Behind the Scenes: A Tour of Treasures!
Hello! My name is Louise Cowan and Iâm a new member of staff here at UMASCS. Although my official role is âTrainee Liaison Librarianâ and I will mostly be based at the University Library at Whiteknights Campus, I am excited to be spending one day a week working with the Special Collections team to support and contribute to their fantastic social media channels!
Today was my first official day and as part of my induction I was treated to a behind the scenes tour by UMASCSÂ Librarian, Fiona Melhuish.
The large store rooms are amazing treasure troves of rare books full of beautiful illustrations, archives of documents with fascinating stories, and unique ephemeral collections.
As an MA graduate in Childrenâs Literature one of my favourites from todayâs tour was the popular Childrenâs Collection; in particular, this beautiful copy of âPeter and Wendyâ, illustrated by Mabel Lucie Attwell:
I also love the John Lewis Printing Collection which consists of roughly 20,000 items illustrating the history of printing from the fifteenth century to the present. This little Christmas card is a treat:
And as it is officially #MusGif Day I couldnât resist making a Gif from this charming trio of cats:
Iâm really looking forward to delving in, learning more and sharing the collections with you.  Make sure you follow us on Twitter: @UniRdg_SpecColl and Instagram: @unirdg_collections to keep up-to-date!