The Old Library Redevelopment Project draws on the best 21st century design and technology to safeguard the 18th century building and conserve its precious collections for future generations. As part of this landmark conservation project, 200,000 books have been removed from the Long Room library chamber.
Old Library
Redevelopment
Project
Conserving the Old Library for future generations.
The Old Library’s precious collections, spanning millennia, have been in our care for over 400 years. The Library now faces conservation challenges with pollution and dust accumulation taking their toll, and an urgent need to improve re-protection and environmental controls.
Safeguarding the Old Library
Conserving the collection
One by one, each book has been cleaned with a specialised vacuum, measured, electronically tagged and linked to a catalogue record, before being safely relocated to a climate-controlled storage facility. The collection will remain accessible in our interim study centre during this landmark conservation project.