No more until I get home as you have to pay for wirelss here.
NY was fabulous- now in Chicago and it is minus about 10 degress and snowing. BBRRRR!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Monday, 8th December
I'm back in London now , having caught the bus on Friday from Durham. It took all day as there was an accident on the motorway, which meant I missed my connection at Victoria coach Station to Canary Wharf. finally gotn here at 7p.m. and as Ernie was totally jet-lagged, I treated myself to my first (and last) lot of English fish and chips and retired early to bed with my book.
The previous few days had been hectic. I ended up staying in the Palace Green university Library all afternoon on Tuesday as the music section was fascinating including 70 shelves of Hymn books in the Pratt Green collection.
Then on Wednesday I went up to Newcastle-upon-Tyne by train and across the river to the Sage at Gateshead. http://www.thesagegateshead.org/
The Sage Gateshead is an international home for music and musical discovery, bringing about a widespread and long-term enrichment of the musical life of the North of England. Its inclusive approach enables all performance, learning and participation programmes to be constantly inspired and supported by each other .It is primarily a live music venue. The local, national and international concert programme runs all year round. It incorporates all kinds of music ranging from acoustic, indie, country, world, folk, jazz, electronic and dance to classical music, including concerts by Northern Sinfonia, orchestra of The Sage Gateshead.
Its Learning and Participation programs are pioneering a fresh approach to musical discovery that enables everyone to become involved in, stimulated and excited by music - no matter what their age or ability. The eight strategic programmes are: Early Years, Work with Schools, Vocal and Instrumental Learning, Practitioner Development, Community Music, Further and Higher Education, Resources, and Music in the Workplace.
I came to the venue primarily to look at the innovative library service
* Explore Music
http://www.thesagegateshead.org/about/explore_music.aspx
ExploreMusic makes it easy to find out more about any aspect of music you experience at performances and workshops within The Sage Gateshead as well as providing the key services and resources outlined below:
1.Local independent music information
2.Lending and reference library
The previous few days had been hectic. I ended up staying in the Palace Green university Library all afternoon on Tuesday as the music section was fascinating including 70 shelves of Hymn books in the Pratt Green collection.
Then on Wednesday I went up to Newcastle-upon-Tyne by train and across the river to the Sage at Gateshead. http://www.thesagegateshead.org/
The Sage Gateshead is an amazing home for live music designed by Lord Foster on a landmark waterfront site, consisting of outstanding performance spaces of acoustic excellence (Hall One and Hall Two), Northern Rock Foundation Hall for rehearsal and performance, a twenty-five room Music Education Centre, ExploreMusic (a music information resource centre run by Gateshead Libraries and Arts in the Joan and Margaret Halbert Space), *
The Barbour Room (a sunny entertainment room), plus four bars, The Michael Straker Café and a brasserie. You can visit the building free - up to 14 hours a day. The spectacular Concourse has river views of the Tyne and Gateshead Millennium Bridges, BALTIC and the NewcastleGateshead Quays.
The Sage Gateshead is an international home for music and musical discovery, bringing about a widespread and long-term enrichment of the musical life of the North of England. Its inclusive approach enables all performance, learning and participation programmes to be constantly inspired and supported by each other .It is primarily a live music venue. The local, national and international concert programme runs all year round. It incorporates all kinds of music ranging from acoustic, indie, country, world, folk, jazz, electronic and dance to classical music, including concerts by Northern Sinfonia, orchestra of The Sage Gateshead.
Its Learning and Participation programs are pioneering a fresh approach to musical discovery that enables everyone to become involved in, stimulated and excited by music - no matter what their age or ability. The eight strategic programmes are: Early Years, Work with Schools, Vocal and Instrumental Learning, Practitioner Development, Community Music, Further and Higher Education, Resources, and Music in the Workplace.
I came to the venue primarily to look at the innovative library service
* Explore Music
http://www.thesagegateshead.org/about/explore_music.aspx
ExploreMusic makes it easy to find out more about any aspect of music you experience at performances and workshops within The Sage Gateshead as well as providing the key services and resources outlined below:
1.Local independent music information
2.Lending and reference library
3.Hi Tech services
- 18 PCs with free internet access and office applications
- Music software - Sibelius, Cubasis, Reason, Soundforge and Acid
Free training for all music software plus basic IT and internet skills - Access to specialist websites such as Grove Music Online, Classical Music and Naxos Audio Libraries
- Online communities for The Sage Gateshead's concerts and workshops including live web chats, discussion forums, photo galleries, video archives and more
- CD listening posts to preview upcoming artists at The Sage Gateshead and DVD viewing stations to discover more about The Sage Gateshead's projects
4. Exposed:
Presented in partnership with ExploreMusic, 'exposed:' is a series of events to help you find out more about a theme of our programme. Look out for events flagged as exposed: throughout our What's On section. ExploreMusic will be hosting a number of talks and exclusive interviews to contextualise these concerts along with free live performances, podcasts featuring key performers, workshops and family events.
All services are free of charge. Membership of Gateshead Library Service is open to everyone across the North East and Cumbria .
What an amazing and worthwhile experience this was . I was shown around by Rachel Peacock, Reference and Information Manager, Libraries and Arts, Gateshead Council , the new Manager of Explore Music, Tom and his assistant Maggie. It was a most enlightening three hours and confirmed my opinion that if the City of Sydney were to set up a public music library, this would be an excellent example of the way to go about it . I will say more about this in my report, but on-line services are the way of the future and my visit here gave justification to this. Many thanks to Rachel, Tom and Maggie for giving me the opportunity to visit and also to Julia Mitford, the former ExploreMusic Manager , who is now living in Sydney , and made all this possible.
THURSDAY saw me back in Newcastle ...
Overnight there had been a heavy snowfall and my friend Barbara and I tramped gingerly through the snow and ice ,the kilometre to the Railway Station in Durham. Barbara had to go to a funeral in Sheffield two hours away and was worried about any interruptions to the train services because of the bad weather. However, it was not a real problem as there were delays but they were not severe.
Barbara had organized for me to meet a friend of hers ,Tony Durcan, Head of Culture, Libraries and Lifelong Learning at Newcastle City Council . He had invited me to join various councillors and heads of culture from 'core UK cities' on a tour of the unfinished new Central Library . Tony met me for a cup of coffee first, and we were joined by the people from Bristol and Sheffield at the Theatre Royal and then made our way to the building site office, where we were kitted out with boots , helmets and yellow jackets. There was still thick snow on much of the ground as well as sluch and ice so walking anywhere was treacherous. We made it to the library and I have never been so cold in all my life, as of course, there was no heating . However, the treat in store made up for any uncomfortable moments , as the new library promises to be a leading public library building in the world , in my opinion.
Ian Kennedy, lead architect on the project, said:
"We wanted the City Library to be a symbol of creative design and a model of 21st century library facilities. "It will provide broad access to knowledge and other cultural resources and it will celebrate lifelong learning and social inclusion."
"It will be a delight to use, visit and pass by, inspiring local, civic and regional pride."
http://www.newcastle.gov.uk/core.nsf/a/librariesnewcitylibrary?opendocument#countdown
The library and its surroundings , due to open in June 2009 will contain the following features :
- A new main entrance on New Bridge Street, making the library highly visible from the Monument, as well as an entrance from Princess Square.
- A large atrium that will allow natural light to flood the building. The building itself is made of a large amount of glass and the windows have beautiful designs on them.
- A range of existing and new facilities over six floors, with a main staircase that will lead visitors on a 'journey' to the top of the building, which will include a platform with views across the city.
- Separate areas for children and young people, informal seating and quiet study areas, a 200-seat performance space and meeting rooms for use by community groups.
- Improvements to Princess Square to create a vibrant urban square and wider pavements and tree-planting along New Bridge Street and John Dobson Street.
- Environmentally friendly features such as low-energy heating and cooling systems, harvesting of rain water and use of renewable energy sources
Some other interesting facts
- the issuing and return of items will be totally self service. (RFID)
- there will be service points (triangles ,not desks) where librarians will be based to help with enquiries and library staff will also 'float'
- Non-fiction will be on the ground floor
- Local Studies will occupy a large amount of the top floor with a view over the city (eat your heart out Marie and Liz)
- Each floor will be of a different colour.
There is much more I could say, but I will leave it until I return home . Can I just say that this library will be fantastic and thanks so much to Tony for giving me the opportunity to see it. I will need to come back and see how it is operating in a few years ! SadlyI won't be able to show anything quite as exciting if you come to Sydney. (yet?)
Thursday evening I spent my last night with Geoff and Julie and their children for dinner and on Friday morning Barbara and I caught a taxi to the bus station where I said my fond farewells to her and the lovely city.
THE WEEKEND
I went down to Surrey to my friends, Lynette and Bob and went to Evensong at Canterbury Cathedral . Very good , except a bit disappointing that David flood, the Director of Music was not there. However, his assistant , John Robinson, did an excellent job. Went out for a Chinese meal on Saturday night after a glass of French champagne at home.
Sunday morning dawned cold and frosty and back to St Michael's Croydon to sing for the last time. In the afternoon we sang at a Masonic Carol Service , as Bob has become a mason, and then went to a christmas celebration dinner for the Masonic choir. A most enjoyable evening.
Now I am back in Woolwich and Ernie and I are off to meet a friend for dinner in the City. the next two days will see me saying my last goodbyes to the Uk and packing my things to go to NY on Thursday morning.
As my little blue laptop has decided not to work I may not be as efficient with my blog, from now on. However, I will be home in two weeks, so it won't be as imperative.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Tuesday, 2nd December
It's been a week since I wrote as one way and another ,I have been very busy.
Last Wednesday I set off on the train for skipton, via Leeds, a journey of about two and a half hours, across the Pennines. My friends, Sharon and John were there to meet me , in cold rainy weather. We drove back to their home in Blacko near Nelson via a lunch and shopping stop at one of the big retail marketing places , which supposedly sells things marked down or at factory prices. the place was packed, but I did manage to buy a nice evening skirt from Marks and Spencer's for just £20 (half price) as I have a posh Christmas 'do' to attend this Sunday. Things are not cheap here , so this will be my only clothes purchase, unless some miracle occurs. We also called in at Barrowford Branch Library.
Then we headed off home for a quiet evening in and a lovely dinner.
On Thursday I went out with Sharon to visit a friend and then her 90 year old aunt while john did his voluntary work at the hospice. Sharon dropped me at the Burnley Library , as they have a designated Music Library started by a benefactor Edward Stocks Massey who was at the time the choirmaster at St Luke's Church, Brierfield in the late 19th century. The Massey family, well known in the area, were cotton manufacturers and later brewers and founders of the Massey Brewery in Burnley. Edward was born at Hawks House in Brierfield and had a keen interest in music. The Stocks Massey Bequest music library in Burnley reflects Edwards interest in music.
http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/services/mandd/index.asp
According to the bequest this library has to be allocated certain funds every year and so is still maintained. they have open access scores and CD's in a separate room on the first floor (other audio-visual material is also housed there. I was able t talk to two of the staff , Jane morris and Marie Lord, who kindly provided me with photocopies of the history of the library and other information. A very profitable and unexpected visit.
In the afternoon we went to visit my ex-husbands family in Burnley and it was lovely to see his Mum and sister and her family , if only briefly.
Then we went out to dinner with sharon's brother, Tony , and his wife Helen at the Sycamore Arms , a new pub near Lowerhouse cricket ground. Ernie and Tony went to school together and started work in local governement on the same day. Went back to Tony and Helen's for a nightcap.
Friday john took me to a local Heritage Centre for a look around and before I knew it , it was time to go for the train back to Durham.
The weekend was fantastic with Geoff and Julie and their children coming round in the afternoon for champagne and nibbles , as it was Millie's 7th birthday the day before. We also 'staged' and Enid Blyton play from a yearbook Barbara had found ! Geoff took the part of Mr Muddle and us girls played the ladies.
Barbara and I then trooped off through frosty weather down the back public footpath to the Cathedral for the Advent Carol Serice , which was stunning. The Service began in darkenss and gradually the Cathedral came to light as the service progressed. Barbara and I then retired to a Victorian pub , called 'the Vic ' and with coal fires and original fittings etc.
