Placement Scheme Case study - Arendse Lund (UCL)

Placement organisation: Lambeth Palace Library

Arendse Lund, UCL LAHP-funded student, undertook a six-month placement at Lambeth Palace Library where she examined the medieval legal manuscripts held in their archives and curated an exhibition, titled ‘Writing the Law: Lambeth’s Legal Manuscript Collection.’ She also wrote blog posts which were featured on Lambeth Palace Library’s website as well as the London Student and UCL websites.

With the support of Giles Mandelbrote and Rachel Cosgrave, Arendse researched, designed, and carried out the exhibition, which  launched in May 2019 and was attended by thousands of people . Giles and Rachel were extremely supportive towards Arendse during her placement, always ready to discuss exhibition logistics and propose complementary events. One of the key aspects of the placement was being treated as fully integrated in the Library’s team: Arendse was given space to work and was warmly welcomed by the staff.

Access to Lambeth Palace Library’s manuscripts and resources was of immeasurable value to Arendse. The placement has provided her with key insights into the curatorial skills needed to work in the museum, library and archives sectors which will be extremely helpful to her career — skills that she would have been hard pressed to obtain anywhere else. In Arendse’s words the placement ‘was a huge opportunity for me and perhaps the most valuable part of my entire PhD experience.’