Anthony Watkinson

Anthony Watkinson spent most of his career in scholarly publishing (mainly STM) working for both not-for-profit and commercial publishers. He was visiting professor at City University London (2002-2008) and one of the founders of CIBER Research. He was part time Senior Lecturer (now Honorary) at UCL DIS (2004–2011) and is now Research Associate of Oxford Brookes University and Visiting Researcher at University of Tennessee Knoxville. For this interview conducted on 3rd March 2020 by Yunke Sun at UCL campus in London, Watkinson discusses his professional practice, how oral history was used to share his experience with a wider community of practice at UCL and beyond, and how a participatory approach is key in creating exhibitions and heritage rich products.

Portrait of Sir John MacAlister
1917
First suggestion for a School of Librarianship

Portrait of Sir John MacAlister

Portrait of Sir John MacAlister
(1856 – 1925), Secretary and librarian of the Royal Society of Medicine, London, holding a pipe.
Date: 1917
Source: Wellcome Collection
© Wellcome Collection
Council Minutes
1918
Proposal for a School

Council Minutes

Minutes of the meeting discussing the proposal for the institution of the School of Librarianship at University College.
Date: 5 March 1918
Source: UCL Special Collections, Records Office UCLCA/CC
© UCL Library Services
William Matthew Flinders Petrie
1918
Feasibility study

William Matthew Flinders Petrie

Flinders Petrie (1853–1942) was UCL Professor of Egyptology between 1892 and 1933. He is the founder of the scientific method of archaeological investigation that is still practiced in Egypt today.
Date: 1918
Source: UCL Special Collections, College Archives photographs
© UCL Digital Media,
Mary Hinkley
Report of the Professorial Board Report of the Professorial Board
1918
Endowment fund

Report of the Professorial Board

Appendix I

Appendix to minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 1918 discussing the proposal for the institution of a School for the training of librarians.
Date: 21 February 1918
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Council Minutes
1919
Committee report

Council Minutes

Decision to set up a joint committee with power to prepare a scheme and to submit it to the Carnegie Trustees.
Date: 4 February 1919
Source: UCL Special Collections, Records Office UCLCA/CC
© UCL Library Services
Raymond Wilson Chambers
1919
Committee members

Raymond Wilson Chambers

Raymond Wilson Chambers (1874–1942) studying books in a library. He was Librarian at UCL from 1901 to 1922, and Assistant Professor in the English Department, 1904–14.
Date: 1919
Source: UCL Special Collections, Records Office: College Archives,
photograph DC 44
© University College London
Proposed School of Librarianship Proposed School of Librarianship Proposed School of Librarianship Proposed School of Librarianship
1919
Curriculum subject areas

Proposed School of Librarianship

Report of the joint committee on the Proposed School of Librarianship.
Date: 4 February 1919
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
The General Library
1919
Demand for librarians

The General Library

Now known as the Donaldson Library, the General Library was built on the site of the unfinished UCL Great Hall.
Date: c. 1910
Source: Special Collections, College Archives Photographs UCLCA
© UCL Library Services
Andrew Carnegie
1919
Financial support

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie set up the Carnegie Trust in 1913 to improve the wellbeing of the people of the United Kingdom and Ireland. In its early decades the Trust focussed primarily upon the building of libraries, reflecting Carnegie’s strong commitment to extending equality of opportunities through learning. By the 1920s the Trust had become a major supporter of adult education.
Date: 1919
Source: Carnegie Trust
© Carnegie Trust
Bookplate of Dr Ernest A Baker, ex Libris
1919
First Director of the School

Bookplate of Dr Ernest A Baker, ex Libris

Ernest Albert Baker (1869–1941) was an author, and editor of English fiction, dictionaries, and librarianship. He wrote a standard reference The History of the English Novel first published in ten volumes between 1924 and 1939.
Source: UCL Main Library, Ref. K3 L18
© UCL Library Services
UCL Calendar for 1919-20 UCL Calendar for 1919-20 UCL Calendar for 1919-20
1919
Official start

UCL Calendar for 1919-20

The University College London calendar for the session 1919-20 showing the start of the
new course in Librarianship
on 1 October 1919.
Date: 1919–20
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Diploma in Librarianship Regulations Diploma in Librarianship Regulations
1919
Course regulations

Diploma in Librarianship Regulations

Appendix I to the minutes dated
3 February 1920.

