HLF project: Wollaton Library Collection
The project has now finished and this page is not being updated. For up-to-date information about the project and its outcomes, see the Previous Projects: Wollaton Library Collection HLF Project page.
A project has begun to conserve, catalogue and provide access to the remains of the Wollaton Library Collection at The University of Nottingham, following the recently announced award of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Ten medieval manuscripts and 42 printed books are in question. Access to them has until now been limited both because of their fragile condition and the specialist nature of the manuscripts. The volumes include texts in Middle English, Old French and Anglo-Norman French as well as Latin.
The project will take three years to complete, concluding in late 2010, and will involve the following activities:
Conservation and Preservation
All of the medieval manuscripts show evidence of use and damage over the centuries. Two have already been conserved, but the others all are, to varying degrees, in fragile condition. As physical artefacts they are of considerable interest. several provide examples of intact original medieval bindings while others, in their decayed state, show the evidence of original binding structures.
The project will not undertake extensive repairs or restoration but aims to stabilise the condition of the manuscripts and provide sufficient protection for their future security and occasional handling.
Cataloguing and Description
With the exception of the fragment from the life of St Zita, the manuscripts have been known to researchers since their description by W.H. Stevenson in 1911, Report of the Manuscripts of Lord Middleton Preserved at Wollaton Hall, Nottinghamshire (Historical Manuscripts Commission). Their current catalogue descriptions are very brief and will be extended in the course of the project.
Creation of surrogate copies of the manuscripts
The international interest which these important manuscripts attract and their fragile condition make it a priority that high quality surrogate images are available to satisfy most first level enquiries.
The project includes the planned digitisation of the key texts. Security microfilm will also be created, for long-term preservation and to meet research demand.
The digitisation work does not at this stage include the online delivery of entire texts.
The creation of web resources
The project aims to raise awareness of the contents of the Collection and the significance of the texts by the delivery of a web resource on the theme of medieval women, drawing primarily on stories from the literary manuscripts. For each topic, a brief extract from the manuscript will be provided as images from the original manuscript, with transcriptions, translation and appropriate supporting material. Additional resources will give online access to skills packages to assist readers in understanding the medieval heritage and interpreting the material.
E-learning resources and educational outreach
The project will support educational use of the Collection, both in formal working with one or more local schools to create online lesson plans based on the web resources, and in other events and activities aimed at young people.
Display and publication
In 2010 an exhibition in the University's Weston Gallery (D H Lawrence Pavilion, Lakeside Arts) will feature items from the Collection and related material. Publications and talks will also draw attention to the Collection and the achievements of the project in raising awareness of it and demonstrating its significance for heritage of the East Midlands.
Project Management and Staffing
The project is being undertaken primarily by staff in the Manuscripts and Special Collections section of the University's Information Services department. A Steering Board provides expert advice, particularly from academic colleagues at the University.
For further information about the project contact the department.