The British Library Centre for Conservation

The last place we had the pleasure of visiting was the Centre for Conservation at the British Library.

While the various details of conservation and preservation techniques are interesting, the part of the tour that really interested me was the fact that it is part of the Centre's mission to spread the message of collection care to all parts of the UK, so that every facility will be able to properly maintain their individual pieces of history.

After having visited many institutions in London and seeing the importance of their collections, I can see that that is a very demanding job. The Centre provides Preservation Assessment Survey of institutions, determining what the collection needs and priorities should be.

They also provide several informative booklets on individual topics in preservation and conservation, such as pest control and water damage. In addition, they provide great online resources for research and learning.

Online, users can also find information about the Centre's events, displays, workshops, and seminars, as well as resources for professional training with other agencies. Instructional sheets and video offer education and training in the field of archives.

Conservation of the Sutra Ramayana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kL4gAvDTO04

Conservation of the Sutra of the Ten Kings
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZP_AAFpqcFg

Conservation of a Khotanese Animal Zodiac Manuscript
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct4PTVd3QtU

Using Gloves with Collection Items
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBFKCyv0xoE