From Paris to Rome: reflections on an internship

Anne Hedy-Hauy in the archive

For two months in 2025 I had an internship at the Venerable English College as part of my final year of professional training in archives at the Ecole nationale des chartes, Paris. I was keen to come to the College to experience a specialist archive and to learn about rare books.

Working for an institution with a small heritage team, I was able to gain ‘hands on’ experience of a range of tasks. Under the supervision of Dr Renaud Milazzo, I learnt how to catalogue rare books according to the English system. In addition to the standard elements such as author, publisher, place of publication, etc., I was taught how to catalogue in a detailed way that included descriptions of engravings and stamps along with measurements of everything from paper thickness to the printed space. My conservation training in France was also put to good use in the library. The college receives many gifts and I was able to integrate a significant donation through the creation of bespoke covers and by identifying duplicate copies or later imprints for offer to other libraries.

I also helped to welcome the numerous visitors who came to tour the College. These visits gave me the opportunity to participate in workshops designed to raise students' awareness of written heritage, and to familiarise them with handling archives and early printed books. I assisted with the organisation of a study day that brought together international academics from the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany: an event that helped me understand the importance of dialogue between institutions, particularly in a foreign context where national representation is a significant factor.

My internship gave me the opportunity to familiarise myself with the management of a uniquely distinctive small archive and library in all its aspects, and to work in an interdisciplinary environment which I found particularly enriching and which expanded my professional network.

The value of this internship is indisputable, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entire VEC team!