Projects

Conserving the books in the Codrington Library at All Souls College, Oxford

Stabilising the books in the Codrington Library began in 1990 and continues for 4 weeks annually, with an anticipated end date of 2028. A wide range of preventive conservation techniques is used, developed over the years in full consultation with library staff. The collection is an important historic research resource, in constant use, and techniques used have been devised to reflect this. The length of time over which this project has and continues to run enables comparison of conservation methodologies, for example the stability of treatments, such as paper repairs and leather consolidants, and the compatibility of the design of protective enclosures with long-term use.