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Cathedral Libraries and Archives Association Newsletter Summer 2016

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WELCOME FROM THE CHAIRMAN

Welcome to this edition of the CLAA newsletter. May I take this opportunity to encourage you all to cometo the CLAA Conference being held in Worcester at the end of September. We are calling it ‘How CathedralsWork: and where Cathedral Libraries, Archives and Collections fit in’. Cathedral librarians, archivists, andcollections managers have an important role to play in the life of cathedrals, but sometimes feel on theperiphery of cathedral life. So the theme of the conference sessions is to sketch the main outlines of cathedralorganization: the provisions of the Cathedrals Measure (which determines cathedral governance), the Careof Cathedrals Measure (everything to do with fabric and furnishings, treasures and records), the role ofFabric Advisory Committees, the Cathedrals Fabric Commission, and the Association of English Cathedrals.There will also be a contribution from the perspective of the non-Anglican/non-English cathedrals.

There will also be two short presentations/workshops: (1) on the graduate librarian project under theauspices of ‘Skills for the Future’ and the Annual Meeting of the Association; and (2) on national museumand archive accreditation.

Speakers will include the Bishop of Worcester, the Right Reverend John Inge, ‘Lead Bishop’ for cathedralsand church buildings; the Dean of Lichfield, the Very Reverend Adrian Dorber, Chair of the Association ofEnglish Cathedrals; Jennie Page CBE, formerly Chief Executive of English Heritage, and Vice Chair of theCathedrals Fabric Commission for England; and Sir Peter Luff, Chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund.

There will be tours of the Cathedral Library, the Hurd Library at Hartlebury Castle, the Hive (Worcester’s newcombined city and university library and record office) and the Royal Worcester Porcelain Museum.

Peter Atkinson, Dean of Worcester

CATHEDRAL LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES ASSOCIATIONNEWSLETTER, SUMMER 2016

CLAA NEWS

CLAA 2016 Triennial Conference‘How Cathedrals Work: and where Cathedral Libraries, Archives and Collections fit in’Wednesday 28th Sept – Friday 30th Sept 2016Worcester Cathedral

Dates and timesArrival and registration at Worcester Cathedral from 3pm to 4pm on Wednesday 28th September. The conference begins with tea and welcome at 4pm; it ends with the Conference Dinner in theChapter House on Friday evening, 30th September.


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CostsThe conference fee, including dinner onWednesday, and lunch and dinner on Thursday andFriday, and the tours of the Cathedral Library, theHurd Library, the Hive, and the Porcelain Museum,is £95. Cheques should be made payable to‘Worcester Cathedral (CLAA Conference)’ andenclosed with the booking information.

AccommodationParticipants are responsible for their ownaccommodation (bed and breakfast). Hotels withinwalking distance of the Cathedral are:

• Worcester Travelodge, Cathedral Plaza, 3 High St, Worcester WR1 2QS

• Worcester City Centre Premier Inn,Worcestershire County Cricket Club, New Rd, Worcester WR2 4QQ

• Diglis Hotel, Severn St, Worcester WR1 2ND

• The Old Talbot, Friar St, Worcester WR1 2NA

• The Fownes Hotel, City Walls Rd, WorcesterWR1 2AP

BookingPlease book your place on the Conference bysending the following information (with conferencefee) to Susie Arnold, Dean’s PA, the Chapter Office,8 College Yard, Worcester WR1 2LA. Tel: 01905 732905. Email: [email protected]

• Name• Email contact• Phone contact• Representing cathedral/other institution• Dietary requirements• Access requirements.

Worcester Cathedral

Remit of the CLAAThe way the historic collections of cathedrals aredefined and managed is changing. This is becauseof a number of developments, but in particular therise in HLF-funded projects. These projects canplace significant value on collections and their

interpretation for the benefit of the public, and canencourage a more holistic approach to themanagement of collections. While in previousdecades, object collections came under the remit ofthe cathedral library, archives, vergers or othercathedral staff, a number of cathedrals now employmuseums professionals with specific responsibilityfor objects. We are keen to ensure that the remit ofthe CLAA covers all historic collections and theprofessional interests of all the heritageprofessionals who manage them. The CLAA beganas an association focussed particularly on cathedrallibraries. It evolved to embrace archives collectionsand archives professionals; the committee feels it isnow time for the CLAA to formally include objectcollections and those who work with them.

