A BRIEF GUIDE TO USING THE SOCIETY'S LIBRARY

Access

The Society's library is  in  Maidsone Museum, Faith Street, Maidstone; click here for a map. It is available only to members of the society, seven days a week, during Museum opening hours upon production of a current Society's membership card to the Museum staff on duty and on signature of an entry book. 

Volunteers with a background knowledge of the Library are usually on hand during Monday and Friday afternoons (2 to 4 pm) and Wednesday mornings (10 am to 1 pm) to give assistance and advice to members should they require it. Members wishing to access visual images should attend on Wednesday mornings, when specialist help on that subject is normally available. Mike Perrin (tel. 01622 739109 is very willing to advise on the visual records.

The Library has a selection of comfortable chairs and tables, good lighting and some computer equipment to enable members to engage in private study or research amongst the detailed collections which are available to them. 

Many of the items in the stock of the Library are unique, or rare, and for this reason some items have a security protection and can only be accessed when the Library is manned. Members having to make a long journey to use the collections should therefore check the availablity of volunteers, and other staff, to ensure that the material that they wish to use can be made available on the day of their intended visit. However the open shelves do comprise the broad mass of the collections and do provide much of use and interest to members at any time.

Contents

The Library has a varied stock and allows members easy access to material that is not commonly available elsewhere. A notable feature is the large selection of county archaeological journals, and other academic serial publications, which have been steadily acquired by the Society since the latter part of the 19th century.

The topography and history of Kent is well represented, and there are many books on archaeological techniques, history genealogy and similar subjects, all of which relate to the work and interests of Society members. 

A considerable collection of records is being indexed and developed and these can be utilised, along with the book and journal collections, to further many aspects of research into Kent related topics.

Use of the Library

As with any library the key to successful use lies via a good acquaintance with the stock and th4e scope of the collections, so that any time spent in browsing can only be of value to potential users. In an ideal world we would have a single clearly labelled sequence, closely linked to the catalogues. The Society's Library has many constraints on space, and as a result the sequences, though logical, do require some prior study in order that the best results may be obtained.. For instance, it has been necessary to house some older journal runs at Bradbourne House and other material, which is not often called for, is stored at Marsham Street, Maidstone. The Hon. Librarian can always advise if members wish to consult works in either of these locationS.

The prime tool for accessing the collections is the Library catalogue. This is available in two forms, both of which are easy to use. A simple card index can be consulted, but there are also computer databases for both books and visual records, and these can give users a detailed response to an enquiry.

If a work is recorded in the Library catalogue, locating it on the shelves is not especially difficult, and book sequences are as follows:

• Kent subjects: a simple classified order
• General subjects (not Kent related): a simple classified order
• Oversize volumes for each of the above sequences
• Journal runs: as labelled on the appropriate shelves
• Rare and valuable books in secure cases.

The Library also houses many pamphlets and ephemeral items, in addition to collections of papers and materials bequeathed to the K.A.S. by antiquarian and historian members in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Society has a vast number of engravings, drawings, paintings and photographs of all aspects of the ancient county of Kent. A visual records group is busy cataloguing the collection, and a sizable data-base is now available to access the collection. However, most of the images can be viewed only with the assistance of a member of the visual records group.

The Hon. Librarian, Dr Frank Panton, is always keen to know what members would wish to find in the stock or their Library, and to have suggestions for useful additions, or to receive suitable material as donations. His telephone number is 01795 472218.

Page last updated on 30 November, 2002

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