One of the trickiest items to conserve as part of our Uncovering UCL’s Jewish Pamphlet Collections project has been an 18th century Hebrew wedding poem (De Sola Pamphlets 17, item 15). This poem, from Livorno, celebrates the marriage of Joshua and Esther Recanati. We needed to do a bit of detective work to conserve it correctly.

At some point in its history, the poem had been cut in two. The two halves had been taped together, but closer inspection revealed that the text did not line up and in fact some text was missing.

We decided to remove the old repairs and instead mount the two halves of the poem with a gap where the missing text would have been. We were able to locate another copy online in the Jewish Theological Seminary Library’s digital collections. By comparing the two copies, we could see how much text was missing and work out exactly how much space to leave between the two halves.

So our conservator carefully separated the two halves, and the poem was then humidified and pressed for two weeks to remove creases. It was repaired so that it was stable enough for mounting and then attached to a mount board with polyester corners and strips, so it can be removed easily for digitisation or to look at the other side.

The Jewish Theological Seminary’s copy also has missing text, but between the two copies we can now reconstruct the complete  poem, a great example of the value of digitisation!

Welcome back to all returning students and staff!

You may be wondering why there is a large empty space in the Hebrew & Jewish Studies reading room. It’s not a dance floor or space for a ping-pong table (as some people have suggested); we are waiting for the delivery of some new tables which will create 24 much-needed extra study spaces. To make space for the new tables, most of the Yiddish collection has moved into the adjacent corridor.

Here are the new locations:

• HEBREW books: reading room (encyclopaedias and other reference books are on the shelf nearest the door)
• HEBREW periodicals: reading room (end of the book sequence; recent issues are on display racks near the door; the Jewish Chronicle is on the side wall)
• YIDDISH books: corridor
• YIDDISH periodicals (except newspapers and recent issues): corridor (end of the book sequence)
• YIDDISH newspapers: reading room (side wall)
• YIDDISH periodicals, recent issues: reading room (on display racks near the door, with HEBREW periodicals)

If you have problems finding anything, do ask a member of staff.

Wishing you a great year and a shanah tovah u-metukah.

Monika Biesaga, a PhD student from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, has been working on the Jewish pamphlets project as a trainee through the Erasmus+ scheme. Here are some of her thoughts on the placement:

If you think that working in a library is boring, you couldn’t be more wrong! Especially when it comes to working in a Special Collections section.

As an Erasmus trainee, for over two months I’ve been taking part in the project Uncovering UCL’s Jewish Pamphlet Collections, discovering Jewish treasures stored at UCL Special Collections and learning new skills every day. I’m involved with every stage of the project – cataloguing, conservation and digitisation.

Before all the catalogued materials fall into the hands of readers, some of the pamphlets need to be cleaned and repaired. So under the guidance of two specialist conservators, I’ve been spending half of my traineeship in a conservation studio, handling very rare and fragile documents.

Another chance for coming into contact with the most precious pamphlets from the collection is the digitisation part. I’m more than thrilled to assist in this process.

It might sound a bit strange, but cataloguing books can be fascinating too… You never know what is hidden in a box that you’re going to catalogue. I’ve encountered a mixture of literary forms (from Biblical poems to a dictionary of telecommunication terms) and languages (like this Hebrew grammar book in Marathi).

Joseph Ezekiel Rajpurkar’s Elementary Hebrew grammar in Marathi for Bene-Israel children. Bombay, 1881 or 1882. From the Asher Myers collection.
MOCATTA BOXED PAMPHLETS P 5.8 RAT

I’ve also come across handwritten dedications, notes and even a curse:

Autograph inscription by Y. Dawud in The Jews in Germany by Israel Cohen. London: Murray, 1933.
MOCATTA BOXED PAMPHLETS DD 15 COH

And if you also think that working in a library is easy, again you couldn’t be more wrong! Just take a look at one of the bibliographic records that I created with the help of the Hebrew & Jewish Studies Librarian. For the uninitiated, all the numbers in the record may look like an “enigma code”, but records like this can be a key to the success of every researcher.

The second phase of our  Uncovering UCL’s Jewish Pamphlet Collections project is now well under way.

Conservation

Conservation of the pamphlets that are in very poor condition is continuing. This has included cleaning, repairs, removing glue, replacing spines and making folders for pamphlets that had been disbound.

Digitisation

Selecting items for the digitisation pilot

We have selected ten pamphlets as a pilot batch for digitisation. The pilot will allow us to identify any particular problems in dealing with this material. We have chosen a range of formats and types of material, including pamphlets in Hebrew which open from right to left; pamphlets that are bound with a large number of blank sheets; volumes that include folded pamphlets; volumes that have manuscript items, such as letters, bound in with the pamphlets; and unusual materials, such as a copy of Hyman Hurwitz‘s dirge to be chanted on the day of King George III’s funeral, which is printed on satin.

Cataloguing

We have finished cataloguing the Montefiore Bound Pamphlets, a collection of pamphlets, mostly in Hebrew, from the library of the Judith Lady Montefiore College in Ramsgate, held on deposit from the Montefiore Endowment. We have now moved onto Albert Hyamson’s Zionist pamphlets. Hyamson (1875-1954) was a civil servant, author and historian. His relationship with Zionism was complex. Originally a Zionist, he was appointed as Chief Immigration Officer for Palestine under the British Mandate from 1921-1934. In this role he put into practice the British Government’s restrictive immigration policy and became extremely unpopular with the Zionists. By the time he returned to England in 1934, he had become resolutely anti-Zionist. He wrote a number of works on Zionism, before, during and after his posting in Palestine.

