Meet the Warburg: Louisa McKenzie, Graduate Library Trainee
In this blog series, we introduce you to the people who bring the Warburg to life. From library staff to tutors, find out more about the people working at the Warburg Institute.
In this interview, we chatted with Graduate Library Trainee, Louisa McKenzie. Read on to discover how Louisa's time as a student led her to consider a career in librarianship, what to expect from the traineeship, and more.
What drew you to apply for the role of Graduate Library Trainee?
I had worked part time in the Library as a Library Assistant while undertaking my PhD at the Warburg Institute. Although my focus was principally on labelling and final-stage processing of new acquisitions and periodicals (and rare books when relevant), I was lucky enough to gain great insight into the varied tasks that the librarians undertake in the Library. As a researcher myself, I’m also very aware what a valuable resource academic libraries – and particularly the Warburg Institute Library – are. Its rich collection of books related to art history and late medieval/Renaissance cultural, economic and religious history speaks to my particular research interests, as does its emphasis on historical source material in the original language. These factors, combined with a lifelong love of books, led me to consider a career in librarianship.
You recently completed your MA and PhD at the Warburg Institute. Could you tell us a little more about your wider research interests?
My research centres on the devotional art and material culture of late medieval and Renaissance Europe, with a particular focus on Italy. My work is underpinned by an interest in materiality and its implications for how objects were perceived and used, as well as how workshop organisation and practice relate to technical and aesthetic exchanges across media. These interests combined in the PhD thesis I wrote at the Warburg Institute, which considered wax ex-votos in fourteenth and fifteenth-century Florence as works of art as well as works of devotion. As a consequence, the thesis also re-evaluated the place of wax sculpture in the wider fine and decorative arts of fifteenth-century Florence. This is also the subject of my first book, Re-materialising the Florentine Wax Ex-Voto, which will be published by De Gruyter.
An interest in material culture led me in 2020 to co-found the ongoing lecture and seminar series, A Material World, alongside Rembrandt Duits, Deputy Curator of the Photographic Collection and my former PhD supervisor. This explores the reconstruction of life in the past through objects and materials, the people who made them and the people who used them. My wider interests include palaeography and digital humanities. Away from the Renaissance, I have a side interest in the working practices of Andy Warhol and his circle. Meanwhile, outside of academia, I write regularly on history, arts and culture topics for The Times, as well as other publications.
What is a typical day for you as a Graduate Library Trainee?
Graduate Library Trainee is a very varied role. Any given day will see my colleague, Maisie Brewster, and I undertake a range of different tasks depending on what’s needed at the time. Part of every day is spent staffing the Library Enquiries’ Desk. Here we answer enquiries from readers, assist students, staff and fellows with borrowing and returning books, process new memberships and renewals, and make sure everything is running smoothly within the physical environment of the Library. The trainees are also responsible for managing interlibrary loans: we process requests from libraries around the UK and abroad, as well as sending requests from our students, staff, and fellows. I also create content for the Library’s social media channels. In addition to sourcing timely topics, I introduced the weekly Warburg Wednesday hashtag, which informs followers about the history of the Institute, its people, and its collections.
What has been your favourite part of the traineeship so far?
Helping readers access the books and resources they need is something I really enjoy. From personal experience as a library user, I know how important good information and support from library staff can be to the success of a research project. I hope to provide similar input for the Library’s readers. I also love learning new skills. We’ve recently been assisting Richard Gartner, Digital Librarian, and Mark Amies, Scanner Operator, by uploading content to the Warburg Digital Library. We also work with Jonathan Rolls, the Library Administrator, to place orders for new books. This has involved learning how to work with software and processes which were new to me.
Have you encountered any challenges?
It’s no secret that the Warburg Institute is currently undergoing a major redevelopment project in the Warburg Renaissance. This has provided some challenges in terms of collection moves and changes to the fabric of the building. However, this has also given us the opportunity to be adaptable and try to find solutions to any issues.
Have you come across any particularly fascinating books in the collection?
Part of my role as Library Assistant, and now as Graduate Library Trainee, was to take part in an ongoing project to retrospectively add barcodes to books which were accessioned before this became standard practice. This has led to all sorts of treasures. I’ve worked a lot with the topography section (classmark CP), and I particularly like stumbling on some of the old guidebooks to cities and monuments. It’s like a window on to the past.
What advice would you give to someone thinking of applying for the Graduate Library Traineeship?
Go for it! It gives you a wonderful opportunity to take real responsibility while simultaneously developing key skills needed to build a career as an academic librarian.
> Apply now to be a Graduate Library Trainee
Louisa McKenzie is an art historian, writer and library professional. Specialising in late medieval and early Renaissance art and material culture, she researches conjunctions between material, meaning and function, as well as issues pertaining to workshop practice. Her book on wax sculpture in 14th and 15th-century Florence is forthcoming, and she contributes regularly to The Times on arts and history topics. She has experience of teaching art history topics, language and palaeography skills, and digital humanities techniques. Trained with a Theology degree from KCL and an MA in Art History from UCL, Louisa holds an MA in Art History, Curatorship and Renaissance Culture and a LAHP-funded PhD (2023) in History of Art, both from the Warburg Institute.