On Sunday we went with friends of hers, Liz and Roger to Richmond , North yorks for the day . A wonderful town with a castle etc. Frosty but clear weather and the temperature was just above or below freezing. We had a 'cream tea' at the Kings Head hotel, to finish off the day.
Yesterday , I spent getting my hair cut etc and visiting the library, of course and as the weather was foul - cold and rainy, I went home reasonably early. Went to Durham singers again last night and this time I was allowed to join in !
Today has dawned bright and snow is on the ground. I'm off now to the Cathedral and the Palace Library Green Muisc Library which is part of the University.
the next two days a re going to be very exciting as I will be going to Newcastle to see ExploreMusic at the Sage and on Thursday I am being treated to a tour of the new Newcastle Public Library which is yet to be complete. The Library Manager is a friend of Barbara's and I am being included in a tour of councillors etc from other areas of the UK. This library will be a landmark institution when it opens and so I feel extremely priveleged. all this just seems to ahve fallen in my lap.
Sadly, then I go back to London on Friday.
Last Wednesday I set off on the train for skipton, via Leeds, a journey of about two and a half hours, across the Pennines. My friends, Sharon and John were there to meet me , in cold rainy weather. We drove back to their home in Blacko near Nelson via a lunch and shopping stop at one of the big retail marketing places , which supposedly sells things marked down or at factory prices. the place was packed, but I did manage to buy a nice evening skirt from Marks and Spencer's for just £20 (half price) as I have a posh Christmas 'do' to attend this Sunday. Things are not cheap here , so this will be my only clothes purchase, unless some miracle occurs. We also called in at Barrowford Branch Library.
Then we headed off home for a quiet evening in and a lovely dinner.
On Thursday I went out with Sharon to visit a friend and then her 90 year old aunt while john did his voluntary work at the hospice. Sharon dropped me at the Burnley Library , as they have a designated Music Library started by a benefactor Edward Stocks Massey who was at the time the choirmaster at St Luke's Church, Brierfield in the late 19th century. The Massey family, well known in the area, were cotton manufacturers and later brewers and founders of the Massey Brewery in Burnley. Edward was born at Hawks House in Brierfield and had a keen interest in music. The Stocks Massey Bequest music library in Burnley reflects Edwards interest in music.
http://www.lancashire.gov.uk/libraries/services/mandd/index.asp
According to the bequest this library has to be allocated certain funds every year and so is still maintained. they have open access scores and CD's in a separate room on the first floor (other audio-visual material is also housed there. I was able t talk to two of the staff , Jane morris and Marie Lord, who kindly provided me with photocopies of the history of the library and other information. A very profitable and unexpected visit.
In the afternoon we went to visit my ex-husbands family in Burnley and it was lovely to see his Mum and sister and her family , if only briefly.
Then we went out to dinner with sharon's brother, Tony , and his wife Helen at the Sycamore Arms , a new pub near Lowerhouse cricket ground. Ernie and Tony went to school together and started work in local governement on the same day. Went back to Tony and Helen's for a nightcap.
Friday john took me to a local Heritage Centre for a look around and before I knew it , it was time to go for the train back to Durham.
The weekend was fantastic with Geoff and Julie and their children coming round in the afternoon for champagne and nibbles , as it was Millie's 7th birthday the day before. We also 'staged' and Enid Blyton play from a yearbook Barbara had found ! Geoff took the part of Mr Muddle and us girls played the ladies.
Barbara and I then trooped off through frosty weather down the back public footpath to the Cathedral for the Advent Carol Serice , which was stunning. The Service began in darkenss and gradually the Cathedral came to light as the service progressed. Barbara and I then retired to a Victorian pub , called 'the Vic ' and with coal fires and original fittings etc.
On Sunday we went with friends of hers, Liz and Roger to Richmond , North yorks for the day . A wonderful town with a castle etc. Frosty but clear weather and the temperature was just above or below freezing. We had a 'cream tea' at the Kings Head hotel, to finish off the day.
Yesterday , I spent getting my hair cut etc and visiting the library, of course and as the weather was foul - cold and rainy, I went home reasonably early. Went to Durham singers again last night and this time I was allowed to join in !
Today has dawned bright and snow is on the ground. I'm off now to the Cathedral and the Palace Library Green Muisc Library which is part of the University.
the next two days a re going to be very exciting as I will be going to Newcastle to see ExploreMusic at the Sage and on Thursday I am being treated to a tour of the new Newcastle Public Library which is yet to be complete. The Library Manager is a friend of Barbara's and I am being included in a tour of councillors etc from other areas of the UK. This library will be a landmark institution when it opens and so I feel extremely priveleged. all this just seems to ahve fallen in my lap.
Sadly, then I go back to London on Friday.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Tuesday, 25th November
The weekend passed very quickly and was most enjoyable.
On Saturday I went with Geoff and Julie and the kids, to Newcastle which is about a 40 minute drive from Durham. We went to the Northern Children's Book Festival Gala Day, at Newcastle Civic Centre . http://www.ncbf.co.uk/
The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the above library services in the region.The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the above library services in the region.The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the 10 library services in the region.
This free event is OPEN to all and is the largest annual reading celebration for young people in Europe. It gave children the opportunity to meet 10 of their favourite authors and illustrators, bringing the world of books to life via interactive sessions held throughout the day. The fabulous line up includes: Steve Barlow & Steve Skidmore, Steve Weatherill, Korky Paul, Debi Gliori, Julia Donaldson, Steve Cole, Julia Golding, Liz Million, Jeremy Strong, David Almond and Nick Butterworth.
It was a fantastic event and I talked with some of the librarians , took photos etc . the kids loved it, as each library service had a theme and there was a craft or activitiy associated with it.
After an hour os so here we headed to the main shopping street, in absolutely freezing weather and looked in Fenwick's Dept Store window at the Christmas display which is 'Oliver' this year. Absolutely magical for the children . Then we had an early dinner at Luigi's Italian restaurant and headed back to Durham . Temperature was zero degrees.
Woke up Sunday morning to SNOW covered houses, cars and gardens. Most picturesque.
Went to the 11a.m. service at St Oswald's and sang in the choir with Geoff. Back to their place for a quick lunch and then off to the school hall for a mini-fete , at which I helped on the bookstall (can't get away) Lot's of fun, but don't ask me how much I spent trying to win a bottle of wine - you had to choose three bottles for a pound and some were only filled with water. If you got one filled with wine - it was your's. Three goes later...
Barbara and I had dinner at home that night. she had driven to Barnsley for the day to visit a terminally ill friend and then she had more pupils in the evening, because of their exams the next day. Still very cold, but snow melting.
Monday was the worst day for weather, that I have encountered. Freezing winds and driving rain and sleet -yuk. I ventured out fro a couple of hours, but retreated and spent the rest of the day doing research from music magazines of Barbara's for my project.
In the evening I went along to listen to a rehearsal for the Durham singers which both Geoff and Barbara sing in. http://www.avfj47.dsl.pipex.com/ They are rehearsing for a Christmas program.
Today I have been to Newcastle by train (15 minutes) and wandered around by myself . Started off at the Lit and Phil http://www.litandphil.org.uk/html_pages/LP_home.html - such a truly British organization.
The music library at the Lit & Phil is one of the largest in the North East, with an extensive collection of classical, jazz and folk music, together with a good collection of spoken word (audio books). The collection includes:
Recorded music
7,000 CDs: classical, jazz, folk and spoken word (audio books)
Music DVDs and videos
CD-ROM sheet music
LPs and 78s
Printed music
5,500 scores
Miniature scores
Sheet music
Related material
Books on music
The Grade II* listed building was opened in 1825 and the magnificent reading rooms remain largely unchanged. Our collection is coupled with an extensive set of periodicals, providing an exceptional resource for both general reader and academic researcher.
In addition to the library, the Society hosts a wide range of events including book launches, concerts, lectures, readings and workshops that cover a variety of topics and issues. Both members and non-members are welcome to attend these events, which are mostly free.
After looking around St Nicholas Cathedral http://www.newcastle-ang-cathedral-stnicholas.org.uk/ , grabbing a sandwich and having a quick chat with the guys who were tuning the organ for the next day's national broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3 I headed for the Quayside and walked across the Milennium Bridge to 'The Sage' and its library 'ExploreMusic' .
On Saturday I went with Geoff and Julie and the kids, to Newcastle which is about a 40 minute drive from Durham. We went to the Northern Children's Book Festival Gala Day, at Newcastle Civic Centre . http://www.ncbf.co.uk/
The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the above library services in the region.The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the above library services in the region.The Northern Children's Book Festival is organised, sponsored and run by the 10 library services in the region.
This free event is OPEN to all and is the largest annual reading celebration for young people in Europe. It gave children the opportunity to meet 10 of their favourite authors and illustrators, bringing the world of books to life via interactive sessions held throughout the day. The fabulous line up includes: Steve Barlow & Steve Skidmore, Steve Weatherill, Korky Paul, Debi Gliori, Julia Donaldson, Steve Cole, Julia Golding, Liz Million, Jeremy Strong, David Almond and Nick Butterworth.
It was a fantastic event and I talked with some of the librarians , took photos etc . the kids loved it, as each library service had a theme and there was a craft or activitiy associated with it.
After an hour os so here we headed to the main shopping street, in absolutely freezing weather and looked in Fenwick's Dept Store window at the Christmas display which is 'Oliver' this year. Absolutely magical for the children . Then we had an early dinner at Luigi's Italian restaurant and headed back to Durham . Temperature was zero degrees.
Woke up Sunday morning to SNOW covered houses, cars and gardens. Most picturesque.
Went to the 11a.m. service at St Oswald's and sang in the choir with Geoff. Back to their place for a quick lunch and then off to the school hall for a mini-fete , at which I helped on the bookstall (can't get away) Lot's of fun, but don't ask me how much I spent trying to win a bottle of wine - you had to choose three bottles for a pound and some were only filled with water. If you got one filled with wine - it was your's. Three goes later...
Barbara and I had dinner at home that night. she had driven to Barnsley for the day to visit a terminally ill friend and then she had more pupils in the evening, because of their exams the next day. Still very cold, but snow melting.
Monday was the worst day for weather, that I have encountered. Freezing winds and driving rain and sleet -yuk. I ventured out fro a couple of hours, but retreated and spent the rest of the day doing research from music magazines of Barbara's for my project.
In the evening I went along to listen to a rehearsal for the Durham singers which both Geoff and Barbara sing in. http://www.avfj47.dsl.pipex.com/ They are rehearsing for a Christmas program.
Today I have been to Newcastle by train (15 minutes) and wandered around by myself . Started off at the Lit and Phil http://www.litandphil.org.uk/html_pages/LP_home.html - such a truly British organization.
The music library at the Lit & Phil is one of the largest in the North East, with an extensive collection of classical, jazz and folk music, together with a good collection of spoken word (audio books). The collection includes:
Recorded music
7,000 CDs: classical, jazz, folk and spoken word (audio books)
Music DVDs and videos
CD-ROM sheet music
LPs and 78s
Printed music
5,500 scores
Miniature scores
Sheet music
Related material
Books on music
The Grade II* listed building was opened in 1825 and the magnificent reading rooms remain largely unchanged. Our collection is coupled with an extensive set of periodicals, providing an exceptional resource for both general reader and academic researcher.
In addition to the library, the Society hosts a wide range of events including book launches, concerts, lectures, readings and workshops that cover a variety of topics and issues. Both members and non-members are welcome to attend these events, which are mostly free.
After looking around St Nicholas Cathedral http://www.newcastle-ang-cathedral-stnicholas.org.uk/ , grabbing a sandwich and having a quick chat with the guys who were tuning the organ for the next day's national broadcast of Choral Evensong on BBC Radio 3 I headed for the Quayside and walked across the Milennium Bridge to 'The Sage' and its library 'ExploreMusic' .
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Friday 21st
Have just spent a frustrating time trying to get my little blue machine to work, but...
