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Foundation Degree (FdA) in Book Conservation

Camberwell College of Art would like to announce the start of the first UK Foundation Degree (FdA) in Book Conservation. The course, run by Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts, is a new Foundation degree, and will start in October 2007. The course has been designed by conservation course leaders at Camberwell, in close collaboration with the British Library, and staff from other book conservation departments working in major cultural institutions. Practical book conservation work placements for second-year students will be shared amongst the British Library and other institutions with book conservation departments. Training at the British Library will be provided by experts working in book conservation in the new British Library Centre for Conservation. The course was created to help address the need to increase the number of conservators specialising and working in the field of book conservation.

Please see Camberwell College of Arts website for deadlines and application information.

House of Lords Inquiry into Science and Heritage

The report of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee's inquiry into Science and Heritage was published on 16 November 2006. The printed version runs to 393 pages, but the PDF version is available for you to download (see the external link on the right).

The committee made 24 recommendations, which are summarised on pages 76-79 of the report. Some of the most important recommendations are:

  • The Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) should appoint a permanent Chief Scientific Advisor, who should act as a champion for heritage science at a departmental level.
  • The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) should assume responsibility for heritage science.
  • The various national cultural heritage institutions (the national museums, galleries, libraries and archives) should seek academic analogue status with AHRC and with appropriate science-based research councils. This will enable these institutions to apply for research funding in the same manner as universities etc.
  • The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) should review the sources of scientific guidance available to conservators.
  • The MLA should develop a framework for digitisation in museums, libraries and archives.
  • The national cultural heritage institutions should develop a comprehensive national strategy for heritage science. It should be developed bottom-up, ie drawing on existing strategy documents, building on common ground across the sector.

The British Library has warmly welcomed the report and has made a detailed response to it. Many other bodies have also responded favourably.

The Government published its response (PDF available from the external links panel) in January 2007, and a debate on the Committee’s report was held on 12 June.

 The debate included several mentions of the Library's submissions to the report. Speaking about conservation, and quoting directly, Lord Howarth of Newport commented:

“We have an extraordinary heritage, and we ought to care for it as best we can. Our heritage, in important measure, defines who we are personally and our common identity…

 English Heritage … abjures leadership, taking the view that no single body has both remit and capacity for a directive leadership and that the appropriate model is collaborative partnership and shared ownership.

That view is also reflected in the response of the British Library, which, while it says that it is “absolutely fundamental” that we should have a comprehensive national strategy for heritage science, continues to endorse the distributed, federated, collaborative system.”

Lord Clement-Jones congratulated everyone who had contributed to the report, noting that "the British Library... made a great contribution in its evidence to the Select Committee.”

A link to the full transcript of the debate can be found in the external links panel on the right.

(Please note, the full transcript is several pages long. To view the complete script, click on the Next Section link at the bottom left-hand side of each page.)

Developing a national strategy for heritage science

A steering working group consisting of representatives from across the heritage sector has been appointed to develop a National Strategy for Heritage Science.

In July 2007 a group of heritage scientists and conservators met at the British Library to start the process of developing a National Strategy for Heritage Science, as recommended by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.   The steering working group has now been appointed to take this forward.

The Chair will be Sarah Staniforth, Historic Properties Director at the National Trust, supported by:

  • Peter Brimblecombe, Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry, University of East Anglia
  • Craig Kennedy, Head of Science, Historic Scotland
  • Katy Lithgow, Head Conservator, National Trust
  • Alastair McCapra, Chief Executive, Institute of Conservation
  • Nicholas Merriman, Director, Manchester Museum
  • Sebastian Payne, Chief Scientist, English Heritage
  • Mark Pollard, Professor of Archaeological Science, University of Oxford
  • Helen Shenton, Head of Collection Care, The British Library
  • Jim Tate, Head of the Department of Conservation and Analytical Research, National Museums Scotland
  • Heather Viles, Reader in Geomorphology, University of Oxford
  • David Watkinson, Senior Lecturer in Conservation, Cardiff University

A co-ordinator is being recruited whose task will be to produce three reports which will:

  • identify and prioritise areas where lack of scientific or technological knowledge imperils the physical survival of different types of cultural assets;
  • identify and prioritise areas where there are particular reasons or opportunities to improve our capacity to learn more about the physical remains of the past by scientific means;
  • identify and prioritise gaps and opportunities for improvement.

The steering group will formulate the National Strategy for Heritage Science on the basis of these reports.  The first draft of the strategy should be completed by summer 2009.

Update to the Committee’s report

In October 2007 the Science and Technology Committee published an update to the original report.  This reprints The British Library’s response to the report (see above) and submissions from English Heritage, Icon and others.

The Committee warmly applauds the progress that has been made across the science and heritage communities in implementing their recommendations, but regrets that DCMS, for its part, has not done more to offer moral leadership to the sector.

A link to the update is available to view in PDF format from the external links panel on the right.

British Library Centre for Conservation

Conservation Centre

Conservation Centre

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On 16 May 2007 the British Library Centre for Conservation was opened, with David Starkey launching the building with a champagne toast. Guests were invited to tour the facilities and had the opportunity to discuss conservation and Sound Archive activities with staff.

David Starkey launches BLCC Opening

David Starkey lanuches BLCC Opening

The British Library Centre for Conservation provides purpose built accommodation designed to the specific requirements of the two main occupant groups – Book Conservation and the Sound Archive Technical Services. The building provides optimum conditions for the care and preservation of books, paper-based items and sound collections.

All Conservation studios are on the top floor of this three-storey building. The saw-tooth roof provides year round north light for conservation activities.

BLCC launch - guests are showsn around the BLCC conservation studios

BLCC launch - guests are showsn around the BLCC conservation studios

There are six conservation studios accommodated in a large studio space. Each studio has eight fixed conservation benches specifically designed for users' requirements. Running alongside these studios is a dedicated wet area for washing and other aqueous treatments of collections items. There is an additional studio - more flexible than the others - to accommodate project work, workshops and demonstrations and training programmes.

 

BLCC launch - guests are shown around the BLCC sound studios

The Sound Archive Studios - designed to meet the exacting standards required for high quality sound preservation, remastering and copying - are housed on the lower floor of the building.

There are eight transfer channels, one recording studio, two transfer studios, a small workshop, and a laboratory. These facilities will improve our ability to produce copies of recorded sound to an archival standard.

 

Entrance to the BLCC

Entrance to the BLCC

There are also facilities for us to expand our training programmes, with funded internships in Book Conservation and in Sound Preservation. In recognition of the need for training of Book Conservators, a two-year Foundation Degree in Book Conservation offered by Camberwell College of Arts, part of the University of Arts London and run in association with British Library and other partner organisations will begin in autumn 2007. This project - an exciting development for Conservation and the Sound Archive - would not have been possible without the generous support of a number of donors and funding bodies, including the HLF. For more information on training visit the British Library Centre for Conservation - professional training page (link available in the related links panel).

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