At the 2015 AGM, the committee proposed achange to the CLAA to reflect this development.This was received positively, and we would like tomake further progress. As described above, the2016 conference will include much of interest tomuseums professionals and to historic collections ina broad sense. The committee has been consideringhow an expanded remit might be reflected in ourassociation’s name, and will be proposing somerevisions to this at the AGM during the conference.

The committee would like the CLAA to makeconnections with other groups with an interest inthe types of collections we care for, includinggroups concerned with learning and interpretation.We will be looking to obtain formal affiliation withthe Association of English Cathedrals and the CFCE.We are also keen to make links with Cathedrals Plusand the Cathedral Interpreters Group.

The committee is very keen to hear from you to seehow we can take this forward on your behalf.Please do contact any committee member withyour suggestions and comments.

CLAA Committee

WebsiteComing soon to the CLAA website: to make betteruse of the website as a tool for showcasing thefascinating collections held by cathedrals and thework that is done with them, we would like tolaunch a regular blog featuring short articles by


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member institutions of the CLAA. Articles maycover any aspect of working with collections, suchas the history of the collection, or of the cathedralto which it belongs, a current project or aparticularly interesting document, book or artefact.Each article should be around 500 words in length.Over the course of the next few years the blogshould be able to feature at least once eachcathedral that is a member of the CLAA (andmaybe two or three times in cases where thearchives, library and/or collections are run

separately). Where applicable I will try toaccommodate requests to publish articles tocoincide with a particular date or event. In duecourse, I will be contacting members to ask forarticles to fill spots on the blog. In the meantime,please contact me on [email protected] if you have any questions or if youwould like to submit an article to be published onthe website.

Kate McQuillian

NEWS FROM MEMBERS

UNESCO UK Memory of the World Register Collections from two cathedrals (both members ofthe CLAA) have been included in the UNESCO UKMemory of the World Register. Certificatesrecording seven new ‘inscriptions’ were presentedby the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, torepresentatives from these cathedrals atan event hosted by the WelshGovernment at the Senedd in Cardiff on21st June.

UNESCO established the Memory of theWorld (MoW) Programme in 1992. Theprogramme vision is that the world’sdocumentary heritage belongs to all,should be fully preserved and protectedfor all and permanently accessible to allwithout hindrance. The UK Registerrecognises documentary heritagedeemed by a panel of experts to be ofoutstanding significance to the UK. Itnow lists 57 entries.

Now included on the register is the medievalarchive of Canterbury Cathedral (Christ ChurchPriory). This collection dates from the 9th century tothe dissolution of the priory in 1541, and amountsto some 17,000 individual documents. It constitutesone of the best medieval monastic archives in theUK. Also included is the Exeter Book held by ExeterCathedral. This is an anthology of poetry in OldEnglish, written down in about the year 970. It isthe largest and probably the oldest of the foursurviving major poetic manuscripts in the language.It belonged to Exeter’s first bishop, Leofric.

If any other cathedrals would be interested indiscussing the process of these applications,Canterbury and Exeter would be delighted toadvise!

Editor

Canterbury CathedralJackie Davidson, who started working at theArchives in 1994, retired at the end of May. Thenumber of those in the Chapter House for tea andcake on her last day was testament to herachievements as part of the staff team. On 20th

June, Ashleigh Hawkins joined as as Archivist on aone-year contract. Dr Margaret Sparks, honoraryCathedral Historian, who is based in the Archivesand Library, has indicated her intention to retirelater in the summer. Dr Sparks’ contributiontowards the historical understanding of the

Cathedral has been enormous and unique; she hasbeen very much part of the department team. TheCathedral’s Receiver-General, Brig John Meardon,will be retiring at the end of July; throughout histime at Canterbury, he has been very supportive ofthe work of the department. His successor,Commodore Martin Atherton, starts in the autumn.

At the end of February, we held a Family HistoryBreak, jointly with the Cathedral Lodge, partly toexplore new possibilities for income generation.This was attended by 19 people, and included fullboard at the Lodge and a day of family historysessions. We will be repeating this event in 2017.Visits to the Library were held as part of theCanterbury Medieval Weekend in April, organisedby Christ Church. Overall, the Weekend wasdeemed a considerable success, and may berepeated in future years.