Anyway, off out into the cold now to walk home . We had snow showers today, briefly.
slept in this morning and then went with Barbara to another church hall lunch and met some more interesting people. Then I've been in the library all afternoon !!!
Last night after dinner at the McIntyre's I went with Geoff to choir practice at St Oswald's. Similar standard to St Paul's so i felt quite at home. We did some of the Byrd 4 part mass , Tye'O come ye servants', Morely 'Out of the deep amongst' other things. Then it was off to the pub, as all good choirs do, for a well earned drink at 'The Duke of Wellington.'
Won't be updating over the weekend as too busy !
Anyway, off out into the cold now to walk home . We had snow showers today, briefly.
slept in this morning and then went with Barbara to another church hall lunch and met some more interesting people. Then I've been in the library all afternoon !!!
Last night after dinner at the McIntyre's I went with Geoff to choir practice at St Oswald's. Similar standard to St Paul's so i felt quite at home. We did some of the Byrd 4 part mass , Tye'O come ye servants', Morely 'Out of the deep amongst' other things. Then it was off to the pub, as all good choirs do, for a well earned drink at 'The Duke of Wellington.'
Won't be updating over the weekend as too busy !
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Thursday 20th
I'm feeling very settled up here in Durham and have been blessed with fine weather foor the past three days. However, snow showers are forecast for the weekend!
Yesterday, I had a pleasant time writing postcards and letters in the morning and then set off walking with my friend , Barbara, to a lunch in a church hall which happens every Wednesday for just £2.50. there were some very interesting people there, including the OZ cricketer , Michael Slater's aunty. Then I walled to the library and did more emailing etc and had a bit more of a browse. The non-fiction collection is quite limited actually, which surprised me. Beleive it or not, I took a book out.
I went to the Cathedral for Evensong and the choir was excellent. They sang Watson in E and Howells ' Hymn to St Cecilia' which I had not encountered before and was absolutely magnificent. Then I walked back home - half an hour walk- and had an evening watching TV while Barbara taught her music students.
Today she has gone to a school to teach and I am back at the library and now off to a lunchtime Leider Recital at the Music School here which is part of the university.
Tonight I am going to my friends the McIntyres ( Geoff and Julie) for dinner and then to choir practice at St Oswalds , their church, where I am going to sing on Sunday. Am looking forward to spending time with their two delightful children- Millie nearly 7 and Oscar who is 4.
Yesterday, I had a pleasant time writing postcards and letters in the morning and then set off walking with my friend , Barbara, to a lunch in a church hall which happens every Wednesday for just £2.50. there were some very interesting people there, including the OZ cricketer , Michael Slater's aunty. Then I walled to the library and did more emailing etc and had a bit more of a browse. The non-fiction collection is quite limited actually, which surprised me. Beleive it or not, I took a book out.
I went to the Cathedral for Evensong and the choir was excellent. They sang Watson in E and Howells ' Hymn to St Cecilia' which I had not encountered before and was absolutely magnificent. Then I walked back home - half an hour walk- and had an evening watching TV while Barbara taught her music students.
Today she has gone to a school to teach and I am back at the library and now off to a lunchtime Leider Recital at the Music School here which is part of the university.
Tonight I am going to my friends the McIntyres ( Geoff and Julie) for dinner and then to choir practice at St Oswalds , their church, where I am going to sing on Sunday. Am looking forward to spending time with their two delightful children- Millie nearly 7 and Oscar who is 4.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday 18th
Am safely in Durham having negotiated the bus and two tubes across London to Kings Cross station with my heavy luggage. Not bad for an old lady, eh ! One of the advantages of my age is that people are actually offering to help me - there are gentlemen even in London- so I am accepting.
The train up here was very comfortable and they even have wireless internet access -plug in ! however, my little blue machine had decided to loose its LAN network connection and although I have tried for an hour an a half today to fix it I have not succeeded.
My friend Barbara , who I am staying with, does not have a PC so I am sitting in- yes, you guessed it- Durham Library using one of theirs. They actually let overseas people join and I got a choice of card colour- pink, green , blue or purple- I chose the latter.
It is a very nice library, which is quite new, about 5 years old. It is very quiet here on the Reference floor - there are three floors.
Durham is lovely and the weather is bright and sunny, but cold. Or , rather , it was today. It gets dark about 4p.m. so have to leave soon. I have explored some lovely shops today and now will go home for the evening.
The train up here was very comfortable and they even have wireless internet access -plug in ! however, my little blue machine had decided to loose its LAN network connection and although I have tried for an hour an a half today to fix it I have not succeeded.
My friend Barbara , who I am staying with, does not have a PC so I am sitting in- yes, you guessed it- Durham Library using one of theirs. They actually let overseas people join and I got a choice of card colour- pink, green , blue or purple- I chose the latter.
It is a very nice library, which is quite new, about 5 years old. It is very quiet here on the Reference floor - there are three floors.
Durham is lovely and the weather is bright and sunny, but cold. Or , rather , it was today. It gets dark about 4p.m. so have to leave soon. I have explored some lovely shops today and now will go home for the evening.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday
Well, I still had the headache this morning but did not let it stop me. (nor theweather which is not exactly exciting) Headed off for the Greenwich Early Music Festival http://www.earlymusicshop.com/More/Greenwich_International_Early_Music_Festival.aspx
Went to Festival Eucharist. Old Royal Naval College Choir and Consortium5, directed by Sean Farrell .Music by William Byrd and William Turner in the Old Royal Naval College Chapel. Looked at the exhibitions and then completed my day at a harpsichord recital -Robin Bigwood plays new Italian & Flemish harpsichpords by Andrew Wooderson. Pieces by Fresobaldi, Purcell, J S Bach & Della Ciaja. Fantastic.
Off to Durham tomorrow.
Went to Festival Eucharist. Old Royal Naval College Choir and Consortium5, directed by Sean Farrell .Music by William Byrd and William Turner in the Old Royal Naval College Chapel. Looked at the exhibitions and then completed my day at a harpsichord recital -Robin Bigwood plays new Italian & Flemish harpsichpords by Andrew Wooderson. Pieces by Fresobaldi, Purcell, J S Bach & Della Ciaja. Fantastic.
Off to Durham tomorrow.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Saturday 15th
Still had a headache when I woke up , unfortunately and have had it all day. Liz Hart had rung and invited me to go to a concert this evening, but sadly, I decided it was better to stay home and regroup.
Caught the bus to Sainsbury's and did some grocery shopping and have just been catching up on my emails and blog etc. Just about to attack sorting all my paperwork, as I'm off up to Durham on Monday for nearly three weeks.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to go to the Greenwich Early Music Festival , which is not far from here, at the Old Royal Naval College.
Caught the bus to Sainsbury's and did some grocery shopping and have just been catching up on my emails and blog etc. Just about to attack sorting all my paperwork, as I'm off up to Durham on Monday for nearly three weeks.
Tomorrow, I'm hoping to go to the Greenwich Early Music Festival , which is not far from here, at the Old Royal Naval College.
Friday, 14th November
The weather had considerably improved and I went up to the British Library and met with Richard Chesser , the Head of Music and was shown around by Dr Rupert Ridgewell Curator, Music Collections. Both had been in Sydney for the IAML Conference in 2007 , so were very interested in my project and knew where I was coming from. Although not directly relevant , as this is not a lending library , it was good for me to see their resources and to know what is accessible on line . It was an amazing place http://www.bl.uk/
This department (Music Collections) of about 12 staff has responsibility for manuscript and printed sheet music only. Much of this material is historic, and for research purposes, for reference only, therefore. There is no separate collection of music literature - either monographs or periodicals - which therefore simply forms part of the general literature storage areas. (This makes sense when you realise that virtually none of the collections are available in the reading rooms on open access. Because there's no ability to browse along the shelves there's no need to store similar material together.) The sheet music lending collection is held at Boston Spa, Yorkshire about 200 milesaway.
Music sound recordings form part of the Sound Archive,(25 staff) which is a separate department.
Rupert took me into the depths of the stacks and showed me examples of the collection -original manuscripts and material dating back centuries. I was mind-blown.
Then he took me to the reading room(s) and showed me how the public use the library itself. There is some general reference material on shelves around the wall for browsing however they mostly request items from the stacks which are found by library assistants and sent up on a conveyer belt .This takes about 40 mins , as a rule. There is a collection desk and also an information desk for reference enquiries. The music area has listening posts in small booths.
Then I looked at the exhibition areas which were stunning and showed some really valuable items.
Rupert and I also discussed digitisation and electronic resources which was most useful. I really appreciated the time he and Richard had spent with me.
I ended my afternoon in the BL shop and had to resist the tempation to buy anything other than postcards.
It was dark andwindy when I came out after 4.30, so decided to make my way home , rather than rushing through the London crowds to go to Evensong at St Paul's which had been my original plan. It was only the men singing ,(no boy choristers) so I felt I was not missing much. As it was the crowds for trains and buses were horrendous and while the tubes come every few minutes and the service is good , there are just so many people.
Had a quiet night at home (with a headache)
This department (Music Collections) of about 12 staff has responsibility for manuscript and printed sheet music only. Much of this material is historic, and for research purposes, for reference only, therefore. There is no separate collection of music literature - either monographs or periodicals - which therefore simply forms part of the general literature storage areas. (This makes sense when you realise that virtually none of the collections are available in the reading rooms on open access. Because there's no ability to browse along the shelves there's no need to store similar material together.) The sheet music lending collection is held at Boston Spa, Yorkshire about 200 milesaway.
Music sound recordings form part of the Sound Archive,(25 staff) which is a separate department.
Rupert took me into the depths of the stacks and showed me examples of the collection -original manuscripts and material dating back centuries. I was mind-blown.
Then he took me to the reading room(s) and showed me how the public use the library itself. There is some general reference material on shelves around the wall for browsing however they mostly request items from the stacks which are found by library assistants and sent up on a conveyer belt .This takes about 40 mins , as a rule. There is a collection desk and also an information desk for reference enquiries. The music area has listening posts in small booths.
Then I looked at the exhibition areas which were stunning and showed some really valuable items.
Rupert and I also discussed digitisation and electronic resources which was most useful. I really appreciated the time he and Richard had spent with me.
I ended my afternoon in the BL shop and had to resist the tempation to buy anything other than postcards.
It was dark andwindy when I came out after 4.30, so decided to make my way home , rather than rushing through the London crowds to go to Evensong at St Paul's which had been my original plan. It was only the men singing ,(no boy choristers) so I felt I was not missing much. As it was the crowds for trains and buses were horrendous and while the tubes come every few minutes and the service is good , there are just so many people.
Had a quiet night at home (with a headache)
Thursday, 13th November
Went up to London in the afternoon to go to Evensong at Westminster Abbey at 5p.m. Dark and cold and rainy weather. However, there were a lot of people at the service and it was very good. I was fortunate to get a seat on the end of the pew right next to the boy sopranos. The only disappointing thing was that James O'Donnell, (Organist and Master of the choristers) who I had met at an Adelaide RSCM Summer School , was not conducting. It was a rather earnest youngish man , whose style was a little peculiar (to me , anyway) , but he certainly got the sound, so that is all that matters. They sang 'O Praise the Lord' by Batten as the Introit and the Mag and Nunc were Purcell in B flat, accompanied on a chamber organ in the aisle between the two sides of the choir. Responses by Ayleward and the Anthem by John Blow 'God is our hope and strength'. So it was very lovely and I introduced myself to Fr Graham Napier , one of the priests, who used to be at Christ Church St Laurence , in Sydney for a number of years. He has been very good to Anna and Matt and they have sung at the Abbey several times in a substitute choir when the boys and men have been on holidays. He said they are probably spending Christmas and New Year with him and he wll take them up the top of the Abbey Tower to see the London fireworks!
