One of my more fanciful ideas about the legal deposit scores Claimed From Stationers Hall in the Georgian era, is the mental image of birds migrating – all those scores being registered at Stationers’ Hall and then disseminated around the country to the waiting libraries. When I saw Scott Waby’s video footage of the Aberystwyth starlings, on Twitter today, I was reminded of this image! Some ‘birds’ land and then take off again. Some jostle for space. They’re the scores that either didn’t get to their destination, or were dumped in an attic pending a decision as to whether they were allowed to stay. Or were sold later. Okay, it’s fanciful! Maybe I can’t do anything with the metaphor, research-wise. But let me share the footage with you anyway – it’s beautifully filmed, and I did spend a year in Aberystwyth many decades ago as a library school postgrad, so I have a particular affection for the place.
The photographer, Scott Waby, is head of digitisation at the National Library of Wales. I still have fond memories of many happy hours in NLS constructing a bibliography on Victorian education, as part of my postgraduate librarianship diploma!
A few clips from the short documentary I’m shooting on the Aberystwyth starlings. Not sure what I’m going to do with this project yet – so If you have any ideas, or want to collaborate, get in touch. pic.twitter.com/1DjTn8RcaN
— Scott Waby (@ScottWaby) November 24, 2018
I could weave these images of starlings into an elaborate #metaphor for the migration of Georgian musical scores #ClaimedFromStationersHall, but maybe I’m just too whimsical …! Beautiful film, anyway! @ClaimedStatHall https://t.co/xs7Q3kfDwg
— Dr Karen McAulay (@Karenmca) November 25, 2018
Karen McAulay, Musicologist 