The revision of the Statutory Inventory is nownearing completion, and is due to be presented toCFCE in the autumn. It includes information onsome 2,500 entries. The inventory is currently aninternal document, but is in most cases the keysource of information on the Cathedral’s objectcollections, and in due course will inform acollections catalogue.

Three items (the Nuremburg Chronicle and twobooks of hours) are on loan to the TurnerContemporary in Margate for an exhibition entitled‘Seeing Round Corners’. The painting which formsthe altarpiece to St Martin’s Chapel is on loan to theDulwich Picture Gallery for its retrospective of theartist Winifred Knights. Items from the HubertWalter vestments, as well as items from the BlackPrince’s Achievements, will be lent to the V&A forits ‘Opus Anglicanum: masterpieces of Englishmedieval embroidery’ exhibition, opening on1st October.

The Development Phase of The Canterbury Journeyis now complete, with the second-round applicationsubmitted. The outcome of the application isexpected in September. Archives and Library staffhave been working closely with the project team

and project consultants on areas relating tocommunity engagement and opening upcollections. We have hosted a number of visits,facilitated meetings of project panels, attendedmeetings about proposed displays andinterpretation, and commented on documentsrequired for the second-round submission.

Sarah Turner, Collections Manager for the project,convenes Collections Management Group, whichincludes heads of departments responsible forcollections. The group has finalised policies onCollections Management, Documentation,Rationalisation and Loans, for application across thevarious cathedral collections. This is workingtowards a Collections Management Plan. ACollections Development Policy is in progress. TheArchives, as a Place of Deposit, intends to apply forArchives Accreditation by the end of 2017, and thepolicies may be used for that purpose.

The Cathedral has been working with externalpartners on a programme of events for theShakespeare anniversary. There have been a highnumber of visits to the Library to view items of aShakespeare interest, including for the annual LocalSchools Mornings. A page from the accounts forFordwich, held in the Archives, including paymentsto the King’s Players was featured in BBC’sCountryfile Shakespeare episode (24th April), withJudy Dench.

After a series of information audits, a RecordsManagement Policy has been produced for theDean and Chapter. Further work is involved inimplementing it, particularly in the area ofelectronic records, and detailed retention schedulesneed to be produced.

A donation scheme was launched at the beginningof the year through the Cathedral Trust to supportpaper conservation projects. Paper conservation ispart of the cathedral’s Conservation Department,managed by the Head of Conservation.

Cressida Williams Archives and Library


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Durham Cathedral Durham Cathedral Library is currently closed toreaders whilst collections are being moved, re-ordered, and spaces prepared within theirpermanent home in the Cloister Library. This followstheir temporary storage in No. 5 The College aswork on our Open Treasure project continues. During this time, we will continue our arrangementwith Durham University’s Palace Green Library tostore and provide access to the Cathedral’s PrioryLibrary manuscript and incunable collections. Thesecollections will return to the Cathedral Library intime for the new academic year in October 2016,when they will be available to study in our newlyrefurbished Reading Room, located off the Cloister.

Our early printed book collection in the Refectory,plus music and antiquarian collections, has nowreturned to the Cathedral Library. These can beviewed on request by appointment. It is anticipatedthat the Sharp modern theological lending libraryand the Cathedral’s Chapter Library will re-openduring summer 2016.

We look forward to resuming a full library serviceon completion of all the building work.

The Durham Cathedral Open Treasure projectbegan in 2014 when construction started in theclaustral spaces. We have made significant progressin the development of the exhibition spaces andlook forward to opening to the public later in theyear. We will use the galleries to showcase theCathedral’s collections, provide a narrative of theCathedral and monastic life, and highlight its placein the history of the North-East. We will also tell thestory of the life of St Cuthbert and the tradition ofpilgrimage to the site.

You can follow the Cathedral Library onTwitter: @BedesBooks. For any enquiries pleasecontact the library via email:[email protected] or telephone: 01913862489.