Then I waited outside in almost gale force conditions and met Craig Jones, my friend from Surrey Libraries. There had been a Library conference on RFID at the conference Centre opposite the Abbey , so we had arranged to meet up with Fiona Emberton (and Ian Spence )http://www.cilip.org.uk/interests/rfid/rfid2007/fionaemberton.html who was one of the speakers. I met Fiona when she was working at Brisbane City Libraries and 'Scottish' Susan was on her exchange, as they worked together in Scotland. Fiona and Ian are co-directors of Embervision , an Australian and UK based business specialising in library transformation and culture change. www.embervision.cc . We went to a nearby pub for dinner, which as it happened was full of other librarians who had been at the conference. It was a very interesting evening as Fiona and Ian told us all about their work . Their Australian clients include the Universities of Sydney and Newcastle and various public libraries , including the Adelaide Hills and Caloundra. They have also worked in NZ for Auckland City Council and several others as well as many prominent local authorities in the UK, including Westminster , Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Hopefully they will get some more work in Sydney and I can treat them in the style they are accustomed .
Then I waited outside in almost gale force conditions and met Craig Jones, my friend from Surrey Libraries. There had been a Library conference on RFID at the conference Centre opposite the Abbey , so we had arranged to meet up with Fiona Emberton (and Ian Spence )http://www.cilip.org.uk/interests/rfid/rfid2007/fionaemberton.html who was one of the speakers. I met Fiona when she was working at Brisbane City Libraries and 'Scottish' Susan was on her exchange, as they worked together in Scotland. Fiona and Ian are co-directors of Embervision , an Australian and UK based business specialising in library transformation and culture change. www.embervision.cc . We went to a nearby pub for dinner, which as it happened was full of other librarians who had been at the conference. It was a very interesting evening as Fiona and Ian told us all about their work . Their Australian clients include the Universities of Sydney and Newcastle and various public libraries , including the Adelaide Hills and Caloundra. They have also worked in NZ for Auckland City Council and several others as well as many prominent local authorities in the UK, including Westminster , Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Hopefully they will get some more work in Sydney and I can treat them in the style they are accustomed .
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday 12th
Slept in and went for a walk along the river to the shops . Then spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on my blog amongst other things.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Tuesday 11th
What a day...
Set off mid-morning for Dorking and the Surrey Performing Arts Library where I had an appointment with Peter Baxter, the Senior Librarian , there.
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/SCCWebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Surrey+Performing+Arts+Library?opendocument
The library is attached to a Winery (why not?) http://www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk/ and is situated about 15 minutes walk from Dorking station, in the countryside.
The premises are quite crowded and as they lend a lot of performance score sets to local groups and via ILL there was a lot of public space taken up for this. Sets can be ordered on line. There is a large collection of librettos for musicals, miniature scores and chamber music for groups.
The library covers not just music , but dance ,theatre and cinema as well. As well as music scores they lend play sets to groups and they charge for this service, so as to generate income. It is £20 per annum for Surrey Groups and £25 for those outside Surrey.
Choral TV and Radio programs have boosted the interest in choir singing and so choral scores are very popular , as are enquiries about individual song titles. They also provide Jazz packs for Jazz ensembles , children's music sets and orchestral sets for schools.
There is not the same volume of material published for enquiries on Dance , however. The library receives a lot of enquiries re social dancing enquiries .
The Library has to purchase material through their ordinary suppliers ,which is a pity as there are so many specialist suppliers in the UK. As a result, they often have to wait lengthy amounts of time and often miss out on some of the better material .
The staffing consists of the Senior Librarian, a Librarian, the Library Manager (who organises the front desk etc) and one and a half library asssistants. There should be two and a half assistants, so they are working with ne person less than they should have. They have several volunteers , including the former Senior Librarian.
Upstairs is the Vaughan Williams room with special collections and displays . There is also a practice piano with headphones. There is a special Shakespeare collection
Sadly they do not have a lot of electronic resources and the Library Service does not subscribe to Grove on-line. It was axed from the overall budget and the Performing Arts Library does not have the money to fund it.
The Library has a very active 'Friends' Group which organise talks etc and help with funding.
There is a basement with storage space and the IAML Library is there. They also have a stack in a local drill hall.
Their community information area is in the foyer and features predominantly local groups of which there are many. It is great to have all this info. collected in the one place. They also have a 'Clash' Diary book in the foyer which I thought was a fantastic idea. Individuals and Groups can write performance dates and details in the diary and this helps to prevent the same music etc being performed on the same date or around the same time. This would certainly help in Sydney !
All in all, considering budget and staffing limitations, it was my impression that this library is a wonderful service for the general public. This impression was born out by the famous trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins who I met later that night at a concert, and as he had been in the library that morning, I discussed it with him briefly.
So, I had a very worthwhile visit to Dorking and headed back for London about 4p.m. (It is dark by 4.30 ) and made my way to Barbican tube station to attend an organ and trumpet recital at a very quaint institution called 'Charterhouse' It is a home for elderly gentlemen and the site was a priory in 1371 and consists of Tudor buildings etc. A truly British Institution.
The organist was David Hill, conductor of the London Bach Choir and the BBC Singers and formerly Director of Music at Westminster and Winchester Cathedrals, and St John's College , Cambridge. David has been to Australia 11 times and I first got to know him in 1989 at a Brisbane RSCM Summer School and again in 2005 at the Sydney Summer School.
Crispian Steele-Perkins, the trumpeter, has also been to Australia and my goddaughter and her husband got to meet him when he performed with them in Australian Baroque Brass. Since they moved to London he has given them work , so I really wanted to meet him, which I did.
The audience was not huge and the chapel is quite intimate . The organ is a Walker organ and a very fine instrument, although not easy to play.
The concert was wonderful and afterwards I was invited for drinks with the residents and then when that finished David and I met at the pub to catch up on news etc. He was impressed with my research project and thought it a very worthwhile thing to be doing.
So it was a lovely evening and I got home after midnight!
Set off mid-morning for Dorking and the Surrey Performing Arts Library where I had an appointment with Peter Baxter, the Senior Librarian , there.
http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/SCCWebsite/sccwspages.nsf/LookupWebPagesByTITLE_RTF/Surrey+Performing+Arts+Library?opendocument
The library is attached to a Winery (why not?) http://www.denbiesvineyard.co.uk/ and is situated about 15 minutes walk from Dorking station, in the countryside.
The premises are quite crowded and as they lend a lot of performance score sets to local groups and via ILL there was a lot of public space taken up for this. Sets can be ordered on line. There is a large collection of librettos for musicals, miniature scores and chamber music for groups.
The library covers not just music , but dance ,theatre and cinema as well. As well as music scores they lend play sets to groups and they charge for this service, so as to generate income. It is £20 per annum for Surrey Groups and £25 for those outside Surrey.
Choral TV and Radio programs have boosted the interest in choir singing and so choral scores are very popular , as are enquiries about individual song titles. They also provide Jazz packs for Jazz ensembles , children's music sets and orchestral sets for schools.
There is not the same volume of material published for enquiries on Dance , however. The library receives a lot of enquiries re social dancing enquiries .
The Library has to purchase material through their ordinary suppliers ,which is a pity as there are so many specialist suppliers in the UK. As a result, they often have to wait lengthy amounts of time and often miss out on some of the better material .
The staffing consists of the Senior Librarian, a Librarian, the Library Manager (who organises the front desk etc) and one and a half library asssistants. There should be two and a half assistants, so they are working with ne person less than they should have. They have several volunteers , including the former Senior Librarian.
Upstairs is the Vaughan Williams room with special collections and displays . There is also a practice piano with headphones. There is a special Shakespeare collection
Sadly they do not have a lot of electronic resources and the Library Service does not subscribe to Grove on-line. It was axed from the overall budget and the Performing Arts Library does not have the money to fund it.
The Library has a very active 'Friends' Group which organise talks etc and help with funding.
There is a basement with storage space and the IAML Library is there. They also have a stack in a local drill hall.
Their community information area is in the foyer and features predominantly local groups of which there are many. It is great to have all this info. collected in the one place. They also have a 'Clash' Diary book in the foyer which I thought was a fantastic idea. Individuals and Groups can write performance dates and details in the diary and this helps to prevent the same music etc being performed on the same date or around the same time. This would certainly help in Sydney !
All in all, considering budget and staffing limitations, it was my impression that this library is a wonderful service for the general public. This impression was born out by the famous trumpeter Crispian Steele-Perkins who I met later that night at a concert, and as he had been in the library that morning, I discussed it with him briefly.
So, I had a very worthwhile visit to Dorking and headed back for London about 4p.m. (It is dark by 4.30 ) and made my way to Barbican tube station to attend an organ and trumpet recital at a very quaint institution called 'Charterhouse' It is a home for elderly gentlemen and the site was a priory in 1371 and consists of Tudor buildings etc. A truly British Institution.
The organist was David Hill, conductor of the London Bach Choir and the BBC Singers and formerly Director of Music at Westminster and Winchester Cathedrals, and St John's College , Cambridge. David has been to Australia 11 times and I first got to know him in 1989 at a Brisbane RSCM Summer School and again in 2005 at the Sydney Summer School.
Crispian Steele-Perkins, the trumpeter, has also been to Australia and my goddaughter and her husband got to meet him when he performed with them in Australian Baroque Brass. Since they moved to London he has given them work , so I really wanted to meet him, which I did.
The audience was not huge and the chapel is quite intimate . The organ is a Walker organ and a very fine instrument, although not easy to play.
The concert was wonderful and afterwards I was invited for drinks with the residents and then when that finished David and I met at the pub to catch up on news etc. He was impressed with my research project and thought it a very worthwhile thing to be doing.
So it was a lovely evening and I got home after midnight!
Monday 10th
Today I met 'Scottish Susan' who had come to London to see me and also catch up with her brother. Susan works in Keith in Scotland for The Moray Council Library Service http://www.moray.gov.uk/moray_standard/page_1472.html
She did an exchange in Australia several years ago at Wollongong Library. Originally she had wanted to swap with me at Glebe, but Leichhardt Council did not approve it. So we became friends, anyway and had a great time when she was 'down under'
She came back for a holiday in Dec. 2004/5 and went to the RSCM Summer School .
We met at 10a.m. and had a fantastic 10 hours together , despite atrocious weather. We went to Lodon Bridge station and from there walked along the Thames, past the restored 'Golden Hinde' and on to the Globe Theatre , where we did a tour.
Had planned to go to a lunchtime recital at the Royal College of Music , but by the time we got there in the pouring rain and blustery conditions , we were too late, so only caught the very end.
Discovered the Library http://www.rcm.ac.uk/default.aspx?pg=2005 and proceeded to spend a couple of hours there , luxuriating in the collections etc.
Had a late lunch, early dinner and a couple of drinks before heading home. Susan's brother lives on the same tube line, so that was good. Yet another goodbye...
She did an exchange in Australia several years ago at Wollongong Library. Originally she had wanted to swap with me at Glebe, but Leichhardt Council did not approve it. So we became friends, anyway and had a great time when she was 'down under'
She came back for a holiday in Dec. 2004/5 and went to the RSCM Summer School .
We met at 10a.m. and had a fantastic 10 hours together , despite atrocious weather. We went to Lodon Bridge station and from there walked along the Thames, past the restored 'Golden Hinde' and on to the Globe Theatre , where we did a tour.
Had planned to go to a lunchtime recital at the Royal College of Music , but by the time we got there in the pouring rain and blustery conditions , we were too late, so only caught the very end.
Discovered the Library http://www.rcm.ac.uk/default.aspx?pg=2005 and proceeded to spend a couple of hours there , luxuriating in the collections etc.
Had a late lunch, early dinner and a couple of drinks before heading home. Susan's brother lives on the same tube line, so that was good. Yet another goodbye...
Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th.
Glyn and Gwynn drove me over to a village called Kingston near Cambridge (an hour from Harpenden) to where Eve and Ben and their two little boys live. Eve was on my staff at Glebe for a couple of years, before going to Mosman Library to work. Ben is here in the UK for his job. They have Timothy, who is 18 months old and now Matthew who was one week old. It was great to see them, but poor Eve was still very sore and restricted from Matthew's difficult birth.
however, we trooped into Cambridge, as they needed to get Matthew's passport photo taken (unsuccessful , I might add) and I was able to have a look around.
In the evening Ben, Timothy and I went to the next village for the annual Guy Fawkes fireworks display , which was fun.
