Day 2 – aka: one of the best days

“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.” ― Jorge Luis Borges

British Library – https://www.bl.uk/visit

British Library Conservation Centre – https://www.bl.uk/conservation

It might have only been our second day of exploration, but I already know that this location is one of my favorites!  This is because of the conservation lab.  However, let me first mention the library itself.  With over 5,000 book requests a day, with their automated book retrieval system the British Library runs like clockwork which is evident with their 97% success rate.  This is partly due to the quick book delivery time of 55 minutes.  With a library of that size, this is extremely efficient.  It is so large that they organize their books by size to optimize storage space.  However, this location is far more exciting than the average library.  In addition to regular books, they also include a center tower, The King’s Library, which beautifully displays 85,000 books spanning the years 1423-1820 and includes 8 different languages.  Currently the library also has an exhibition on the history of writing.  While this library is visually stimulating, behind the scenes they employ 101 language curators and ensure that all books are stored in high quality, climate-controlled spaces.

Now, I’ll move onto the conservation lab which is one of my new favorite locations.  People who know me well are aware that I prefer low-tech, musty smelling, old, historically significant locations.  Thus, I was a bit shocked that this new, bright, modern space took my breath away.  It also made me question what I wanted to do with my future (which I still do not have figured out).  This space had beautiful skylights and large desks for repairing books and documents.  In many ways, it was like the ultimate book hospital.  This was such a wonderful space where people have the privilege to not only handle archival items daily but also repair them for further use.

The British Library has a partnership with the Qatar Foundation to complete a large digitization project.  They are nearing the completion of 2 million images.  The main focus of this project is the history of the Persian Gulf and also includes map and sound recordings.  The Qatar Digital Library is also open access.  Different from restoration, conservation works to stabilize items for handling.  Foliation, or the numbering of pages, is completed after the item has been conserved.  They showed us many different materials used in their lab such as starch paste and Japanese paper.  Japanese paper, a natural product made from plants, is often used with leather for treatment/stabilization.  Repairs should always be as reversible as possible.  Their policy is that repairs can be seen from 6 inches away but should not be visible from 6 feet away.  These conservationists are doing incredible work and it was such a privilege to meet them and tour their lab.