Vatican Library Closed for Renovations

Schedule for Renovation of Apostolic Library

The Vatican Library has been closed for renovations since 2007. The Secret Archives are still available for scholars to visit, although, there are strict guidelines that need to be adhered to for scholars to gain entry to the library. The library is open to researchers from September 16th 2009 to July 15th 2010.

The Rules for Scholars webpage within the Vatican Archives website lists 22 rules which researchers must follow to gain access to the archives. It is worth reading.

Just some of the rules:-

Rule 2. Applications requesting access to the Archives must be submitted to the Prefect along with a letter of introduction by either a recognized institute of research or by a suitably qualified person in the field of historical research.

Rule 12. All volumes and documents must be handled with the utmost care. It is strictly forbidden to write, even in pencil, on archival documents or to place paper or any other objects on the material. Furthermore, the order of the papers contained in the envelopes must not be altered when reading them.

Rule 13. Scholars who need to take notes, may only use graphite-pencils. Ballpoint-pens, fountain-pens, felt-tip pens, etc., are strictly forbidden.

Rule 17. Silence must be observed in all parts of the Archives. Please dress with discretion.

Reflections on my blogging experience.

In searching for information on the Secret Archives I have found it difficult to find a lot of information related to the history of the development of the Vatican Archives. The most valuable information has been on the Vatican Library website which is quite a comprehensive site. Also the Catholic Encyclopaedia website was quite useful.

I have found the blogging experience interesting although a little frustrating at times. One thing I found frustrating was not being able to format the page to how I would like it. It seems a bit restrictive in its format. I feel that this exercise has given me a greater understanding of how blogs are used day to day and how they can be useful in a Library setting. Having now used a blog, I feel confident that I could update a blog within a library setting if I needed to, although I would need a bit more practice to add "gadgets" and little extras.

I also feel that the blogging experience would be more interesting for me if it was about something I was more interested in or involved in more directly. I can see that in a workplace, such as a library, a blog about what is happening in the office or workplace is a good publicity tool and a good way to get your message across to tech savvy customers.