On Sunday morning Ben drove me back into Cambridge so I could go to Mattins for Remembrance Day at King's College. However, while it was very good, it was a bit disappointing in that there was no conductor, except for the lay clerk in the back row of each side who kept the beat. Stephen Cleobury must have been away and did not get a replacement. So they did Anglican chant except for the Te Deum which was by Ireland and the anthem 'Greater Love' also by Ireland.
Came back to Kingston and sat around chatting etc until it was time for me to get the bus back to London. Bus travel, while it takes longer, is much more economical than the train ,and I got a 'funfare' for £4.50.
Home here in Woolwich about 7p.m.
however, we trooped into Cambridge, as they needed to get Matthew's passport photo taken (unsuccessful , I might add) and I was able to have a look around.
In the evening Ben, Timothy and I went to the next village for the annual Guy Fawkes fireworks display , which was fun.
On Sunday morning Ben drove me back into Cambridge so I could go to Mattins for Remembrance Day at King's College. However, while it was very good, it was a bit disappointing in that there was no conductor, except for the lay clerk in the back row of each side who kept the beat. Stephen Cleobury must have been away and did not get a replacement. So they did Anglican chant except for the Te Deum which was by Ireland and the anthem 'Greater Love' also by Ireland.
Came back to Kingston and sat around chatting etc until it was time for me to get the bus back to London. Bus travel, while it takes longer, is much more economical than the train ,and I got a 'funfare' for £4.50.
Home here in Woolwich about 7p.m.
Thursday 5th, Friday 6th
We had a quiet day , relaxing and a visit to the nearby local deli . Late afternoon Joan drove me over to Harpenden to stay with my friends Glyn and Gwynn for the next two nights. I was very sad to say goodbye to Joan and Bill .
However, Glyn and Gwynn their dog Ruby and two week old kitten, Sophie, made me very welcome. I went to school with Glyn at St George Girls High for about three months when we were 14 . She came to OZ from South Africa and as her parents did not seem to settle anywhere for long , moved around until coming to England , where she was when I was here in 1970-71.
I went to her wedding to Gwynn, who is Welsh . They have four children , all with Welsh names , but only the youngest, Bethan (23) is still at home. Glyn was a teacher and has just also had to retire , as a result of a case of the extreme bullying and harrassment of her ,by some of the staff at her school. Not a happy scene, but we had a great time catching up and went to a pub for lunch on Friday to celebrate our recent big 'O' birthdays and a nice walk around Harpenden which looked lovely with all the autumn leaves.
However, Glyn and Gwynn their dog Ruby and two week old kitten, Sophie, made me very welcome. I went to school with Glyn at St George Girls High for about three months when we were 14 . She came to OZ from South Africa and as her parents did not seem to settle anywhere for long , moved around until coming to England , where she was when I was here in 1970-71.
I went to her wedding to Gwynn, who is Welsh . They have four children , all with Welsh names , but only the youngest, Bethan (23) is still at home. Glyn was a teacher and has just also had to retire , as a result of a case of the extreme bullying and harrassment of her ,by some of the staff at her school. Not a happy scene, but we had a great time catching up and went to a pub for lunch on Friday to celebrate our recent big 'O' birthdays and a nice walk around Harpenden which looked lovely with all the autumn leaves.
Monday, 3rd November & Tuesday 4th
Came back from Surrey this morning and Ernie had left forAustralia the night before, so the flat was mine. Caught upon my washing and other chores and packed to go to Hertfordshire the next day.
Caught the train this morning to Luton Airport Parkway and was met by my firends Joan and Bill. I had worked with Joan in Brent in the early 70's and we have been riends ever since. she has recently retired from the University Library in Luton. Bill does some work from home- he was originally an interior designer. They live in a small village called Breachwood Green . We went to a pub in a nearby village (as you do) for lunch . the countryside is beautiful and it was great to be away from the hurly burly of London. We spent a quiet evening in and after a a splendid dinner cooked by Chef Bill we settled down to watchQuiz shows on TV. As I had not seen any television up to this point it was good, as it gives one a fell for the 'culture' of the country. Must admit, if you thought 'Deal or no deal' is puerile in Oz, you should see the British one. However, they made up for it in the high standard of some of their other programs , which could become addictive !
On Wednesday Joan and I went into St Alban's for a look around. The weather was cold and rainy , but we were not daunted. Had a look around the St Alban's Library
http://www.hertsdirect.org/libsleisure/libraries/where/libs/sta which was actually quite ordinary and a little shabby.
We looked in the shops and had a peep in the Abbey, which I had been to before ,several times and headed home after lunch for another of Bill's famous recipes for dinner (fish pie) and more quiz shows etc. A fishmonger comes to the village in a van each week and Bill is a good customer.
Caught the train this morning to Luton Airport Parkway and was met by my firends Joan and Bill. I had worked with Joan in Brent in the early 70's and we have been riends ever since. she has recently retired from the University Library in Luton. Bill does some work from home- he was originally an interior designer. They live in a small village called Breachwood Green . We went to a pub in a nearby village (as you do) for lunch . the countryside is beautiful and it was great to be away from the hurly burly of London. We spent a quiet evening in and after a a splendid dinner cooked by Chef Bill we settled down to watchQuiz shows on TV. As I had not seen any television up to this point it was good, as it gives one a fell for the 'culture' of the country. Must admit, if you thought 'Deal or no deal' is puerile in Oz, you should see the British one. However, they made up for it in the high standard of some of their other programs , which could become addictive !
On Wednesday Joan and I went into St Alban's for a look around. The weather was cold and rainy , but we were not daunted. Had a look around the St Alban's Library
http://www.hertsdirect.org/libsleisure/libraries/where/libs/sta which was actually quite ordinary and a little shabby.
We looked in the shops and had a peep in the Abbey, which I had been to before ,several times and headed home after lunch for another of Bill's famous recipes for dinner (fish pie) and more quiz shows etc. A fishmonger comes to the village in a van each week and Bill is a good customer.
Another weekend
In Surrey again and it was All Saints Day and then all Souls. Sang Victoria 'O Quam Gloriosum ' mass and motet. Then headed to Norwood , for a three choir festival for three Pearson churches . (Bornmouth, norwood and Croydon)
Again I was priveleged to be able to sing in the choir of about 35 and do a number of motets interspersed by readings of poetry and the Bible , in a very moving service. The standard was extremly high and I loved every minute of it. They had a lady vicar - very groovy and at the wine and refreshments afterward said she would have loved to kick on with us as we were party girls. However she had a sermon to write.
Sunday- Mass in the morning . Durufle Requiem- yet anothe challenging sight read, but...
Then home to Lynette' where Bob had cooked a roast dinner - beef this time. then back for Evensong - Byrd's second service.
Again I was priveleged to be able to sing in the choir of about 35 and do a number of motets interspersed by readings of poetry and the Bible , in a very moving service. The standard was extremly high and I loved every minute of it. They had a lady vicar - very groovy and at the wine and refreshments afterward said she would have loved to kick on with us as we were party girls. However she had a sermon to write.
Sunday- Mass in the morning . Durufle Requiem- yet anothe challenging sight read, but...
Then home to Lynette' where Bob had cooked a roast dinner - beef this time. then back for Evensong - Byrd's second service.
Monday 27th- Friday 31st
Monday I came back to London and Ernie took me to be a tourist at the nearby Docklands area.
Tuesday, and I headed off for another library visit, this time to the Barbican Centre Music Library which is a branch of London City Libraries. Was met by Liz Wells, the Librarian and was amazed at the quality and amount of service they provide to the general public , for their music needs. My goddaughter and her husband belong to this library and as borrowers are also suitably impressed. As classical musicians, who are looking for work, and are no longer studying at an institution, this library is a godsend for them to borrow music for auditions etc. Being situated in a concert venue and such a beautiful setting, also certainly gives this library a distinct advantage. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Libraries/City_of_London_libraries/barbican_lib.htm
Headed up to Haringey to see Anna and as she had fallen down the stairs she was nursing a cracked rib. Not good for a singer, especially one who is coming bac to OZ to sing with Cantillation in the Pinchgut Opera. Anyway, we ate spag. bol. and Ernie came and picked me up to take me back to Woolwich. There was snow on the front of the train !!!!
Wednesday was not a good day, as there were dificulties with our NY booking and some other issues with travel cards which took hours to solve on a not very well explained website. I was stressed out by this and also my diminishing supplies of money , owing to the exchange rate being very different from when I applied for the grant, to come here.
Pulled myself together and went up to London to meet Craig Jones , who works for Surrey Libraries and did an exchange when I was working at Bankstown . We had a lovely time and an amazing co-incidence occurred. In the restaurant, a man who works at the NSW State Library was sitting next to us. He is from Serbia originally and was dining with an older woman who knew his parents in the war. She heard myAussie accent- (who says I am loud? ) and it went from there. It turned out she lived in Sutton, five minutes from Craig. Can't believe it is such a small world.
Thursday I was feeling a bit better and Ernie very kindly bought tickets to see 'The Sixteen' at South Bank. They were very good , but seem to have changed their style to bigger soprano voices, which is not actually my preference. However David Hill's daughter, Alison , did a solo and her voice was lovely.
I got Harry Christopher's ( the conductor) autograph on my program , which was very exciting as this group has always been one of my favourites.
Friday - and I was off to Westminster Music Library right near Victoria Station. Met with the Librarian Ruth Walters, and spent a very profitable couple of hours with her. Looked at all the services they provide to the general public, as they are a branch of Westminster City Libraries. http://www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries/special/music/
She and Liz from the Barbican have a good professional working relationship , so co-operation is important.
Ernie met me and then we went up to Harrow to meet up with former colleagues from Brent Libraries, where we worked 37 years ago. Both David and Kevin are now retired and Kevin's wife, Bing, cooked a lovely meal over which we remembered times past .
Tuesday, and I headed off for another library visit, this time to the Barbican Centre Music Library which is a branch of London City Libraries. Was met by Liz Wells, the Librarian and was amazed at the quality and amount of service they provide to the general public , for their music needs. My goddaughter and her husband belong to this library and as borrowers are also suitably impressed. As classical musicians, who are looking for work, and are no longer studying at an institution, this library is a godsend for them to borrow music for auditions etc. Being situated in a concert venue and such a beautiful setting, also certainly gives this library a distinct advantage. http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/LGNL_Services/Leisure_and_culture/Libraries/City_of_London_libraries/barbican_lib.htm
Headed up to Haringey to see Anna and as she had fallen down the stairs she was nursing a cracked rib. Not good for a singer, especially one who is coming bac to OZ to sing with Cantillation in the Pinchgut Opera. Anyway, we ate spag. bol. and Ernie came and picked me up to take me back to Woolwich. There was snow on the front of the train !!!!
Wednesday was not a good day, as there were dificulties with our NY booking and some other issues with travel cards which took hours to solve on a not very well explained website. I was stressed out by this and also my diminishing supplies of money , owing to the exchange rate being very different from when I applied for the grant, to come here.
Pulled myself together and went up to London to meet Craig Jones , who works for Surrey Libraries and did an exchange when I was working at Bankstown . We had a lovely time and an amazing co-incidence occurred. In the restaurant, a man who works at the NSW State Library was sitting next to us. He is from Serbia originally and was dining with an older woman who knew his parents in the war. She heard myAussie accent- (who says I am loud? ) and it went from there. It turned out she lived in Sutton, five minutes from Craig. Can't believe it is such a small world.
Thursday I was feeling a bit better and Ernie very kindly bought tickets to see 'The Sixteen' at South Bank. They were very good , but seem to have changed their style to bigger soprano voices, which is not actually my preference. However David Hill's daughter, Alison , did a solo and her voice was lovely.
I got Harry Christopher's ( the conductor) autograph on my program , which was very exciting as this group has always been one of my favourites.
Friday - and I was off to Westminster Music Library right near Victoria Station. Met with the Librarian Ruth Walters, and spent a very profitable couple of hours with her. Looked at all the services they provide to the general public, as they are a branch of Westminster City Libraries. http://www.westminster.gov.uk/libraries/special/music/
She and Liz from the Barbican have a good professional working relationship , so co-operation is important.