Regulations regarding students admission and course of study.
Date: 22 January 1920
Source: UCL Special Collections, Records Office UCLCA/CC
© UCL Library Services
Report of the work of the School of Librarianship
1920s & 1930s
First intake of students

Report of the work of the School of Librarianship

Appendix 4

Description of the first cohort of students at the School of Librarianship, timetable and lectures.
Date: 8 January 1920
Source: UCL Special Collections, Records Office UCLCA/CC
© UCL Library Services
School of Librarianship
1920s & 1930s
Students cohort

School of Librarianship

Photograph of the 1929-1930 student cohort in the School
of Librarianship.
Date: 1929–30
Source: UCL Special Collections, Records Office UCLCA/CC
© UCL Library Services
John MacAlister’s donation
1920s & 1930s
Students bursary

John MacAlister’s donation

Council Minutes

The minutes report on Sir John MacAlister’s donation of twelve guineas to provide a bursary to the most deserving student.
Date: 6 January 1920
Source: UCL Special Collections, Records Office UCLCA/CC
© UCL Library Services
H.R.H. Prince George
1920s & 1930s
Student grants

H.R.H. Prince George

UCL Officer Training Corps

Prince George inspecting University College Officer Training Corps on his arrival to open the Preliminary Training School for Nurses.
Date: 1930
Source: UCH Photograph Albums
© UCL Digital Media, Mary Hinkley
Annual Dinner Menu Annual Dinner Menu
1920s & 1930s
Annual Dinners

Annual Dinner Menu

School of Librarianship annual dinner invite and annotated menu and toasts for the School of Librarianship Annual Dinner in 1930.
Author: Norman King
Date: 1930
Source: UCL Special Collections, SLAIS/2010/23
© UCL Library Services
Students Protest
1920s & 1930s
Fair access to study

Students Protest

UCL students staging a political demonstration in 1933.
Date: 1933
Source: UCL College Archives. Photographs
© UCL Digital Media, Mary Hinkley
Air raid precautions at UCH
1920s & 1930s
WW2 safety precautions

Air raid precautions at UCH

Sandbags around the Private Patients’ Wing of University College Hospital in 1939.
Date: 1939
Source: UCH Photograph Albums
© UCL Digital Media, Mary Hinkley
Leaving the library
1920s & 1930s
Removal of books

Leaving the library

Typescript memo “The Library”, considering the necessity to remove books of outstanding value from the library to safeguard them in the event of war.
Date: 28 March 1939
Source: UCL Special Collections: MS ADD 393/3
© UCL Library Services
Bomb damage to college buildings, from South East
1940s
The London Blitz

Bomb damage to college buildings, from South East

Part of a series of photographs showing the effects of air raids on University College during the Second World War.
Date: 1940
Source: UCL College Archives. Photographs. BD (9)
© UCL Digital Media, Mary Hinkley
Bomb damage
1940s
Bomb damage

Bomb damage

Library bookcase after an air raid

A fire damaged Library room after an air raid during the Second World War.
Date: 1940
Source: UCL College Archives. Photographs. BD (12)
© UCL Library Services, Alpha Press
Death of Mr J.D. Cowley
1940s
Human losses

Death of Mr J.D. Cowley

Minutes of Meeting, 3.B.

