The Dance of the Archive Ferret. (Photography Waltz)

I am settling into my routine now. After ordering up a batch of files I begin by going through a box to check what is in it. Depending on the contents I will then Itemise them, noting date and type of document (letter, report, minutes of meetings, accounts etc.) I can do all this in the reading room which is a great place to work. Then comes the difficult part.
Usually I have to move out of the reading room to the group study area next door to take photographs of the documents. The two rooms are separated by a glass wall so it doesn’t really feel like a different room but it means my moving around does not disturb other archive users. I also get to eavesdrop on groups of undergrads or members of the public doing group projects. This week alone I have shared the group space with students looking at the history of the student newspaper (I think they were looking for something to do with Jack Straw – Did he go to Leeds Uni?), two members of the public looking at books relating to graveyard plots, family historians, someone from the British library researching Yorkshire dialects and an art historian looking at some fantastic pictures of Hungarian folk dances!
Once I have arranged myself with the documents, a document rest, my camera etc., the dance of the archive ferret begins. First is a small step to the right to pick up the first document, then a small step to the left to place the document on the rest. A dip to the right to pick up the camera, straighten up to take the shot, then replace the camera on the right of the table. Pick up the document and take a small step to the left where I put said document down. Then a large step to the right to pick up the next document and we begin all over again. Easy.
Well, up until today this dance has lasted a maximum of two hours...today it was FOUR AND A HALF HOURS! My back, right shoulder and right knee are decidedly unimpressed with my workout and are growling in dissatisfaction! Oh well! Only 9 more weeks to go!!