Ernie met me and then we went up to Harrow to meet up with former colleagues from Brent Libraries, where we worked 37 years ago. Both David and Kevin are now retired and Kevin's wife, Bing, cooked a lovely meal over which we remembered times past .
The weekend
I went down to Surrey to stay with my friends , Lynette (Aussie) and her husband Bob (a pom!)
Bob's son i s the assistant organist at Rochester Cathedral and we drove down there to hear him play for Evensong with the 'Voluntary choir' ( it was half term and the boys were on holiday) It was very nice and the standard was that of Christ Church S. Laurence. Had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Rochester .
Sunday was an amazing day- Lynette sings in a very good choir at St Michael's Croydon( their director, Robert Sholl is Australian ) and I was priveleged to be allowed to be one of the sopranos for the day. My sight reading skills were sorely taxed for the Mozart 'Missa Brevis' in B but I actually surprised myself and managed. The anthem was by Bairstow 'I sat down under his shadow' which is in my repetoire so no worries there.
Then some of the choir went back to Anne Fleming's for lunch. Her husband Michael, who died about 3 years ago, was the former choir director , a brilliant musician and one of the stalwarts of RSCM who has nurtured and trained innumerable church musicians from all over the world. Had a beautiful English roast (pork) and amazing interaction with some very proficient musicians, including Nic Edwards who had lived in Sydney and worked for Opera Australia for 18 months.He sang at St JamesKing St and is now going to go freelance as a composer, next year.
Then, having been suitably fed and watered (or should I say , wined) we went back to church and sang Evensong - Howell's St Paul's Service (another sight read) and 'My eyes for Beauty pine' (another Burwood choir piece)
Bob's son i s the assistant organist at Rochester Cathedral and we drove down there to hear him play for Evensong with the 'Voluntary choir' ( it was half term and the boys were on holiday) It was very nice and the standard was that of Christ Church S. Laurence. Had dinner at an Italian restaurant in Rochester .
Sunday was an amazing day- Lynette sings in a very good choir at St Michael's Croydon( their director, Robert Sholl is Australian ) and I was priveleged to be allowed to be one of the sopranos for the day. My sight reading skills were sorely taxed for the Mozart 'Missa Brevis' in B but I actually surprised myself and managed. The anthem was by Bairstow 'I sat down under his shadow' which is in my repetoire so no worries there.
Then some of the choir went back to Anne Fleming's for lunch. Her husband Michael, who died about 3 years ago, was the former choir director , a brilliant musician and one of the stalwarts of RSCM who has nurtured and trained innumerable church musicians from all over the world. Had a beautiful English roast (pork) and amazing interaction with some very proficient musicians, including Nic Edwards who had lived in Sydney and worked for Opera Australia for 18 months.He sang at St JamesKing St and is now going to go freelance as a composer, next year.
Then, having been suitably fed and watered (or should I say , wined) we went back to church and sang Evensong - Howell's St Paul's Service (another sight read) and 'My eyes for Beauty pine' (another Burwood choir piece)
Friday , 24th October
Today Ernie took me up to the London Borough of Enfield Libraries, http://www.enfield.gov.uk/nav2/200062.asp where he works.
At the Palmers Green Branch I met up with Liz Hart , who I had gotten to know at the Sydney IAML conference. she had previously been the music librarian for Enfield , but this position had recently been abolished and she now works part-time as a Lending Services Librarian. The previously well-reputed music collection had been relegated to various store rooms and it was very sad to see this dispersement. They still provide a lending service for sets of scores etc, but other services had been scaled down. It appears to me ,that Local Authorities, supposedly for economic reasons, in London are no longer valuing libraries as much as they have done in the past, or as we do in Australia and Scandanavia. It will be interesting to see the USA libraries, but they have the advantage of 'benefactors' in a lot of cases.
I had a look around the rest of the branch, which did not particularly differ from ours, but yet again, it was old and not a purpose built library building so... The staff , however, seemed very committed and friendly..
Then we caught the bus to Edmonton Town Branch , where Ernie usually works and I had a good look around there. The library is in a shopping complex and the area is extremely multicultural . The bookstock seemed reasonable ,as did the music/audio collection, but the bank of free public PC's seemd to have overtaken things. They also have a shop across the aisle devoted specifically to internet access ,for which they charge a small fee,(20p) as it is a condition of renting the shop. Although some of the Pc's in this shop are available a majority of people will wait and wait to use the free ones in the actual library. There is a staff member rostered to the desk in the 'shop' so it is labour intensive.
At 5p.m. we retired to the nearby pub 'The Lamb' and were joined by several of Ernie's colleagues, including Liz Hart. We had a great night and as is almost always the case, social interaction with colleagues, provides valuable insight into our profession.
At the Palmers Green Branch I met up with Liz Hart , who I had gotten to know at the Sydney IAML conference. she had previously been the music librarian for Enfield , but this position had recently been abolished and she now works part-time as a Lending Services Librarian. The previously well-reputed music collection had been relegated to various store rooms and it was very sad to see this dispersement. They still provide a lending service for sets of scores etc, but other services had been scaled down. It appears to me ,that Local Authorities, supposedly for economic reasons, in London are no longer valuing libraries as much as they have done in the past, or as we do in Australia and Scandanavia. It will be interesting to see the USA libraries, but they have the advantage of 'benefactors' in a lot of cases.
I had a look around the rest of the branch, which did not particularly differ from ours, but yet again, it was old and not a purpose built library building so... The staff , however, seemed very committed and friendly..
Then we caught the bus to Edmonton Town Branch , where Ernie usually works and I had a good look around there. The library is in a shopping complex and the area is extremely multicultural . The bookstock seemed reasonable ,as did the music/audio collection, but the bank of free public PC's seemd to have overtaken things. They also have a shop across the aisle devoted specifically to internet access ,for which they charge a small fee,(20p) as it is a condition of renting the shop. Although some of the Pc's in this shop are available a majority of people will wait and wait to use the free ones in the actual library. There is a staff member rostered to the desk in the 'shop' so it is labour intensive.
At 5p.m. we retired to the nearby pub 'The Lamb' and were joined by several of Ernie's colleagues, including Liz Hart. We had a great night and as is almost always the case, social interaction with colleagues, provides valuable insight into our profession.
Wednesday, 22nd October & Thursday 23rd
As Ernie was at work spent the day orienting myself, doing some food shopping at Sainsbury's etc and then went up to London in the evening to meet my goddaughter, Anna, and her husband Matt. We went to a great pub called Mazy's near Leicester Square. Matt was coming to Oz the next day (and to my apartment) for his gigs (trumpet) with Australian Baroque Brass and the Brandenburg Orchestra.
Ernie was at work again on Thursday so I just did a bit of exploring around here and caught up on things a bit more.
Ernie was at work again on Thursday so I just did a bit of exploring around here and caught up on things a bit more.
Tuesday 21st October
I got up early and packed before heading off to the MUSIK ACADEMIE DER STADT BASEL where Tina had organised for me to meet with Bernhard Guldimann, one of the librarians there.
got a bit lost getting there, but finally made it and it was a most enjoyable visit. Beautiful setting and masses of music students of all nationalities were milling around. The library is currently very overcrowded , but a new purpose built library is being built nearby- most of it will be underground. I was able to view the plans and it will be amazing.
I spent a couple of hours with Bernhard and then he took me to the nearby public library, ALLEGMEINE BIBLIOTHEKEN der GGG BASEL, and left me there to look around by myself. I was very grateful for his help, as it was a bit tricky and my sense of direction seemed to be lacking. This was also an interesting experience, as although the library was run by local government , belonging incurs fees. (and there are no real branches in the suburbs) It is upstairs in a quaint building and consists of three floors. The first floor is a reading room with newspapers and magazines and a small reference collection. As everywhere, people here still seem to prefer to access hard copy newspapers. The next floor was for non-fiction and this was arranged in Dewey order , but only two numbers after the decimal point. The interesting thing was that all types of media were grouped in the subject area. Yet again, as in Sweden comics and graphic novels featured as a large separate section.
An extensive collection of music CDs grouped in subject areas was also on this floor. HIP-HOP seems the same in everyone's language and there was a separate section for this, as well as the usual categories everyone uses.
The top floor was for Adult fiction which was in alphabetical order by author except for a couple of special categories. The biography section- classified as 99, was also on this floor as was childrens fiction and picture books.
I chatted with one of the librarians on duty for a few minutes and she was saying how overcrowded the library was- the usual story, but I wish she could see our Haymarket Branch - she would think the Basel library was a palace.
I then headed for the KUNSTMUSEUM -the Art Gallery i.e. and after a pleasant lunch in the cafe there I spent the afternoon looking at the wonderful special Sill Life exhibition . Also enjoyed some impressionists and Hans Holbein works in the permanent collection.
It was then time for me to catch the number 8 tram for the last time and head back to the hotel to wait for Tina to pick me up and take me to the airport. It was really sad saying goodbye to her as we had such a nice time together.
However, I hopped on my smallish plane and arrived at London City Airport at 8p.m.where Ernie (my ex-husband) was waiting to meet me. We caught a taxi home to his flat here in Woolwich.
got a bit lost getting there, but finally made it and it was a most enjoyable visit. Beautiful setting and masses of music students of all nationalities were milling around. The library is currently very overcrowded , but a new purpose built library is being built nearby- most of it will be underground. I was able to view the plans and it will be amazing.
I spent a couple of hours with Bernhard and then he took me to the nearby public library, ALLEGMEINE BIBLIOTHEKEN der GGG BASEL, and left me there to look around by myself. I was very grateful for his help, as it was a bit tricky and my sense of direction seemed to be lacking. This was also an interesting experience, as although the library was run by local government , belonging incurs fees. (and there are no real branches in the suburbs) It is upstairs in a quaint building and consists of three floors. The first floor is a reading room with newspapers and magazines and a small reference collection. As everywhere, people here still seem to prefer to access hard copy newspapers. The next floor was for non-fiction and this was arranged in Dewey order , but only two numbers after the decimal point. The interesting thing was that all types of media were grouped in the subject area. Yet again, as in Sweden comics and graphic novels featured as a large separate section.
An extensive collection of music CDs grouped in subject areas was also on this floor. HIP-HOP seems the same in everyone's language and there was a separate section for this, as well as the usual categories everyone uses.
The top floor was for Adult fiction which was in alphabetical order by author except for a couple of special categories. The biography section- classified as 99, was also on this floor as was childrens fiction and picture books.
I chatted with one of the librarians on duty for a few minutes and she was saying how overcrowded the library was- the usual story, but I wish she could see our Haymarket Branch - she would think the Basel library was a palace.
I then headed for the KUNSTMUSEUM -the Art Gallery i.e. and after a pleasant lunch in the cafe there I spent the afternoon looking at the wonderful special Sill Life exhibition . Also enjoyed some impressionists and Hans Holbein works in the permanent collection.
It was then time for me to catch the number 8 tram for the last time and head back to the hotel to wait for Tina to pick me up and take me to the airport. It was really sad saying goodbye to her as we had such a nice time together.
However, I hopped on my smallish plane and arrived at London City Airport at 8p.m.where Ernie (my ex-husband) was waiting to meet me. We caught a taxi home to his flat here in Woolwich.
In London
I have not had a chance to update my blog since arriving here in London as it has all been quite overwhelming and other things have had to take priority. i.e. arranging Library visits and transport and accommodation etc. All this has taken an inordinate amount of time and energy.
I have felt quite stressed but am now much more relaxed and having a couple of days at 'home' to catch up on everything, so here goes...
I have felt quite stressed but am now much more relaxed and having a couple of days at 'home' to catch up on everything, so here goes...
Friday, October 24, 2008
Monday 20th October
Went to the Paul Sacher Foundation where Tina works and spent the morning with her there. It is another amazing place which collects music of various composers in depth , the musicologists decide who and the librarians organise it. It is a research library and Paul Sacher set it up in a house and then bought the next door house as the collection became too Large. It is beautifully done and looks out on the Rhine. They have users from all over the world, but you have to make an appointment to use the material. Looked at the various methods of storage, in the stacks which are a chilly 16 degrees and 50% humidity as they hold a lot of rare original material. They share their catalogue with othe music libraries so it is a great resource.