The minutes include information on J. D. Cowley, Director of the School of Librarianship from 1934 to 1944. Cowley had resigned his post on 31 July 1944 on receiving appointment as Goldsmiths’ Librarian to the University of London, and was then seconded to RAF where he became a Squadron Leader. He died in the war.
Date: 30 January 1945
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Portrait of Sir Hilary Jenkinson
1940s
School re-opening

Portrait of Sir Hilary Jenkinson

The secretary of the British Records Association, Sir (Charles) Hilary Jenkinson (1882-1961).
Author: Walter Stoneman
Date: 18 July 1949
Source: National Portrait Gallery x190108
© National Portrait Gallery, London
Letter from Sir Hilary Jenkinson to Provost Letter from Sir Hilary Jenkinson to Provost
1940s
Diploma in Archive Studies

Letter from Sir Hilary Jenkinson to Provost

British Records Association

Letter from Sir Hilary Jenkinson proposing the institution of a Training School of Archivists and an experimental Repair Shop and School of Instruction with outlines of requirements.
Date: 21 August 1945
Source: University of London Archives
© Images reproduced by courtesy of Senate House Library, University of London
Letter from Provost to Hilary Jenkinson
1940s
Positive response

Letter from Provost to Hilary Jenkinson

Provost Papers

Letter from D. R. Pye, University Provost, to Jenkinson positively acknowledging the suggestion for the institution of a Training School of Archivists.
Date: 23 August 1945
Source: University of London Archives
© Images reproduced by courtesy of Senate House Library, University of London
Irwin appointment
1940s
Appointing the new Director

Irwin appointment

Minutes of Meeting, 3.E.

Report on the Senate resolution that Mr Raymond Irwin be appointed to the Directorship of the School of Librarianship from 1 October 1945.
Date: 6 November 1945
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Setting up the Diploma in Archive Administration
1940s
First Archive Administration programme

Setting up the Diploma in Archive Administration

Minutes of Meeting, 5. K

Appendix XII reports the total number of students and the aim to reduce admissions in the 1947-48 session. It refers that no non-graduate Diploma students have been admitted since 1945 and that a high numbers of applicants and successful students find good positions on completion of the course. A new Diploma in Archive Administration is to be set up.
Date: 4 November 1947
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Proposal of Annual Prize
1940s
Archive Students Annual Prize

Proposal of Annual Prize

Minutes of College Committee, 46.

The Prize proposal includes requirements and regulations in line with the donor’s intentions to promote the study of Archive Administration.
Date: 3 February 1948
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Students Association
1940s
Librarianship and Archives Students Association

Students Association

College Calendar 1948-49

Membership of the Students Association is open to all present students of the School.
Date: 1948–49
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Easter Vacation Course
1950s
Easter Vacation Courses

Easter Vacation Course

Minutes of College Committee, 48 A.

An Easter vacation course in Denmark is organised in 1950 for present and past students.
Date: 7 February 1950
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Sir Hilary Jenkinson Honorary Fellowship
1950s
Sir Hilary Jenkinson

Sir Hilary Jenkinson Honorary Fellowship

Minutes of College Committee, 53 C.

Recommendation to the Senate that title of Honorary Fellow of University College London be granted to Sir Hilary Jenkinson CBE MA FSA Deputy Keeper of Public Records.
Date: 7 February 1950
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Portrait of S. R. Ranjanathan
1950s
International visits

Portrait of S. R. Ranjanathan

S. R. Ranjanathan (1892-1972) was a librarian and mathematician from India. He is considered to be the father of Library Science, Documentation, and Information Science in India. In 1957 he was elected an honorary member of the International Federation for Information and Documentation (FID) and was made a vice-president for life of the Library Association of Great Britain.
Copyright unknown
Annual Report Appx. 26
1950s
High employment rate

Annual Report Appx. 26

Minutes of College Committee, 8 F.

The minutes detail activities carried out by the School in the session 1949-1950.
Date: 1950
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Occasional Publications No. 6
1950s
Employment opportunities

Occasional Publications No. 6

Report on the School 1951-1956.