Lisa di TommasoHead of Collections

Hereford CathedralOn 3rd May this year we marked the 20th

anniversary of the opening of the New LibraryBuilding by Her Majesty the Queen. On that dayshe was received in College Hall by the Dean,Robert Willis, and Sir John Cotterell, Chair of theMappa Mundi Trust. She unveiled the inscribedstone seen today in the interior wall of the ChainedLibrary and, accompanied by Prince Philip, visitedthe new building. Following the opening a serviceof thanksgiving and dedication was held in theCathedral, with a new anthem, Ecce testimoniummeum, composed for the occasion by lay clerkStephen Gowland.

The building, made to house the Hereford MappaMundi and Chained Library, together withCathedral Archives and a Reading Room, had beenmade possible by a gift of £1 million from John PaulGetty Junior, who laid the foundation stone on 3rd

December 1993. At around the same time theMappa Mundi Trust was endowed with £2 millionfrom the National Heritage Memorial Fund toensure the ongoing conservation and preservationof the map, the music collections and the pre-1800books which all passed into its care. Prior to thedigging of the basement, an archaeologicalexcavation took place on the site, which uncoveredevidence of continuous occupation from the Saxonperiod onwards and resulted in some unexpectedfinds. A huge pre-conquest charnel pit, 5.5 metresdeep, was estimated to contain the disarticulatedremains of over 5,000 people. Three mass graveswere found, probably dating from the time of theBlack Death. Then, on almost the very last day, animportant late Saxon iron sword in a scabbard madeof ash was discovered and this was able to beincorporated into the Exhibition.

The architects were Whitfield Partners, led by SirWilliam Whitfield, renowned for his context-sensitive version of modernism. His previousdesigns had included the gateway to theDepartment of Health in Richmond Terrace,Whitehall (1987), and the chapter house at StAlban’s Abbey (1983). The builders were Treasureand Son of Ludlow, Britain’s oldest family buildingfirm. The design made references to a variety oftraditional features and used high-quality naturalmaterials—Derbyshire millstone grit, Westmorlandgreen slate, British oak (some from Herefordshire)and cedar of Lebanon—but also award-winning


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reconstituted stone in the roof of the ChainedLibrary. The result is a building of great integrity,taking its place proudly but not self-importantlybetween the Cathedral and the entrance to theBishop’s Palace. It harmoniously blends modernismwith a strong element of romanticism.

At the time of the opening Joan Williams wasLibrarian. The Honorary Archivist, Meryl Jancey,had sadly died less than two months earlier. CanonJohn Tiller was Master of the Library. In an articlewhich appeared in the journal Library History in1998, Joan Williams provided an account of thework that was involved in storing and moving allthe books and archives, designing and writing theinterpretive text for the new Exhibition, and thefrustration of not having enough time to monitorthe climate conditions before moving in the stock.She remarked ‘Even now, all our complex systemsof climate control, security and fire detection andextinguishing have never all worked perfectly at thesame time’. Plus ça change. But for the first timesince 1841 the whole Chained Library was backtogether in the same place and the same order as itwas when in the Lady Chapel, and Mappa Mundiwas the rightful centre of attention in its ownchamber and a new case of Derbyshire Fossillimestone.

Since 1996 several chancellors, librarians andarchivists have come and gone, but a few amazingvolunteers have continued to engage with visitorsthrough two whole decades. In 2011 the Exhibitionunderwent a major redesign, allowing its layout andpresentation to be refreshed and findings fromrecent scholarship to be incorporated. In Januarythis year further changes to the Mappa Mundidisplay have improved its lighting and brought itmuch closer to the visitors’ eyes.

In retrospect, the accolade of the Royal Fine ArtCommissions’ Building of the Year Award for 1997is vindicated. Visitors frequently remark on thequality, design and sheer beauty of the building,with the green oak beams and scented cedar roof ofthe Reading Room often admired. Time has provedthat Sir William Whitfield’s practical solution tohousing an exhibition and a working library in onebuilding—by designing a horizontal flow on theground floor for the former and a vertical flow withseparate entrance for the latter, functions well. The

natural materials have weathered beautifully. It’swonderful to have a building that is fully accessibleto users with disabilities. But (the librarian’s lament)why are new libraries always built with insufficientspace for expansion? When the Reading Roomopened, its shelves were about half full. Today theyare completely full and there is a large overflow inthe closed access store where the Archives are kept.