I enjoyed morning tea with the staff who were intrigued by my project and so there was much discussion, apparently , after I left.
Had lunch with Tina and then went to the PUPPENHAUSMUSEUM for some light relief. They have displays of 6,000 teddy bears and dolls- fascinating stuff. (and I am serious)
Went to Tina's mother's house for dinner and we had a traditional Swiss meal of melted cheese at the table and condiments etc. Tina's Mum was great.
I enjoyed morning tea with the staff who were intrigued by my project and so there was much discussion, apparently , after I left.
Had lunch with Tina and then went to the PUPPENHAUSMUSEUM for some light relief. They have displays of 6,000 teddy bears and dolls- fascinating stuff. (and I am serious)
Went to Tina's mother's house for dinner and we had a traditional Swiss meal of melted cheese at the table and condiments etc. Tina's Mum was great.
Sunday 19th October.
The day was beautiful and sunny and Tina met me at 11.30 for us to do some sightseeing. We went into the city Centre and walked. Firstly to the Cathedral and in the square outside they were preparing for a big festival which would happen the next weekend. The Ferris wheel was huge. We caught the ferry across the Rhine and walked along the bank to a restaurant where we had a salad for lunch. Walked back across the bridge and went to the Basel Historical Museum in the Barfusserkirche and saw the Cathedral Treasury collection, as well as other exhibitions of Basel's history.
We then walked to the MUSIK Museum which is housed in the former Basel prison. A simply wonderful place with large musical instruments displayed in the 3 hallways and the cells contained other exhibitions of different types of instrument. There was an interactive panel in each room which gave a history and played the music of the particular instruments . Fabulous.
Off to a place for coffee and the to Basel's oldest hotel where Tina insisted we had champagne -Moet - and watched the sun set over the river. Off to a restaurant then and I had veal liver- a traditonal Swiss dish. Life can't be bad...
We then walked to the MUSIK Museum which is housed in the former Basel prison. A simply wonderful place with large musical instruments displayed in the 3 hallways and the cells contained other exhibitions of different types of instrument. There was an interactive panel in each room which gave a history and played the music of the particular instruments . Fabulous.
Off to a place for coffee and the to Basel's oldest hotel where Tina insisted we had champagne -Moet - and watched the sun set over the river. Off to a restaurant then and I had veal liver- a traditonal Swiss dish. Life can't be bad...
Saturday, 18th October
Christel and Lennart took me to Central station to get the airport bus. Very sad to say goodbye to such lovely people. Caught my plane successfully and changed in Munich for the small plane to Basel. Tina was waiting to meet me and drove me to my hotel 'Balegra' which was quite near her home and about 10 minutes by tram from the centre of the City. The hotel had recently been refurbished and my room was small but quite lovely. All the rooms had names and mine was called 'Versailles' -so I thought of it as my little palace.
Tina left me to unpack and then came back to get me and take me to dinner at her house with two cats, her husband and 11year old daughter, Leah, who could not speak English, but we coped. I had a wonderful meal with them and so it was a really enjoyable evening. It is so interesting to see people's houses and how they live , different, but yet not so different. Tina walked back with me to my hotel and rode her bike home. She rides everywhere as do a lot of people. Also the public transport i.e. the trams, are wonderful. Pity Sydney cannot see its way clear to embracing usage of trams/ light rail .
Tina left me to unpack and then came back to get me and take me to dinner at her house with two cats, her husband and 11year old daughter, Leah, who could not speak English, but we coped. I had a wonderful meal with them and so it was a really enjoyable evening. It is so interesting to see people's houses and how they live , different, but yet not so different. Tina walked back with me to my hotel and rode her bike home. She rides everywhere as do a lot of people. Also the public transport i.e. the trams, are wonderful. Pity Sydney cannot see its way clear to embracing usage of trams/ light rail .
Friday, 17th October
Up early and left the house with Christel at about 7.30a.m. as she had to be at work early for a meeting. Solna Library is located in a shopping complex and has Central Library and one branch . It is on three levels and is very attractive to look at. The ground floor has the check-out and check-in machines and an information desk at the entrance, as well as magazines and newspapers. There is also a 'download' jukebox where people can plug in their USB and download music to take away. Beside the information desk is the extensive music collection, which Christel looks after- books, scores and sound recordings and DVDs.
The children's area is very attractive and school classes were visiting for a theatrical performance in a meeting area. The Youth Section is nearby and is called 'Chill' (written on the windows) It has a funky pink lantern and other furniture suitable for young people . It also has its own public PC area and the books and other material are attractively arranged to entice . Every library has large comic sections, I noticed.
Upstairs is the Adult Library and there is also an information desk on this floor. On the top floor there are various other facilities, but this floor is no longer staffed, as they are short of people. It has meeting rooms, a performance space, with a grand piano , a 'quiet room' for study and a local history collection. I was particularly impressed with a large screen for a newspaper database, to which the library subscribes. People still like to handle the hand copy, though, Christel told me.
Christel and the Library Manager, Barbro too me out to lunch at the nearby hoteland it was very nice.
Then I had to negotiate the underground again and go to the centre of Stocholm where I had an appointment with a librarian, Anneke, at the Kulturhuset. What an amazing concept. It is a large complex which was built in the 1970's and houses many activities such as theatre , music and art and has a large lending library of material related to these activities. My photos will explain the concept better, but the place is huge and very interactive . They have a children's library section arranged in age groups and decorated accordingly. People were queuing to get in ! In fact the place was packed and they were decorating and organising a celebration for the building's anniversary that evening - a big music and dance party. so the library was a hive of activity and people were sitting everywhere reading newspapers, looking at books and magazines and using listening posts. They subscribe to a fantastic database for listening to music - details will be provided later as they are in my notes. I was able to have a little play with it.
So it was an exciting visit to such a valuable asset to city life in Stockholm.
I then wended my weary way back to Nacka and Christel's house. Astrid had originally organized for an outing to take place that evening as the IAML board were meeting in Stockholm at the Musik Academie that day. however, it had to becancelled as Astrid was taken ill and Christina could not come down from Gavle as her husband is ill. I was disappointed but had a lovely last night in Sweden with Christel and Lennart at their home, with good conversation ,listening to lovely music, drinking beer and vodka and Adkvit? while eating another traditional Swedish meal of herrings, cheese, crispbreads etc.
What a way to end such a fantastic week.
The children's area is very attractive and school classes were visiting for a theatrical performance in a meeting area. The Youth Section is nearby and is called 'Chill' (written on the windows) It has a funky pink lantern and other furniture suitable for young people . It also has its own public PC area and the books and other material are attractively arranged to entice . Every library has large comic sections, I noticed.
Upstairs is the Adult Library and there is also an information desk on this floor. On the top floor there are various other facilities, but this floor is no longer staffed, as they are short of people. It has meeting rooms, a performance space, with a grand piano , a 'quiet room' for study and a local history collection. I was particularly impressed with a large screen for a newspaper database, to which the library subscribes. People still like to handle the hand copy, though, Christel told me.
Christel and the Library Manager, Barbro too me out to lunch at the nearby hoteland it was very nice.
Then I had to negotiate the underground again and go to the centre of Stocholm where I had an appointment with a librarian, Anneke, at the Kulturhuset. What an amazing concept. It is a large complex which was built in the 1970's and houses many activities such as theatre , music and art and has a large lending library of material related to these activities. My photos will explain the concept better, but the place is huge and very interactive . They have a children's library section arranged in age groups and decorated accordingly. People were queuing to get in ! In fact the place was packed and they were decorating and organising a celebration for the building's anniversary that evening - a big music and dance party. so the library was a hive of activity and people were sitting everywhere reading newspapers, looking at books and magazines and using listening posts. They subscribe to a fantastic database for listening to music - details will be provided later as they are in my notes. I was able to have a little play with it.
So it was an exciting visit to such a valuable asset to city life in Stockholm.
I then wended my weary way back to Nacka and Christel's house. Astrid had originally organized for an outing to take place that evening as the IAML board were meeting in Stockholm at the Musik Academie that day. however, it had to becancelled as Astrid was taken ill and Christina could not come down from Gavle as her husband is ill. I was disappointed but had a lovely last night in Sweden with Christel and Lennart at their home, with good conversation ,listening to lovely music, drinking beer and vodka and Adkvit? while eating another traditional Swedish meal of herrings, cheese, crispbreads etc.
What a way to end such a fantastic week.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Thursday 16th October
The day dawned cold and rainy. Christina picked me up at 8.30 and I went to work with her for a while. Then we went for a drive to the seaside (in blustery conditions) before I caught the 1p.m. train back to Stockholm.
Had an appointment with Inga Lunden, the head of the Stockholm public library who had been a keynote speaker at the ALIA Conference in Alice Springs, at 3p.m. However, I got a bit lost when I got out of the underground and was a little late. Luckily I stumbled across Inga and the two Latvian librarians who I had met in Gavle , heading for the coffee shop.we chatted there forabout an hour, and then Larry , the head of the International Library, which caters for other languages and is beside the Central Library showed us around its three floors.
I then went in to the Central Library and looked around myself. It is an interesting round traditional building with non-fiction books all around a central rotunda area where librarians answer questions and people check out their items. Has rooms going off the side of the rotunda containing all different types of material, a children's area, downstairs etc. the building was designed by a famous Swedish architect and new plans for extending and building new wings are in progress.
I had a cheap meal at a kebab place nearby before setting off back to Christel and Lennart's house. Christel was visiting her grandchildren, so was not home until later. I had another early night as Friday was promising to be big, with Christel taking me to visit her library in Solna and we had to make an early start.
Had an appointment with Inga Lunden, the head of the Stockholm public library who had been a keynote speaker at the ALIA Conference in Alice Springs, at 3p.m. However, I got a bit lost when I got out of the underground and was a little late. Luckily I stumbled across Inga and the two Latvian librarians who I had met in Gavle , heading for the coffee shop.we chatted there forabout an hour, and then Larry , the head of the International Library, which caters for other languages and is beside the Central Library showed us around its three floors.
I then went in to the Central Library and looked around myself. It is an interesting round traditional building with non-fiction books all around a central rotunda area where librarians answer questions and people check out their items. Has rooms going off the side of the rotunda containing all different types of material, a children's area, downstairs etc. the building was designed by a famous Swedish architect and new plans for extending and building new wings are in progress.
I had a cheap meal at a kebab place nearby before setting off back to Christel and Lennart's house. Christel was visiting her grandchildren, so was not home until later. I had another early night as Friday was promising to be big, with Christel taking me to visit her library in Solna and we had to make an early start.
Wednesday 15th October
Today I spent the whole day with Christina at the Gavle Concert Hall and its library. What a place. The complex is wonderful and so fantastic to have a branch of the public library attached to it. Outside the building is covered in blue tiles, made by the same firm who did our Opera House tiles. Inside it is all light wood and polished floors. Has a beautiful outlook over the river and the autumn leaves made a great show of colour. The building contains a large hall seating 800 and smaller hall , which can also be rentd out for seminars, conferences etc. In fact there was a Children's Librarians conference on this day , showing the latest Swedish titles. There is also a eautiful restaurant which is quite expensive and there has been controversy about the food. Christina showed mae around the complex , but unfortunately things were very quiet. there is a resident symphony orchestra , but they were not practising that day. Very kindly, the management gave me all of their CDs to bring home. (about 10) I spent till 11.30 looking at the library, and making notes. (more details later)It is on two levels and the pop and jazz are on the ground floor with Classical upstairs. The shelving was specially designed and I took plenty of photos. The atmosphere in the library is lovely and they play music all day - the person on the desk gets to choose . There are 4 staff .
The weather was superb and so Christina and I set off about 11.30 to walk to the University Library which is very new and a semi circle around a courtyard. After looking around for about haf n hour we walked further along the river to 'the Colonel's House'. The university was previously army barracks and this is why there was a house for a colonel. It is now a lovely restaurant. Christina's colleague , Margareta, joined us and I was treated to my meal courtesy of the Music Library. Had herrings and mashed potato-they made me eat traditional food and I liked it. Then we walked back through the woods to the Library along the other side of the river. Very beautiful.
