Wellcome Library spring cleaning

The Wellcome Library in London has completed its annual week of spring cleaning-type projects (this year the week fell betwen 29 June-5 July). The annual event, during which the archive is closed to researchers, allows “staff to work on projects that could be disruptive to our readers during normal open hours.” Curious how much can get done in only a week’s time?

7500 staples removed from Archives
6000 open access shelves tidied
1000 books relabelled
813 books searched for across four floors
810 books reclassified
720 shelves of Rare Books checked
600 archive collections checked
405 Archive boxes file checked
380 Rare Books tied
250 Drawings foldered
240 drawers of prints and drawings content listed
200 Rare Books assigned shelf numbers
160 Shelves of Rare Books flagged
150 files of Archives repackaged
107 Rare Books put back in sequence
90 books first aided
54 lost books found
50 fire marshals refreshed
6 missing Rare Books found
5.6 miles of open access books moved
4 Cayley Robinsons repaired

An interesting question to their blog posting asks what might be on all your minds: “how many books are still missing?” (posted by anonymous on 15 July)

About Jennifer Bazar

Jennifer Bazar is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto and Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care. Her research focuses on the history of psychiatric institutionalization.