Writing in the journal Perspectives in Architecturein 1995, art historian Alan Powers described theNew Library Building as ‘looking fresh and pink’.Twenty years is but the flutter of a bird’s wings inthe Cathedral’s history, and not that much haschanged. Visitors continue to be drawn from allover the world to see the Mappa Mundi andChained Library. The Library and Archives continueto conserve and make accessible the collectivememory of the Cathedral community. All of us whowork and volunteer here should be proud to be partof a place of learning and inspiration in the city’sheart, open to all.

Dr Rosemary FirmanLibrarian


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The Queen in the Chained Library with the Dean, Robert Willis, and the Librarian, Joan Williams

Lambeth Palace Library New Lambeth Palace Library ProjectSince the appointment in November 2015 ofWright & Wright as architects for the new library,the Church Commissioners’ Board of Governorshave approved the expenditure necessary to delivera fully designed, costed scheme for theirconsideration and approval in late 2016. Furthercontractors and specialists are being appointedincluding structural engineers and cost managers.All have significant library and archive experience.

Work is now progressing on a number of areas ofthe project including a wide range of surveysnecessary to achieve a scheme ready for planningapplication. Staff at the Library and Record Centreare heavily involved in initial work with thearchitects. This has included re-measuring thecollections as well as visiting a number of otherarchive and library projects.

Should the project get final approval in late 2016, itis expected that the library will be completed in2020, bringing together the archives at LambethPalace Library and the Church of England RecordCentre into one purpose-built library and archive.

CERC: Safeguarding Records Retention guidanceThe Church of England Record Centre has produceda series of Records Management guides andfactsheets which are available to download fromthe Church of England and Lambeth Palace Librarywebsites. These include a guide to Cathedralrecord-keeping, produced jointly with the CLAA, aswell as factsheets on issues such as Data Protection.The most recent addition is a guide to the retentionof safeguarding records which was produced toaccompany a House of Bishops guidance note onsafeguarding. It is available at:http://www.lambethpalacelibrary.org/content/recordsmanagement

Declan Kelly

Representative Church Body Library, DublinChrist Church Cathedral, Dublin, hosted the Churchof Ireland’s Historical Centenaries Working Group’sdiscussion event, which considered the experiencesof Dubliners at the time of the Easter Rising. Over200 people attended the event which wasaddressed by Dr Jason McElligott (Keeper ofMarsh’s Library, Dublin) and Dr Fearghal McGarry

(Queen’s University Belfast), and chaired byhistorian and broadcaster Dr John Bowman. AnTaoiseach Enda Kenny TD, First Minister ofNorthern Ireland Arlene Foster MLA, and the BritishAmbassador, His Excellency Mr Dominick Chilcott,were among the audience.

From left to right: The Rt Revd John McDowell, Bishopof Clogher; Dr Kenneth Milne, Historical CentenariesWorking Group; Dr Fearghal McGarry; First MinisterArlene Foster MLA; Dr Jason McElligott; and Dr JohnBowman.

Raymond RefausséLibrarian and Archivist

St Paul’s Cathedral, LondonThe mosaics at St Paul’s make a sparklingcontribution to the overall effect of the cathedralinterior. They were made in a series of campaignsfrom the mid-19th to the early 20th centuries,spanning high Victorian art, the Pre-Raphaelitemovement, Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau, byfour outstanding British artists: Alfred Stevens,George Fredrick Watts, WEF Britten and WilliamBlake Richmond. They help to show how St Paul’shas evolved as an organic building, responding tothe worship needs and agendas of successivegenerations and there are many learning journeysand questions that can be initiated by these intricateworks.

A significant body of objects and archive material inthe cathedral collections relates to the mosaic workin St Paul’s and the heated discussions whichsurrounded their design and execution. Models,canvases, preparatory drawings and written reportsall help to illustrate the process by which themosaics were arrived at. An ambition to betterunderstand this material and tell the story of the


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mosaics had long been identified as a researchpriority by the Collections Department; it was anaspiration parked and waiting for funding.

In 2014 a visitor who had enjoyed attendingservices in the Cathedral while staying in Londonfor study, enquired in the Cathedral Shop whethera book on the mosaics was available. The reply ‘Nowe don’t have one per se… you’d be surprised howmany people ask for one’ was the spark required toignite the project. Over two years, it has seen agenerous donation provide for a raft of outcomes:an online catalogue, a book, a study day, anexhibition and a stunning online interactive whichprovides greater access to the cathedral collectionsand enables close inspection of the mosaics.