When we got back a reporter from the local newspaper 'Arbetarbladet' had turned up to interview me and take my photo. The article appeared the next day (16/10) -website is www.arbetarbladet.se and I am on Page 15.
I spent more time looking at the library until 5p.m. when it closed and we locked up. We walked back into the town and went to dinner at a lovely restaurant called Matilda's with the Manager of the Gavle Library Service and the Manager of the Central Library. This time I ate reindeer. (sorry Rudolph) Luckily they paid, as main courses were the equivalent of $40 !
Had a great time and this was a fitting end to a very good day.Learnt a lot and had fun with it.
The weather was superb and so Christina and I set off about 11.30 to walk to the University Library which is very new and a semi circle around a courtyard. After looking around for about haf n hour we walked further along the river to 'the Colonel's House'. The university was previously army barracks and this is why there was a house for a colonel. It is now a lovely restaurant. Christina's colleague , Margareta, joined us and I was treated to my meal courtesy of the Music Library. Had herrings and mashed potato-they made me eat traditional food and I liked it. Then we walked back through the woods to the Library along the other side of the river. Very beautiful.
When we got back a reporter from the local newspaper 'Arbetarbladet' had turned up to interview me and take my photo. The article appeared the next day (16/10) -website is www.arbetarbladet.se and I am on Page 15.
I spent more time looking at the library until 5p.m. when it closed and we locked up. We walked back into the town and went to dinner at a lovely restaurant called Matilda's with the Manager of the Gavle Library Service and the Manager of the Central Library. This time I ate reindeer. (sorry Rudolph) Luckily they paid, as main courses were the equivalent of $40 !
Had a great time and this was a fitting end to a very good day.Learnt a lot and had fun with it.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Tuesday , 14th October.
This morning I was left to my own devices to catch an inter-city train from Stockholm to Gavle, an hour and a half away. I caught the bus and the tube to Central Station and caught the very modern and almost luxury( compared to ours) train . You can even plug in your PC and access wirelss facilities !
Arrived in Gavle at 1p.m. and was met by my friend from the Music Library, Christina Wengstrom, who i had also met in Sydney at the IAML conference. After a quick bite to eat she whisked me off in her car to one of the branches of the Gavle public library , which had recently been renovated to be more accommodating for the people of the area and for its location. the library is situated in a shopping centre which has declined because of vandalism etc , and so most of the shops have had to move. There is a pre-school centre and a Youth Service , however, and the library is situated, very conveniently , in between these two facilities. There are 10,000 people in the region and most of these are immigrants . 35 different languages are spoken , mainly Arabic, Kurdish, Somali, Turkish and Persian. The collection is therefore made up of popular materia in Swedish, some english and smalll language collections. The Central Library has a large collection of material in other languages which can be requested. They issue 37,000 items a year with three staff i.e. two librarians and one library assistant. Both RETURNS and LOANS are done by the customers themselves at self checking machines! This frees up the staff for their community liason work which is of major importance in this socially diasadvantaged area. The library was very welcoming and attractive . Some of the shelving was on wheels to enable them to be moved to make space for activities etc.Two librarians from Riga, in Latvia, were also looking at the library when I was.
Then, after a walk through the old part of town, Christel took me to the Central Library which was built in 1962 and renovated in 1992 . It is still not adequate, but...
Again a very pleasant building, with a checkout desk where people join etc and a coffee shop at the entrance . This is surrounded by magazines (300 titles, grouped in subject areas) and doubles as a library programs space (with a grand piano, I might add) also on this floor are movie DVD's and videos. They charge $3.50 for movie loans as there is a state tax on them. Non-fiction type DVD's are exempt and so are free.
The children's are is extensive and also on this floor. Fction is downstairs and some subjects are arranged separately e.g. fantasy . GRaphic novels are also kept separately. There is a librarian on duty at a service desk to answer questions as there is on the upper floor where the non-fictionis located. Dewey is not used in Sweden as they have their own system. However, this library has modified the system further and has grouped various subjects together for ease of use e.g. BOATS and the SEA which contains Sea stories, how to sail, kinds of boats, how to build boats etc. The history and geography of countires is also placed together. Non- fiction is mixed in Swedish and English.
There are a quite a few public access PC's which people can use for one hour at a time- 2 sessions per day. no booking system, just log in with their library card. There are several PC's at the front entrance which can be accessed fre by non- library members for 15 minutes at a time. (no seats- they have to stand)
Also a separate local history are and family history room with microfich/film readers and two PC's with all the family history databases loaded. The mezzanine floor has an EU section, how to speak foreign languages and a business section which helps people set up a business. So it was all very impressive ...
Out to dinner at the Bishop's Arms with Christina and her colleague , Margareta (good name)where I sampled typical Swedish food - potatoes and bacon ,in an English style pub ! Then an early night in my hotel, The Aveny , which was quite nearby.
Arrived in Gavle at 1p.m. and was met by my friend from the Music Library, Christina Wengstrom, who i had also met in Sydney at the IAML conference. After a quick bite to eat she whisked me off in her car to one of the branches of the Gavle public library , which had recently been renovated to be more accommodating for the people of the area and for its location. the library is situated in a shopping centre which has declined because of vandalism etc , and so most of the shops have had to move. There is a pre-school centre and a Youth Service , however, and the library is situated, very conveniently , in between these two facilities. There are 10,000 people in the region and most of these are immigrants . 35 different languages are spoken , mainly Arabic, Kurdish, Somali, Turkish and Persian. The collection is therefore made up of popular materia in Swedish, some english and smalll language collections. The Central Library has a large collection of material in other languages which can be requested. They issue 37,000 items a year with three staff i.e. two librarians and one library assistant. Both RETURNS and LOANS are done by the customers themselves at self checking machines! This frees up the staff for their community liason work which is of major importance in this socially diasadvantaged area. The library was very welcoming and attractive . Some of the shelving was on wheels to enable them to be moved to make space for activities etc.Two librarians from Riga, in Latvia, were also looking at the library when I was.
Then, after a walk through the old part of town, Christel took me to the Central Library which was built in 1962 and renovated in 1992 . It is still not adequate, but...
Again a very pleasant building, with a checkout desk where people join etc and a coffee shop at the entrance . This is surrounded by magazines (300 titles, grouped in subject areas) and doubles as a library programs space (with a grand piano, I might add) also on this floor are movie DVD's and videos. They charge $3.50 for movie loans as there is a state tax on them. Non-fiction type DVD's are exempt and so are free.
The children's are is extensive and also on this floor. Fction is downstairs and some subjects are arranged separately e.g. fantasy . GRaphic novels are also kept separately. There is a librarian on duty at a service desk to answer questions as there is on the upper floor where the non-fictionis located. Dewey is not used in Sweden as they have their own system. However, this library has modified the system further and has grouped various subjects together for ease of use e.g. BOATS and the SEA which contains Sea stories, how to sail, kinds of boats, how to build boats etc. The history and geography of countires is also placed together. Non- fiction is mixed in Swedish and English.
There are a quite a few public access PC's which people can use for one hour at a time- 2 sessions per day. no booking system, just log in with their library card. There are several PC's at the front entrance which can be accessed fre by non- library members for 15 minutes at a time. (no seats- they have to stand)
Also a separate local history are and family history room with microfich/film readers and two PC's with all the family history databases loaded. The mezzanine floor has an EU section, how to speak foreign languages and a business section which helps people set up a business. So it was all very impressive ...
Out to dinner at the Bishop's Arms with Christina and her colleague , Margareta (good name)where I sampled typical Swedish food - potatoes and bacon ,in an English style pub ! Then an early night in my hotel, The Aveny , which was quite nearby.
Monday (cont)
Astrid then took me to a branch of the Stockholm Public Library , which I had heard about from Inga Lunden at the ALIA conference in Alice Springs. We walked for about an hour across the city , through the old town, to get there. The ground floor has been made into a Youth Library and was certainly being well used. It is quite innovative, and when I get home I will see my notes from the conference and write more about it.
Then I went with Astrid to her apartment for a typical Swedish meal of meatballs and potato which her fiance had cooked for us. I successfull negotiated the (excellent) public transport system i.e. tube and bus, to get back to Nacka and Christel's home.
Then I went with Astrid to her apartment for a typical Swedish meal of meatballs and potato which her fiance had cooked for us. I successfull negotiated the (excellent) public transport system i.e. tube and bus, to get back to Nacka and Christel's home.
Monday , Oct 13th
Now it is down to hard work. I left Christel's house at 7.45 a.m. and she dropped me at the STATE MUSIC LIBRARY (STATENS MUSIKBIBLIOTEK ), just before 8.30 a.m.
I was met by the Librarian who gave me a general 'run down' on the history of this library. Although it is run by the national Swedish government , it is free and available to the public. It is a very old library service having been established in 1771. It is now the biggest music library in Sweden and has 25 staff. They lend out any material they can buy and do about 7000 Inter Library Loans to people through their public libraries. they moved to the building they are in now, in 1996 and have a lovely open access library for people to come and use. They also have vast amounts of old material in their stacks . They do not collect CD's just books, scores and sheet music etc. They also subscribe to data bases which the public can access.
I was shown the Archives and document collection and also the Orchestra collection, by the appropriate librarian in charge.
I was treated to lunch in the building's restaurant and then my friend, Astrid, who works here, took me to the actual open acces library and I was able to see how it all worked,what types of material were there and how it was stored and accessed. Vert attractively presented and certainly a pleasant place to visit.
I was met by the Librarian who gave me a general 'run down' on the history of this library. Although it is run by the national Swedish government , it is free and available to the public. It is a very old library service having been established in 1771. It is now the biggest music library in Sweden and has 25 staff. They lend out any material they can buy and do about 7000 Inter Library Loans to people through their public libraries. they moved to the building they are in now, in 1996 and have a lovely open access library for people to come and use. They also have vast amounts of old material in their stacks . They do not collect CD's just books, scores and sheet music etc. They also subscribe to data bases which the public can access.
I was shown the Archives and document collection and also the Orchestra collection, by the appropriate librarian in charge.
I was treated to lunch in the building's restaurant and then my friend, Astrid, who works here, took me to the actual open acces library and I was able to see how it all worked,what types of material were there and how it was stored and accessed. Vert attractively presented and certainly a pleasant place to visit.
Sunday , October 12th
Today dawned bright and clear and Christel and I decided I would do some touristy things. Went to a beautiful old house www.waldermarsudde.se and saw a wonderful watercolour art exhibition. Then to the VAS MUSEET where the 17th century ship, which sank in Stockholm harbour on its maiden voyage , is now preserved , after being salvaged in 1961. In the afternoon we went to a free concert at the Musik Academie , of works by 20th century Swedish composer , Gunnar de Frumerie. His 100th anniversary fell today. The concert last three hours !
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Stockholm
Arrived safely in this beautiful city( the atumn colours are stunning) early Saturday morning , after an excellent flight with Thai Airways. Negotiated the airport sucessfully and caught the bus to the city . Christel , who I had met at the IAML Conference in Sydney, was there at the bus station to meet me and drove me to her home in Nacka, where I am staying with her and her husband , Lennart, who is a doctor. The house is lovely,very Swedish , quite old and wooden and in a rural setting though quite close to the city. Within three hours we were out and about and I visited my first two libraries , those of Nacka Communs.
These are very funky and trendy and have a controversial, popularist approach. One is in a shopping centre and has recently been refurbished and opened the day before. It haas very bright colours , lime green , orange etc. a minimalist information desk and as it has RFID there are self check-out machines. I was amazed at the size of a coffee shop counter within the library space as it was huge. Very strange when there was a nother coffee shop located opposite in the shopping centre. To my mind a waste of valuable library space. Children,s area was fun with a curtained off part for storytelling etc. Then we went to a disused factory site which has been remodelled for a shopping complex and the library is located in the old diesel factory. (Dieselverkstaden) which is participatory arts centre with exhibitions, childrens art claseses, orchestra and theatre based activities. Again very funky and a popularist collection of library material, but a hub of activity.
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