This list shows places of employment after graduation
from the School.
Date: 1957
Source: UCL Special Collections, SLAIS/2010/23
© UCL Library Services
Admission Archive Administration
1960s & 1970s
Students admission policy

Admission Archive Administration

Occasional Publications no. 11

Report on the work of the School for the period 1956-1962.
Date: 1962
Source: UCL Special Collections
© UCL Library Services
Bibliography
1960s & 1970s
Hands-on experience

Bibliography

Occasional Publications No. 14

Students’ bibliography subjects.
Date: 1968
Source: UCL Special Collections, SLAIS/2010/23
© UCL Library Services
Plaque
1960s & 1970s
New academic qualifications

Plaque

School of Library Archive and Information Studies plaque, originally attached to the Henry Morley building and then moved to Foster Court in the late 1990s.
Date: 1972
Source: UCL
© University College London
College Archives photograph
1960s & 1970s
Setting up the Master in Information Science

College Archives photograph

Meeting of the College Council in the 1970s.
Date: 1970s
Source: UCL Library/UCL Records Office/UCL Archive Pictures
© UCL Digital Media, Mary Hinkley
MSc Information Science
1960s & 1970s
The prospectus

MSc Information Science

MSc in Information Science prospectus.
Date: 1975
Source: UCL Special Collections, uncatalogued printed material collection
© University College London
You think you’ve got problems?
1980s
Ethical issues and social justice

You think you’ve got problems?

In 1983 UCL students built a hut from scrap materials on the steps of St Martin’s in the Fields to show passers-by how black South Africans lived in shanty towns like Crossroads.
Date: October 1983
Source: AAM Archive, Bodleian Library MSS AAM 2412
© Bernadette Vallely/AAM Archives
Title to add
1980s
International Records Management Trust

Title to add

The aim of the International Records Management Trust was to provide consultancy services, training, education, and research into records management across the world. The Trust closed in 2019.
Career event
1990s & 2000s
Students’ career support

Career event

Photo of a Higher Education Careers event held at the Institute of Education in Bedford Way, London.
Date: 24 February 2019
Source: UCL Department of Information Studies
© UCL Department of Information Studies
Minutes of Management Board Meeting
1990s & 2000s
Research centres

Minutes of Management Board Meeting

Minutes of the ARMReN research network project board meeting.
Date: 20 June 2006
Source: UCL Department of Information Studies
© UCL Department of Information Studies
UCL centre for Publishing logo
1990s & 2000s
Centre for Publishing

UCL centre for Publishing logo

First logo of the UCL Centre for Publishing.
Date: 2006
Source: UCL Centre for Publishing
© UCL Department of Information Studies
Natalie Ceeney
1990s & 2000s
Sir Hilary Jenkinson annual lectures

Natalie Ceeney

Natalie Ceeney delivers the first Jenkinson Lecture lecture “60 years on: the role of the 21st century National Archive vs Jenkinson’s model.”
Date: 2006
Source: UCL Department of Information Studies
© UCL Department of Information Studies
Graduate Students Open Day
1990s & 2000s
The School changes name

Graduate Students Open Day

Publicity for Graduate Open Day.
Date: 21 November 2012
Source: UCL Department of Information Studies
© UCL Department of Information Studies
Centre for Digital Humanities
2010s
Centre for Digital Humanities

Centre for Digital Humanities

Logo of the UCL Centre for Digital Humanities.
Date: 2010
Source: UCL Department of Information Studies
© UCL Department of Information Studies
Book digitisation
2010s
Multi-Modal Digitisation Suite

Book digitisation

The Multi-Modal Digitisation Suite is a shared facility for teaching and research in digitisation technologies.
Date: 2011
Source: UCL Department of Information Studies
© UCL Department of Information Studies
Facebook group page
2010s
Students’ support networks

Facebook group page

UCL Archives and Records Management students Facebook page.
Date: 2014–2015
Source: UCL Department of Information Studies
© UCL Department of Information Studies
Edison Multipolar Dynamo
2020
Digital futures

Edison Multipolar Dynamo

Image of Edison Multipolar Dynamo used to publicise the Digital Humanities course at the Department of Information Studies.
Date: 1891
Source: American Street Railway Association
© British Library / Science Source