It is important that Collections projects aregrounded in sound academic research so that wecan provide accurate and up-to-date information.In 2015 Dr Heike Zech, an art historian based at theV&A, was commissioned to carry out new research,using the information retained within theCollections, to catalogue all of the mosaics in thecathedral. The results of her study were depositedin the central collections database and areaccessible through an online catalogue in whicheven the most esoteric subject matter is describedand explained. A complete photographic survey ofthe mosaics was undertaken, for the first time in thehistory of the cathedral, and these images are usedto illustrate the online catalogue.

While the Collections Department seeks to build upacademic knowledge of the life and work of StPaul’s, it is our role to help make the informationavailable in an accessible way for the CathedralCommunity, visitors and other interested groups. To

this end, an affordable new guidebook to themosaics was produced, illustrated with objects andarchive material as well as the mosaics themselvesand featuring a map and key to help explain thecomplex schemes. In November, a Mosaics andEcclesiastical Art Study Day was held at theMuseum of London, attended by Cathedral staff,guides and Friends, art historians, mosaicenthusiasts from around the country and membersof the public keen to learn more about St Paul’s.The day was a great success with six speakers andmuch discussion of the wider context of the StPaul’s mosaic scheme, the iconography, thematerials and the techniques that had been used, aswell as how mosaic work is being used to this day.Even the sound engineer in charge of themicrophones for the event was discovered to bedescended from an Italian mosaicist who hadworked on Regent’s Street.

Dr Zech also researched the Opus Criminale or‘Work of the Criminals’ which decorates the floor ofthe crypt. These mosaics were designed in the 19th

century by the polymath Surveyor F.C. Penrose andassembled by prisoners in Woking and Fulhamgaols as a ‘useful occupation’. This tradition ofmixing the medium of mosaic and rehabilitationcontinues today at Southbank Mosaics, anorganisation which combines world-class designwith commitment to community cohesion throughregular workshops for young people in trouble withthe law, convicts on release from prison, homelesspeople and children with additional needs.

The Collections Department is working withSouthbank Mosaics to create new work for displayin the cathedral. Artists have interrogated thecathedral collections for information and images ofthe radicals and reformers, associated with St Paul’s,


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who have striven to affect positive change in thesociety around them. These individuals will becommemorated with portraits designed by theSouthbank artists and worked-up by the students atSouthbank Mosaics. The powerful images include:William Tyndale, Florence Nightingale, JohnHoward, Paul Robeson and Martin Luther King andwill be exhibited in the Cathedral in autumn of thisyear in a display funded by the Weavers’ Company.

The use of many tiny pieces to make up an image iscommon both to mosaic work and to digital images;in the latter, pixels take the place of tesserae. Thefinal aspect of the Mosaic Project has celebratedthis connection. A Gigapixel digital photograph ofthe Quire ceiling coupled with Google Street Viewin the Quire and Quire Aisles utilises cutting edgetechnology to make the mosaics more accessiblethan ever before. Detail, invisible at a distance ofnearly 30 meters from the cathedral floor, can nowbe seen up close and the masterful design whichWilliam Blake Richmond brought to bear indepicting the Creation can be appreciated in all itsglory.

Special thanks go to Li Li Chung who made thecatalogue, book and web interactive possible and tothe Weavers’ Company for their support of theexhibition of new mosaics. The project hasdelivered new research, new partnerships, a newpublication, public engagement and social outreachand this provides a model for the delivery of futurecollections activity. In this way, while expandingknowledge of the life and work of St Paul’s, thecollections can actively help to fulfil the CathedralMission. The monuments, textiles, models,paintings, prints and drawings in the collections allawait research and cataloguing in similar projectsfor which we continue to seek funding.

Simon CarterHead of Collections

Worcester CathedralIn recent months, the Cathedral Library staff andvolunteers have been busy researching for variousprojects and exhibitions, including contributingmaterial to a school exhibition in December 2016,and a possible exhibition about constructing theCathedral.

The Library is also hoping to reapply for anothertraineeship scheme as part of the Museums,Libraries and Archives in Worcestershire. Thescheme gives young people the opportunity to gainpaid employment and a qualification in anincreasingly competitive world.

