms - it's just that as a
members'
>
>technical library we can't justify spending time on such things).
>
>
>
>At the moment my general policy is that we welcome all who can visit us to
pursue
>
>their historical enquiries by themselves, i.e. with minimum help from the
staff after
>
>an initial brief induction! We still waive the non-member visitor's fee for
bona fide
>
>not-for-profit historical researchers. E-mail enquiries from [IoMMM] members
I would
>
>answer with an indication of what material we might have available and the
offer of a
>
>quick (very quick) search on their behalf if they can't get up to London.
However, for
>
>most distance enquiries I can only offer a full-scale search at our normal
fee of £50
>
>per hour (minimum £50 - plus VAT). Even then, because I don't give priority
to history
>
>enquiries, I occasionally have overseas enquirers who pay their £50 and are
then kept
>
>waiting for weeks or months. I'm really struggling here now.
>
>
>
>The three resources I most commonly use are
>
>(1) Skinner's mining yearbooks and other early directories (c.1887 onwards);
>
>(2) Mining Journal (on film, 1837-c. June 1904, and hard copy thereafter - no
>
>microfilm printer at present, only a reader);
>
>(3) The old subject indexes to the library collection 1894-1949 (on
microfiche
>
>and in tiny handwriting, so you need good eyes!)
>
>
>
>I should mention that I've just heard that library visitors will soon be
heading for Grantham
>
>(an hour north of London by train) - Council decided at its last meeting to
move the
>
>library up there, now that its use by visitors to the expensive London
premises is so low.
>
>There'll supposedly be a dedicated member of staff to service it, but in any
case
>
>(provided there's a telephone handy for the library) users will be able to
consult me by
>
>phone as to what they should look at next! The alternative option will
involve advance
>
>booking and the sending of relevant material down here, but I expect that
will involve
>
>a charge.
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
>
>Tony Brewis
Professor Roger Burt
History Department
Amory Building
University of Exeter
Devon, U.K.
http://www.ex.ac.uk/~RBurt
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