British Studies 2007 Blog

Images from Great Britain

2007-10-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

2007-07-09T03:31:00.000-07:00

Itinerary Question

2007-06-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

Melibrarian,

I know the course schedule is tentative, but is Tuesday the 17th a free day. This will make a difference on some of my mini-break plans. If the 17th is free, I'm going to go to Glastonbury, if anyone wants to come along.

Greetings!

2007-06-15T06:42:00.001-07:00

Hello LIS grad students,

So happy to see you are posting, getting to know each other, and starting to plan for the mini-break. Last summer, Ms. Wright and I were in the UK for a conference and to prepare for this course. We took the BritRail from London to Cardiff, Wales, for a short stay then to Holyhead. Then we rode the ferry to Dublin for a short stay that included a visit to Trinity College and the Book of Kells (www.tcd.ie/Library/). On the return trip we took the ferry back, then via BritRail to Edinburgh for a few days, then back to London. We also managed a day trip tour to Paris on the EuroStar.

This year, for the mini-break, we will travel by air to Paris on the evening of July 25th. We will return to London's Waterloo Station via the EuroStar train at the end of the mini-break.

If anyone is interested in seeing the Lake District, a recommended B&B is the Rockside Guest House: www.rockside-guesthouse.co.uk/

Assignments for this course will be posted on Blackboard. You will soon receive an email about accessing and enrolling in the online coursesite.

We look forward to meeting you in London.
TW
teresa.welsh@usm.edu

Hadrian's Wall Hike Anyone?

2007-06-13T05:33:00.000-07:00

I plan to hike the Hadrian Wall trail in the Lake District during the minibreak. Have any of you done this?

http://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall/

Text Books?

2007-06-13T05:30:00.000-07:00

Are there any required text books?

Passports

2007-06-13T05:28:00.003-07:00

Is anyone else still waiting on their passport? I applied for mine WELL over 10 weeks ago...

Arrival question

2007-06-12T16:47:00.000-07:00

Is anyone NOT taking the group flight from the States to England? I've made my own flight arrangements and was wondering if I was the only one. I'll be arriving a day earlier than everyone else and am just now realizing that I should find out if I can get into the college then.

Dublin on mini-break, anyone?

2007-06-11T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
I'm going to Dublin for the mini-break, and wondered if anyone else might be interested in going along? I'd prefer to travel with someone(s) if possible, rather than on my own.
thanks,
Look forward to meeting you all,
Kristin Finch

Course Itinerary

2007-06-09T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here is the itinerary for the British Studies course. There are still a few things to be finalized, but this is what we have thus far. Scholarly and enriching activities are scheduled most mornings, while afternoons are free for you to pursue your own individual research. There will be two full-day trips--one to Stratford and one to Oxford.

Course Schedule (tentative)
Friday 6 July Depart US

Saturday 7 Arrive London

Sunday 8 St. Paul’s (optional) - 9:00 a.m.
http://www.stpauls.co.uk/
Orientation - 2:00 p.m.

Monday 9 Introductory Lecture - 9:00 a.m.
London Alive, p.m.

Tuesday 10 Day Trip to Stratford-on-Avon
http://www.stratford.co.uk/
London Eye – 9:00 p.m.

Wednesday 11 Royal Geographic Society in a.m.
http://www.rgs.org/OurWork/Collections/Collections.htm
Reception – 7:00 p.m.

Thursday 12 British Library in a.m.
http://www.bl.uk/
7:00 p.m. Party at Stamford Arms

Friday 13 Houses of Parliament in a.m.
http://www.parliament.uk/

Saturday 14 NON-ACADEMIC DAY - Canterbury/Dover (optional)
Sunday 15 NON-ACADEMIC DAY - Salisbury/Stonehenge (optional)

Monday 16 Museum of London in a.m.
http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/English/EventsExhibitions/

Tuesday 17

Wednesday 18 Victorian & Albert Museum & National Art Library in a.m.
http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/index.html
http://www.vam.ac.uk/nal/index.html

Thursday 19 Day Trip to Oxford and Bodleian Library
http://www.ox.ac.uk/museums/
http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/

