Perhaps you recognise the title? A game show broadcast by the BBC with Eamonn Andrews in the chair 1952-59 (revived on BBC2 in 73 and again by ITV 1984-90 so you don’t have to be that old to remember it). Panelists had to guess the occupations of guests based on a mime and a brief question and answer session. I’m not ready for the mime just yet but maybe I’ll get back to it later…
It’s the dreaded question “What do you do? ” In former lifetimes I’ve been able to answer with confidence “I’m a full time mum”, “I lecture”, I clean caravans”, “I’m a student” etc. Now I try toside-step with “I work at the National Library of Wales” hoping against hope that the dreaded follow-up question won’t be asked, “But what do you DO?”
I don’t have a simple one-liner to answer the question. My favourite part of my work today ( I will be honest and admit that I might have a different favourite tomorrow) is working with colleagues to build the national collection. We are the collectors of words and pictures that tell the story of Wales. Our Collection Development Policy sets out our aims and objectives but the story of how and why we do things is more facinating than a policy document can convey.
The Legal Deposit Legislation of 2003 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2003/28/ entitles the Library to collect current Welsh (and UK) books, magazines, maps and newspapers at no cost, but to get them – we have to find them. The Welsh Books Council http://www.cllc.org.uk provides us with a lot of information and we pore through local papers and websites for details of local publications.
The bulk of the Welsh collection, archives, manuscripts, pictures, photographs, older books and journals and the Screen and Sound Archive collection has been given to us, bought by us or placed on deposit with us. Again, to get them we have to find them – or they have to find us.
The Library works with other major cultural institutions across the world. We work in partnership with many Welsh organisations and maintain contacts with auction houses and dealers. But the most important contacts that we have are our readers and visitors, the people who know about us and continue to contribute to our knowledge and collections. At the beginning of June we’ll be offering a new opportunity for visitors to the Library’s catalogue to let us know about books, archives, photographs,etc. that they think would be useful additions to our collection. I’m looking forward to this new approach to adding to our national collection.
All this and I haven’t started talking about the new important electronic element in our collection. That’ll have to be another blog. For now, back to the mime – I’m wearing a Welsh costume including the hat, looking for things, talking to people, emailing people, paying money, holding books and pictures and … I don’t think anyone would guess what my line is!