About

I'm Katie Birkwood, rare books and special collections librarian at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), London. I curated the 2016 RCP exhibition 'Scholar, courtier, magician: the lost library of John Dee' and 2019's 'Under the skin: anatomy, art and identity'.

I worked previously at Cambridge University Library and on the Hoyle Project at St John's College Library, Cambridge, and I'm a council member of the Bibliographical Society. I've written a bit about the Hoyle project and about my library roots and routes.

My professional interests include most aspects of special collections librarianship--particularly outreach in its broadest sense (academic, schools, and public engagement all included)--and also library history (particularly scholarly library usage in the early modern period).  I'm also interested in the interaction between library users and the cataloguing we do: how it is that users find our materials?

I've written articles, chapters and reviews, and have spoken on various topics.

Outside working hours I play the cello, knit, bake, walk and listen to Radio 4.

To get in touch email me at maedchenimmond at gmail dot com or tweet @Girlinthe.