The last few weeks have involved planning forfurther conservation work on the medievalmanuscripts and medieval monastic registers. Thiswork should hopefully extend into 2017. Onemanuscript which has been completed in recentweeks is this 14th-century book of sermons.

David MorrisonCathedral Librarian

York MinsterCollections DevelopmentWe are pleased to announce that we retained ouraward of Full Accreditation by Arts Council Englandfor the Undercroft Museum in December 2015.Retention of the award means we remain the onlycathedral in the country with an accreditedmuseum. We are keen to engage with othercathedrals to see how we may be able to work withArts Council and the CFCE to develop the schemeto be more inclusive of cathedrals. Please docontact Vicky ([email protected]) if you’d beinterested in discussing this further.

The successful review of our partnership agreementwith the University of York, which provides ourlibrary staff and the library catalogue system, wascompleted in November 2015. We are keen toexpand this relationship and are currently exploringseveral projects that would enable us to do this.


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Collections InformationRoll-out of the new Data Protection Policy andSystem is almost complete. The process has beenimplemented by identifying Data ProtectionRepresentatives from each department who havebeen responsible for undertaking an audit of theirarea of work. The system will be reviewed in April2017.Work on the Inventory continues through ourmagnificent Inventory Volunteers. We have nowadded all of our monuments to the Inventory and40% of our Stained Glass. Work has begun toreconcile our paper and physical archives forworked stone and archaeology. Work continues oninputting our archival holdings into CALM.

Collections AccessWork during 2016 has focussed almost exclusivelyon Collections Access. We retained our CustomerService Excellence award as a partner of theUniversity of York. We are very pleased thatelements of our library team’s work wereshowcased as exemplary. We have undertakenseveral Collections Unlocked workshop sessions forspecial interest groups and continued ourrelationship with the York-based regiments,welcoming back 2 Medical Brigade and 34 FieldHospital. Prof Brian Cummings returned to run hismodule ‘Religion and the Book’. We have also been

working closely with Brian on his AHRC project‘Remembering the Reformation’, delivering twosessions to multi-discipline audiences. We arecurrently undertaking a refresh of content in theUndercroft in our ‘Living Church’ chamber. This willfocus on life stages including birth, baptism,marriage and death and remembrance. We are alsodeveloping an exhibition to explore some of thethemes uncovered through the Mystery Plays,currently running in the cathedral.

Collections Care and ConservationWork has begun on the development of aCollections Care and Conservation Policy. We willbe developing policies for all areas of theCollections Management Framework during 2016.

Finally, we said goodbye to Collections Assistant,Sarah Menys, in February and Library Assistant,Maria Nagle in April. Sarah has moved to York StJohn’s University while Maria has taken up a post inDurham Cathedral. Kirsty Farthing, our ArchivesAssistant, has taken on Sarah’s hours and nowprovides assistance to both the Archives andCollections. Jess Miller has been appointed as thenew Library Assistant.

Vicky HarrisonHead of Collections


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OTHER NEWS

Maryland Students Visit AgainA group of eight students and two instructorsvisited cathedral libraries and archives between 22nd

May and 2nd June as part of an Education Abroadcourse offered by the College of InformationStudies, University of Maryland, in the US. This wasthe second visit for the course ‘Great CathedralLibraries of England’, led by Diane Barlow and AnnWeeks, the first occurring in 2015. The visits were aremarkable experience. During each visit, welearned about the history and development of thelibrary and archives and discussed topics ofprofessional interest with the hosts. We sawhistorical and artistic treasures that excited us andfilled us with awe, many of which were exhibitedjust for us to see. We made new professional contacts, which is particularly important forstudents.

The United States has magnificent and importantlibraries, and the Library of Congress, NationalArchives, Folger Library, National Library of

Medicine are all nearby in metropolitanWashington, DC. However, cathedrals and theirlibraries and archives are not prominent on ourgeographic and cultural landscapes. While a fewcathedrals attract large numbers of visitors (theNational Cathedral across town from us is anexample), most of us had little knowledge of theworkings of cathedrals and their libraries andarchives as we began. The experiences we had inthe course simply are not available in the US, whichmakes our visits in the UK all the more valuable.