Friday 20 Lecture

Saturday 21
Sunday 22 Depart London for Edinburgh

Monday 23 National Library of Scotland in a.m.
http://www.nls.uk/

Tuesday 24 National Archives of Scotland in a.m.
http://www.nas.gov.uk/

Wednesday 25 Writers’ Museum in a.m.
http://www.cac.org.uk/venues/writers_museum.htm

Thursday 26 Mini-Break
Friday 27 Mini-Break
Saturday 28 Mini-Break
Sunday 29 Mini-Break
Monday 30 Mini-Break

Tuesday 31 St. Paul’s Cathedral Library in a.m.
http://www.stpauls.co.uk/page.aspx?theLang=001lngdef&pointerID=27433oOH1QXTGfJUU5XiLE4TBvERKbu0

Wednesday 1 Aug Greenwich National Maritime Museum & Collections in a.m.
Royal Observatory in p.m.
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/server/show/nav.005002

Thursday 2 ACADEMIC DAY/PRACTICUM AND SYMPOSIUM

Friday 3 Maps and Clockmakers Guildhall Library in a.m.
http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/Corporation/leisure_heritage/libraries_archives_museums_galleries/city_london_libraries/guildhall_lib.htm

Saturday 4 FINAL EXAM (MORNING)
Sunday 5 DEPARTURE DAY

Computer Question

2007-06-09T06:50:00.000-07:00

Does anyone plan on bringing a laptop with them? I am considering it if I can find an adaptor that will work -- I really don't want to fry my computer. I am assuming there are computer labs there, maybe melibrarian can verify?

St. Paul's

2007-06-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

I was looking at the syllabus, and I see that St. Paul's is listed for 9:00 AM the Sunday after our arrival. Does anyone know if that is for a church service? Also, I was wondering if there are any activities planned for the Saturday of our arrival? I wasn't sure if if there is a more detailed itinerary I should be consulting.

Hi from Meredith

2007-06-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

My name is Meredith - I'm doing the Museums & Archives track of the graduate LIS British Studies course.  Just curious who else is with me :o)

I'm finishing up my MLS at the University of Arizona (I did live in Tucson for 2 years, but now I'm in Baltimore working and taking my last class online).  I have a BA in Photography from Loyola College in Maryland, and in the fall I'm starting a totally different MA program in Photographic Preservation & Collections Management (in Toronto).  I'm certainly on the path to becoming a professional student, but I'm hoping this will be it!

Also, as a side note, I lived in Newcastle upon Tyne for a year (it's the last major city in northern England before you hit Scotland - about an hour south of Edinburgh by train), and spent a good deal of that year traveling around the UK and western Europe.  If anyone has travel questions I'm more than happy to try and help.  You can email me at meredith.friedman@gmail.com.

Can't wait to meet everyone!

:o)
Meredith

Scenes from Edinburgh

2007-05-20T13:36:00.000-07:00

As part of your British Studies course, we will be spending several days in Edinburgh. It is truly one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Simply breath-taking!

The streets of Edinburgh

(All of the pictures below are scenes from Edinburgh Castle.)

St. Margaret's Chapel, Edinburgh Castle

Pictures from London

2007-05-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures Dr. Welsh and I took last summer in London!

Buckingham Palace and Changing of the Guard

Globe Theater

Tower of London

Tower Bridge

Big Ben and House of Parliament

Courtyard of your dormitory at King's College

Welcome to the British Studies Program!

2007-05-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the 2007 British Studies Program! Dr. Welsh and I are very excited to be able to offer this course. We have some wonderful activities and classes planned for you. We hope that this will be a wonderful experience for all of us. As part of the course this summer, we will be spending several days in Edinburgh. Dr. Welsh and I spent sixteen days in England and Scotland last summer preparing for the course and we have some great activities and visits planned.

We are going to use this blog as part of the course this summer, but we thought we would use it beforehand as a getting-to-know-you tool before we leave. Please feel free to post any questions or comments you may have, in addition to an brief biography about yourself.

We look forward to meeting all of you.

Melissa Wright and Teresa Welsh

Dr. Welsh

Ms. Wright