Paul Garside et al.: Devising assessment strategies for the British Library’s treasures

The unique nature and status of many items in the British Library's collection, particularly those displayed in the Treasures Gallery, means that special consideration must be given to their care in order to preserve them for future generations. This will require programmes of monitoring and assessment that are specifically designed to address the particular requirements of these items. This paper seeks to outline the steps undertaken to develop such programmes, taking into account the various (and sometimes conflicting) requirements of the artefact itself, of curators and conservators, of the general public and of other stakeholders.

The assessment and monitoring of items with 'Treasure' status needs to be built upon a detailed examination of the item, however, before such an examination can be carried out and, indeed, to facilitate it, an assessment scheme must be drawn up, based on the specific requirements of the item as far as they can be determined. Previous investigations (for example, in the form of condition reports, photography, curatorial experience or anecdotal evidence) can be used to highlight features of interest or concern. The use of accurate replicas (both those produced as commercial reproductions of the objects, and surrogates made specifically for the project) can be invaluable, allowing handling considerations, binding structures and other important aspects to be highlighted and assessed. Most such artefacts have a complex construction, and all of the components must be borne in mind, both individually and in the ways in which they interact. A typical manuscript may comprise of parchment (or paper) folios, ink, pigments, adhesives, yarns, leather or fabric, boards, and metal decorations or reinforcements. Each of these components will respond to its environment and handling in different ways, and will influence the stability of the others. For the examples considered in this study, the physical structure and condition of the folios, binding and cover were of particular interest, as was the state of the pigments.

Once these factors have been established, the most appropriate means of carrying out the examination and recording the information can be developed. These methods must be fully planned beforehand, including, for example, such details as appropriate support for the item during the study, compatible light levels and environmental conditions and the order in which folios are to be examined to limit excessive handling. Approaches that would normally be employed for routine condition assessment may not always be appropriate for prestigious items of this type, and it may be necessary to devise new methods to address particular problems. If analytical techniques such as spectroscopy or microscopy are to be used, then these must be able to be carried out in a way fully sympathetic with the object (for example, they must be non-sampling and non-invasive) and the ability for in situ analysis is generally desirable as it minimises the extent to which the item must be manipulated. Developing an assessment scheme of this kind is greatly aided by studying similar, past investigations: this allows established best practice (assessment techniques, methods of recording data, etc.) to be used most effectively and also permits any difficulties previously encountered to be avoided. Furthermore, whilst the assessment and investigation of a typical item in the Library's collection would be carried out through relatively straightforward collaboration between curators and conservators, the high profile of the objects dealt with here means that a wider range of stakeholders must be considered and consulted.

An additional complication stems from the fact that, as many of these items are on exhibition, access is constrained by the period that an object can be removed from display. This may limit the time available for an examination to a single day. Therefore the examination period must be carefully planned in advance, allowing sufficient time for the various assessments to be carried out, as well as ensuring enough flexibility to examine features discovered in the course of the investigation which were not included in the original scheme. Furthermore, Library protocol requires that at least three members of staff are required to be present with such items at all times, and extensive preparation must be made to ensure that an appropriate room is available for examination, that a suitable transport route through the building is planned and that contingencies have been made for the safe storage of the item in case of emergency.

Once an initial assessment has been carried out, following the scheme devised under the aforementioned considerations, the information must be fully deliberated and reconsidered to ensure that all areas of concern have been addressed. These data can then inform any future storage, display and transport decisions, and can be used to determine the necessity and nature of conservation work. It will also permit an ongoing programme of monitoring and assessment to be established, appropriately focused so that areas of particular concern are given the most attention, thus minimising both the handling of the item and the time required for subsequent analysis. Lessons learned at this stage will additionally inform any future assessment of similar objects.

This paper, therefore, outlines the steps taken in planning the assessment and long-term monitoring of such unique and valuable manuscripts, in carrying out such investigations, and in ensuring that the maximum information is gathered with the minimum of intervention.