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We are grateful to the generous librarians andarchivists who hosted us: Cressida Williams andstaff at Canterbury Cathedral; Tony Trowles atWestminster Abbey; Ann Barwood, Ellie Jones, andthe researchers at Exeter Cathedral; RosemaryFirman and Charlotte Berry at Hereford Cathedral;Judith Curthoys and Christina Neagu at ChristChurch (Oxford); Paul Upton, Hugh Cahill, TriciaShannon, and staff at Lambeth Palace; and DavidShaw, noted bibliographer and Canterbury resident,who once again prepared us well with hisintroductory lecture.

It is impossible to capture our experience in thisbrief account; however, you may read more aboutour daily adventures on the class blog,http://blog.umd.edu/gcl2016/

Diane L. Barlow and Ann WeeksiSchool, University of Maryland

RAG Conference 2016On 9th May the annual Religious Archives GroupConference was held at Canterbury Cathedral, onthe subject of ‘Digitisation and Religious Archives’,attended by about 50 delegates. After a shortAGM, Catt Baum from The National Archives spokeabout initiatives at TNA to open up its collections.We heard how TNA’s flagship digitisation projectsare closely linked to conservation and revenuegeneration, and have necessitated structuralchanges to the organisation and the taking on ofextra staff. Richard Higgins then talked about the

virtual recreation of Durham Cathedral Library,comprising some 600 books and manuscripts(including the Lindisfarne Gospels) which hadsuffered from post-Dissolution dispersal. We sawhow virtual re-assembly enables comparison,repagination, completion and annotation. JamieRobinson from the John Rylands Library,Manchester, reviewed the recent Cardinal Newmandigitisation project, showing how multi-spectralimaging (a series of images taken at differentwavelengths) can reveal hidden writtenpalimpsests.

Following a relaxed lunch in the sunny garden ofthe Cathedral Lodge, Gary Brannan introduceddelegates to the 15-month and £180,000 challengeof digitising the 21,000 folios of the YorkArchbishops’ registers. Previously only partiallycalendared, and regarded as dry and dusty recordsof limited interest to specialists, the registers wereshown to contain a wealth of personal and placenames, indexes and maps, which create anincredible resource. Finally, Dr César Merchán-Hamann of the Bodleian Library, Oxford,introduced delegates to the international PolonskyDigitisation project which is a collaboration with theVatican Library. We were shown the process ofallocating the 85,000 captures available to digitiseseveral Hebrew collections. Dr Merchán-Hamannconcluded that the quality of metadata is key to asuccessful digitisation project.

Toby HuitsonCanterbury Cathedral Archives


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COMMITTEE CONTACTS

Chairman: The Very Rev Peter Atkinson, Dean of Worcester

Vice-ChairmanCanon Ann Barwood, Lay Canon and Canon Librarian of Exeter Cathedral

Treasurer: Dr Michael Stansfield, Durham University Library.Email [email protected]

Honorary SecretaryMs Judith Curthoys, The Archives, Christ Church Oxford. Email [email protected]

Assistant SecretaryMrs Katie Flanagan, Brunel University.Email [email protected](maternity leave 2015-16)

Committee Members:Dr Claire Breay, British Library. Email [email protected]

Ms Vicky Harrison, York Minster. Email [email protected]

Dr Norman James, formerly The National Archives. Email [email protected]

Ms Kate McQuillian, St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle. Email [email protected]

Mrs Cressida Williams, Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library.Email [email protected]

We aim to produce two issues of this letter each year, in summer and winter. Any contributions shouldbe sent to the Editor, Mrs Cressida Williams, either by email to [email protected] or by post to her at Canterbury Cathedral Archives and Library, The Precincts, CanterburyCT1 2EH, to reach her by 31st October for the winter issue, or 30th April for the summer issue. She wouldalso welcome comments or suggestions for content.

THE CATHEDRAL LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES ASSOCIATION

The aims of the Cathedral Libraries and Archives Association are:

• To advance education by the promotion, preservation and protection of cathedral libraries and archives in the United Kingdomand Ireland

• The provision of appropriate access thereto

For our webpages, see http://cathedrallibrariesan-darchives.wordpress.com/

Enquiries about membership should be directed tothe Honorary Secretary or Treasurer.

cathedral libraries and archives association newsletter ... · partners on a programme of events...

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