A new member of the team

Monika Biesaga, a PhD student from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, is joining the project team as a trainee over the summer through the Erasmus+ scheme. Monika is assisting with cataloguing, conservation and digitisation and will also be contributing to this blog.

We are delighted to announce that Phase 2 of the Uncovering UCL’s Jewish Pamphlet Collections project will begin shortly, following a successful grant application. Read more in the latest Library Newsletter.

To all new students, welcome!

I’m your subject librarian and my job is to help you make the best use of library resources during your studies. Hopefully we already met in induction week, but if you missed the library tour then feel free to pop into my office (at the end of the Hebrew & Jewish Studies reading room) or send me an email.

To returning students and staff, welcome back! You may notice that we have some nice new tables in the Hebrew & Jewish Studies reading room. I have also moved office, but only next door – you can now find me at the end of the reading room, next to Yiddish periodicals. Don’t forget I’m here to help you – so do get in touch at any time.

Phase 1 of the Uncovering UCL’s Jewish Pamphlet Collections project is now complete. We have catalogued over 4000 pamphlets and carried out a survey to identify which pamphlets need conservation.

The 4000th pamphlet: To the memory of Marion Harry Alexander Spielmann : a brief tribute paid at his funeral : 6th October 1948 / by Ephraim Levine. MOCATTA BOXED PAMPHLETS B 20 SPI

Selected items from the collection will be on display in the Main Library (near the Donaldson Room) from 17th August for 2-3 months. The exhibition includes an account of how one very fragile item is being conserved.

We are now seeking funding for phase 2 of the project, which will include the conservation work identified in the survey, digitisation of significant and fragile items, and additional cataloguing. Watch this space for developments!

We are holding an event showcasing some items from the Jewish Pamphlet project with a talk from Professor Colin Shindler of SOAS, University of London. This will take place on Thursday 14 May 2015 from 5:30 – 7pm in the UCL Hebrew and Jewish Studies Department Seminar Room, Foster Court Room 331. Admission is free but you need to book a place by emailing Tabitha Tuckett
(or telephone 020 7679 7827).

The first phase of the project to catalogue the Jewish pamphlets at UCL Special Collections is now nearing completion, with over 3,000 pamphlets catalogued. There are now detailed records in Explore for each pamphlet, making this rich collection available for use by scholars and the general public.

The pamphlets catalogued so far date from the 17th century onwards, the greater part from the 19th century, approximately 150 from the 18th century, a handful from the 17th century, and the rest from the 20th century.

‘The Author listening to the speech of Baron Lionel de Rothschild …’. Frontispiece of Advocacy of Jewish freedom / by “William Thornborrow”. London, 1848. From the collection of the Guildhall Library. Ref: SR MOCATTA PAMPHLETS BOX 9

The pamphlets come from the collections of various individuals and organisations including philanthropist, historian and bibliophile Frederic David Mocatta (1828-1905); Canadian rabbi Aaron David Meldola de Sola (1853-1918); Asher Myers, editor of the Jewish Chronicle (1848-1902); historian Albert Montefiore Hyamson (1875-1954); scholar and founder of British Liberal Judaism Claude Goldsmid Montefiore (1858-1938); the Guildhall Library; the Jewish Museum of London; Jews’ College Library; and the Offenbach am Main Archival Depot (located in the American Sector of postwar Germany, its objective was to collect books, manuscripts and archival materials taken by the Nazis and return them to their country of origin).

The pamphlets catalogued so far relate to a wide range of subjects including: the Jewish community in the United Kingdom and the colonies, its legal status, economic and social conditions and educational and religious institutions; anti-semitism; missionary activities focused on the Jews; and Zionism. There is some interesting liturgical material, such as special services marking the dedication of particular synagogues and events of major national interest, such as the safe recovery from childbirth of Queen Victoria. There are also several 18th century celebratory Hebrew poems from Italy and the Netherlands.

‘Esther’s suit for the Jews’. Frontispiece of Esther’s suit to King Ahasuerus in behalf of the Jews. In a letter to a member of Parliament. London, 1753. Ref: SR MOCATTA PAMPHLETS BOX 8

On Thursday the 14th of May, there will be an evening pop-up event at UCL to present some of the most interesting items from the collection: details to follow.

Anyone wishing to consult the collection should make an appointment with UCL Special Collections at least two weeks in advance.

Welcome back to all returning students. You might notice a few changes in the library:

What is happening on the first floor?

• The rooms which previously contained the Issue Desk, print/copy/scan machines and computer cluster are currently being refurbished, to make them ready for the installation of new self-service equipment.
• The Issue Desk is currently in the Reference Room, which is opposite the former Issue Desk room.
• There are 4 Desktop@UCL PCs in the Reference Room, along with 4 Explore terminals.
• There are also 3 print/copy/scan machines  in the Reference Room, with a 4th in the Art section.
• The DVD collection is now in the Literature corridor.
• The Audio-Visual room is currently closed. Please ask at the Issue Desk if you need to alternative facilities.
• More information about the new self-service facilities is available.

Where have all the journals gone?

All journals dating from before 2000 (with a few exceptions) have been moved out of the library and need to be ordered in advance using our Stores service.

The remaining journals in the HEBREW section have been moved onto one set of shelves to make space for new books.

New website

We have a new website and subject guide, which should be much more informative and easy to use. Please have a look and let us know what you think.