 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
 |
|
The history of the RAeS Library Right from the earliest days, following its formation in 1866, our Society has been active in the systematic collection of literature, both for the direct use of its members and as an archive of wider value. The Society has also continuously acted as a direct contributor to aeronautical literature, notably through its journals and proceedings of conferences. The Society went through some thin times in the later years of the 19th and the early part of the 20th Century, but progress continued to be made both in the regular publication of its Journal and in the gradual building up of an authoritative library. In 1923 the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust donated the then-substantial sum of £500 towards the purchase of rare books and in 1925 the Guggenheim Fund gave the Society £1000, whose use was divided between enhancing the Journal and beginning a collection of photographic slides for the library. The 1930s saw gradual expansion of both Society membership and the library, leading later in that decade to a search for larger accommodation and the acquisition of a lease on 4 Hamilton Place. During World War II the Society’s activities increased to meet the needs of the war effort, including the establishment of a Technical Department. By 1945 membership was about 5,000 (it is now about 17,000). The library had acquired an excellent reputation both for its current professional literature and as a repository for important historical material. As an example of the latter, in 1947 Sir Frederick Handley Page bought and presented to the library the Cuthbert-Hodgson Collection of aeronautical prints, books and relics covering the history of flight. The Society having now become very strongly established, application was made for a Royal Charter of Incorporation, which was granted by HM King George VI in 1949. The significance of the Society’s library was formally expressed in the Charter. Having defined the Society’s “objects and purposes” as “the general advancement of Aeronautical Art, Science and Engineering, and ....promoting that species of knowledge that distinguishes the profession of Aeronautics”, the Charter set out a number of specific enabling activities including “to establish, form and maintain libraries and collections...” At Hamilton Place, the library was for many years sited on the first floor, in what is now known as the Argyll Room, until 1987 when it was moved to the third floor location that it has recently vacated and is now licensed to Les Ambassadeurs. The library ‘backing store’ of less-frequently used and duplicate material occupied space in a basement area that has now been converted to a suite of business rooms. This archive material was moved to Farnborough in 2005, initially being placed into storage and then sited in ‘The Hub’ building in 2007 to form the core stock of the National Aerospace Library. An additional archive of especially valuable early historical material, needing particularly secure storage, still remains in a large bookcase in the first floor Sopwith Room at Hamilton Place. Staffing of the library has varied. In the late 1960s and early 1970s the staff numbered four, two of whom were mainly occupied with secretarial/typing duties. From the mid-1980s to 2000 there were two librarians (one of whom also had some other duties) and some part-time secretarial support; this was appropriately reduced as computer processing increasingly developed. Since the retirement in 2000 of Arnold Nayler, the burden of operating the Hamilton Place library service in all its aspects has been borne by one person, Brian Riddle, with limited clerical assistance. Although his activities have inevitably been constrained by his situation as a ‘one man band’, many library users, ranging from students to very senior Society members, have cause to be grateful for his knowledgeable and unstinting help and advice with searches of literature and illustrations, etc. Regarding economic aspects, it is noteworthy that our librarians have been very successful in attracting a steady flow of new books at little or no cost, by offering in exchange to arrange for reviews by expert Society members to be published in Aerospace Professional or Aeronautical Journal. This greatly assists publishers of relatively specialist books by providing visibility and constructive reviewing by individuals with relevant expertise. A somewhat similar approach has successfully been pursued concerning world-wide aeronautical journals, copies of Society journals being provided to other institutions on a regular exchange basis with the result that RAeS members are able to consult an extensive range of such material. The library also generates a significant income through sales of photocopies of papers, photographs held in its very large collection, etc. Through the years, the RAeS library has developed to match the needs of Society members as an accessible source of information for research and, in modern parlance, ‘continuing professional development’. It is well-known internationally for the very wide range of its literature stock, featuring up-to-date material covering all the major disciplines relevant to the aerospace profession, as well as historical aspects. Its location in Hamilton Place has been extremely beneficial, rendering visits by members practicable in combination with business meetings, conferences, committee work etc. in the same building. It has also provided a facility for study by students pursuing courses related to aerospace, often helping to draw them into membership. Overall, the Hamilton Place library has been an important benefit to members, and a very positive factor in the image and standing of the RAeS.
Appendix 2A The history of the RAeS Library
|