Librarian retires after four decades at Goldsmiths

Reader Services and Systems Librarian Christine Levey is leaving Goldsmiths Library at the end of this month after a remarkable 41 years’ service. Most people find it hard to believe she can have been working here so long. We spoke to her about her favourite Goldsmiths memories.

How did you end up at Goldsmiths Chris?

I came here as a Library Assistant in August 1974, when I was 18.

I’d left school with very little careers advice and, not being in a position to go to university myself, I thought working at Goldsmiths would be the next best thing. I love libraries and at the time thought I would stay for about a year!

So how did one year become 41 years?

I’ve always loved the job. I love the environment, I like the quirkiness of the place, but most of all I love the people.

The Library staff are a joy to work with. I was taken under the wing of the Lending Librarian when I started. I’ve had an enormous amount of support from other departments too, especially IT&IS, Finance and HR. And I love the students!

When I started, the Library was in the Richard Hoggart building on the second floor. In those days there were no computers – there was a massive card index. Students had to fill out a slip for every book they took out with their details and the details of the book. This slip was then divided in two and Library staff filed one half under the person’s name and the other half under the classification number of the book.

When the book was returned you had to marry up the two slips and tear them up. It was incredibly labour intensive and things could go wrong.

We had an elementary security system with metal strips in the books. Students weren’t supposed to bring bags into the library and anything metal would set the alarm off. If the alarm sounded it was Library staff’s responsibility to search the students which none of us liked doing.

After about three years I was looking for a change. At that time Goldsmiths had two branches. One was Rachel Macmillan College in Deptford and the other St Gabriel’s in Camberwell and I was asked if I would like to be a Library Assistant at Rachel Macmillan.

Rachel Macmillan was a teacher training college that Goldsmiths had acquired to house its Geology and Biology departments. There was a halls of residence attached and students would come in wearing slippers. As there were just two departments we knew everyone who came through the doors. We knew their subject, what they were researching, their year, who they were going out with.

We ran the careers service as well and it was while I was there that we acquired our first computer – the first in Goldsmiths, an Amstrad. We used it for online searches. We had to dial up and when we were connected, put the phone into this acoustic coupler, then hold our breath while we searched as the vendors charged by the minute.

(Photo - Christine has seen Goldsmiths' decor and our students' fashion choices change over the years)

So this wasn’t ‘online’ as we think of it today..

No it was over a telephone line. This was before there was an IT Department; I think libraries led the way with computers.

Rachel Macmillan was eventually taken over by what is now University of Greenwich. I was offered a job there but I decided to return to Goldsmiths. I’d been there for 10 years and by that time had got my library qualifications and was Branch Librarian.

In the meantime, the redbrick building of Goldsmiths Library had been built so I came back to a pristine new building. I was offered the new post of Automation Librarian, which sounded interesting and this evolved into System Librarian.

What did this entail?

It was working on the library management system. We initially had a computer system that had been specially written for us. This was just when library systems were starting up. We wanted to make our catalogue more searchable and our library housekeeping processes more efficient.

We had joined the University of London Consortium using a Library management system called Libertas. The servers were at Senate House and we had terminals that provided a basic circulation and acquisition system. It was incredibly slow and frustrating but a lot better than a card catalogue system.

After the consortium split up we ran Libertas on our own servers and I had one in my office for many years. When the supplier went out of business we carried out a procurement exercise and bought the current system which is called Aleph This runs the lending processes and the catalogue and handles buying books and journals. We chose it in 1999 and I did posters that said: “New century, New system”. We’ve been very happy with it and have since added the self-service facility.

In 2011 I was asked to take on Reader Services and became Reader Services and Systems Librarian, my current job. This involves looking after all front of house stuff – the reception, the help desk, and marketing the Library. It’s a big job and would be impossible without the help of absolutely fantastic Library staff.

How have you noticed the people change over the years?

Staff worked in more discrete teams at Goldsmiths and would concentrate on specific tasks. Now it’s a lot more co-operative and collaborative. Goldsmiths is more open to using people’s talents and giving people opportunities. I think the reason I’ve stayed for so long is because it’s been changing all the time and I like that.

Do you have a favourite part of campus?

Not a specific place, but anywhere the gardening team has been at work. The campus looks so much brighter, especially over the last couple of years. I love the wild flower planting and the fabulous garden at the front of the Richard Hoggart Building, which used to be a car park, the magnificent agapanthus and early flowering daffs are a delight. That and the Natura café!

What are you going to do next?

Amongst other things I’m going to be volunteering in my local primary school, helping children with their reading. I am going to be compiling the diary pages of my local resident’s association newsletter and helping my father with his allotment.