Today we took another little trip to Kew, located in the London district of Richmond. While we were invited to spend the day discovering the area, our focus for the morning was a presentation at the Kew Gardens' Library and Archives. We were once again joined by Andrew Wiltshire, who had presented us with information concerning Beatrix Potter, including her connections to Kew. 
Our tour of the library and archives was lead by Fiona Ainsworth, the Head of the library and archives. Ms. Ainsworth lead us through the history of Kew Gardens and the collections held within. She presented our group with roughly a dozen artifacts of interest, including a letter form Beatrix Potter and a book in Latin from 1370. Additionally,, we were guided into the closed stacks by Laura, a librarian in training who is finishing up her time at Kew. She gave us a tour and discussed issues with cataloging and conservation, as well as the eternal problem of finding enough space.
Fiona Ainsworth introducing Kew and its resources, including books that are centuries old. Photos taken at Kew Gardens.
During this visit I was surprised to find that despite the long history and enduring popularity of Kew Gardens, very little work has gone in to digitizing and translating the written and illustrated works collected within. Ms.. Ainsworth pointed out how this limits access to the information contained within the archives, and shared that she hopes this will change in the future.
Images of Laura showing us around the closed stacks and the variety of resources preserved here. Photos taken at Kew Gardens.
Another thing that struck me was the realization that while historic images of plants are respected for their artistic value, they were not intended as art. It's completely logical when I thought about it, how these images were primarily for scientific purposes. This hits home the point that certain resources can change meaning and value over time, and can serve multiple purposes.
This was science, not art. Photo of Fiona Ainsworth and multiple resources at Kew Gardens.
Had this occurred earlier in our study abroad trip, I feel I may have chosen to stroll the grounds in the afternoon. As it was, I decided to spend my time elsewhere for the day, as we have very little time left here in England. Perhaps next time I'll make a trip to Kew Gardens a priority and be able to view the plants cultivated within.
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