This two-week summer seminar offers an opportunity to gain an in-depth view of libraries and librarianship in Great Britain.  The seminar will be held in London, one of the most historic and dynamic cities in the world, and will feature lectures and presentations at UCL as well as tours of libraries and cultural heritage institutions in England. This international seminar is open to all students and professionals, not just SILS students. Librarians at all stages of their careers have found our summer seminars enjoyable and worthwhile and are welcome to participate. Students enrolled in a library science program can take the seminar for three (3) hours of graduate credit.

Accommodations

Participants will be housed in the Mentone Hotel. The Mentone Hotel, owned and managed by the same family since 1972, has long been a popular choice with tourists, due to its pleasant surroundings and central location in the heart of Bloomsbury. The hotel is located one half mile from Foster Court, the home of the Department of Information Studies and within easy walking distance of a number of restaurants, shops and tourist attractions. The Mentone is also near several train and underground (tube) stations including the station with a direct underground connection from Heathrow Airport.

Activities

Although most of the program will take place in London, there will be day trips to visit the university libraries at both Oxford and Cambridge. In London participants will tour behind the scenes at the British Library, the National Archives, the Imperial War Museum (including its library) and the Wellcome Library (including the History of Medicine Collection). Visits will be made to other types of libraries and there will be presentations from experts in the field of librarianship in Great Britain. There will also be guided tours of UCL and the Bloomsbury area of London. Some free time will be built into the program so that participants can explore London and visit other libraries and cultural institutions of their choice. The weekend will be free so participants can visit places of interest in London, Great Britain, or Europe. To view last year's itinerary, please click here.

Location

The seminar will take place in Bloomsbury, the academic and literary heart of London. Bloomsbury is home of University College London and the UCL Department of Information Studies, co-sponsor of the seminar. It is also the location of Winston House, an 18th century townhouse which serves as the UNC campus in London and where some of the lectures and presentations will take place. Winston House is located around the corner from the British Museum in Bedford Square, the oldest remaining complete Georgian garden square in the city.

Participants in the seminar are able to earn three hours of graduate academic credit through UNC at Chapel Hill. Lectures and site visits will be arranged by the faculty of the UCL Department of Information Studies, the largest and one of the most highly ranked LIS Schools in the United Kingdom. A UNC faculty member will accompany the group and will serve as the academic advisor to all participants taking the course for credit.

The London Seminar program is open to all students and professionals, not just students at UNC at Chapel Hill. Librarians at all stages of their careers are welcome to participate.

Any questions can be directed to the SILS Travel Abroad coordinator at SILSAbroad@unc.edu. Additional information about the seminar can be found here.