 My name is Helen Peel and I'm doing a collaborative PhD at the British Library and the University of Leeds. I study the working life of John Maynard Smith, a British evolutionary biologist. John Maynard Smith died in 2004 and his archive has been at the British Library since. I basically have two supervisors, Professor Greg Gregg at the University of Leeds and Jonathan Fletch at the British Library. So Greg does all the academic stuff with me and Jonathan, his input is mostly curatorial collection management and how to work in an institution like the British Library. The idea of studying the history of biology through one particular person seemed fascinating and because it's quite recent, it's also quite original because you know a lot of people have looked at this material before you. By staying and working at the library now every day during the week, you get to know how people work in an institution like this to show me that this is something I would like to do as well. Academia sometimes feels like you could run in so many different directions at once, but an institution that's more project-based and focused and hands-on and you work with objects, you work with people, you do the public engagement thing, talking to people outside as well. I gave one talk as part of the Feet the Mind series that the British Library does, a sort of lunchtime talk. You spend so much time in the office just reading and writing things and then the idea of actually telling people, well I have done this and this is there and then getting their feedback, it's just sharing the things that you spend so much time working on. It feels like you're doing something and giving back. It's rewarding for yourself as well.