At Lambeth Palace Library, a dedicated team of collection care experts is working behind the scenes to ensure that priceless manuscripts, rare books, and historical artifacts are not only preserved but put on display for all to enjoy. Their meticulous work has paved the way for the library’s latest exhibition, offering visitors a unique chance to connect with the past. Icon member Meagan Smith ACR gives a behind the scenes glimpse at the collections care involved.
In March 2023, the Collection Care team at Lambeth Palace Library (LPL) started planning and preparing library and archive material ready for an onsite exhibition about early modern women and their books as the third full-scale exhibition in the Library’s new Exhibition Room. The exhibition is now open with newly conserved material displayed safely and securely.
Conservators are core to organisations’ outreach and engagement activities, including exhibitions, ensuring objects are preserved while being made accessible. The team at LPL includes Collection Care Manager Lara Artemis, Archive and Library conservator Meagen Smith ACR, along with Collection Care Assistants Arianna Mangraviti and Grace Howson. Meagen Smith led the programme to condition check and report, complete conservation, and create display accessories while mitigating risks inherent in exhibition preparation.
Collections Care Assistant, Grace Howson explained:
As an emerging professional it was thrilling to be involved in the exhibition process, something I'd had limited experience with before. From condition reports through to install and continued environmental monitoring it has been great for the development of my conservation knowledge, and I was grateful for the level of trust given in me to add to the discussions and processes
Grace Howson, left, and Meagen Smith, right, positioning and strapping a volume into a cradle for Her Booke installation.
Like all exhibition installations, the schedule was an intricate dance between timely content preparation by curators and object preparation by the Collection Care team. Meagen worked with the curators to manage expectations about object display suitability and timelines. Conservation ranged from small stabilising paper repairs through to a leather reback completed by the Sion Collection Conservator, Tal Wachtelborn.
In parallel with the curatorial activities, Collection Care manages the installation process including working with an external cradle maker as well as running mock display sessions to ensure items will safely and aesthetically fit into the display cases. “I enjoyed working with my colleagues towards a successful exhibition by conserving items ranging from minimal stabilisation to carrying out a reback. The process gave me a chance to examine decorated books closely, reflecting on the items’ historical context and cultural significance.” Described Arianna Mangraviti. In addition, emergency planning is a key aspect to the exhibition preparation, ensuring object priorities are assessed and agreed in order to finalise and distribute salvage plans in a timely manner to the teams who help keep safe the Library and wider Lambeth Palace location.
The Her Booke exhibition will run 1 July to 21 November 2024 with full details available on the Lambeth Palace Library’s website: https://www.lambethpalacelibrary.info/exhibitions/her-booke/
Article images credit: Lambeth Palace Library.
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