Mary Atkinson- English Faculty Library

Hi I’m Mary, this year’s trainee based at the EFL. I studied my BA in English at the University of Sussex, then an MA in Early Modern English Literature: Text and Transmission at Kings College London. My masters was taught in conjunction with the British Library and so I was able to use some brilliant manuscripts and early printed books for my dissertation on the culture of jest-telling (very lucky that I managed to get away with making books of silly jokes my dissertation topic!). I also interned at Lambeth Palace Library transcribing their 19th century handwritten catalogue and checking books for signs of provenance. These experiences led me to consider pursuing librarianship as a career. Following my studies I spent a year in the world of tea retail (more stressful than it sounds!). The next step was getting a job as a Library Assistant in a public library, which I enjoyed very much. I loved being part of a local community, being an information detective and of course Story Time. Two years later I decided I wanted to gain experience working in an academic library, so here I am at the EFL!

Nearly two months into my traineeship, I feel like I’ve really settled in and I’m sure this year will go by far too quickly. The EFL is a really friendly place to work and I have a lovely team of colleagues who have made me feel very welcome. The EFL’s mascot, Bill (pictured, inspecting the shiny new books waiting to be processed), lives in our office and I have also inherited Thomas the Tank Engine as my desk buddy, left behind at some point by a mystery reader.

During term time the EFL is a busy lending library, providing course/research materials, study space and IT facilities for undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers. My work is really varied and includes helping readers at the issue desk and around the library, admin things like banking, emails and post sorting, helping with social media, hunting for missing books and book processing (library craft time, featuring stamping, label-making and sticky back plastic). At the moment we’re trying to think of different ways to engage with our students through social media; we now have an Instagram account, and have just launched #eflsuggest, where students vote for one of three books for the EFL to purchase. I’m also hoping to make more use of LibraryThing to promote our collections.

oxford sausage 2

I’m also responsible for our displays, meaning I can show off things I like from our rare books collection. For my first display I chose to feature 17th and 18th century verse miscellanies, including a silly one of course: ‘The Oxford Sausage’ (pictured). Not sure yet how I’ll top that one.
Another great thing about the traineeship so far has been meeting my fellow trainees; starting a new job in a new city is much easier when there are 14 other people sharing similar experiences. I’m looking forward to the rest of our year!

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