Surveys & Training

Green’s Books offers conservation surveys and training that can be tailored to suit the individual needs of an institution.

Surveys are a useful tool when identifying conservation priorities. Arthur offers advice on interventive conservation, and preventive issues including storage, handling, and environmental monitoring.

Case Study: The Shakespeare Memorial Library, Birmingham.

In spring 2019, Arthur conducted a survey of the Library of Birmingham’s Shakespeare Memorial Library, as part of the Everything to Everyone project. This Shakespeare collection was founded in 1868 by social reformer, George Dawson. It boasts items in 93 languages, and was the world’s first great public Shakespeare Library.

Training

Understanding Bindings

A training day for librarians, archivists, volunteers and anyone working with historic collections who wants a better understanding of the books in their care.

Leaving aside fancy decoration and the printed word, Arthur focuses on the structural features of a series of bindings. In particular, he examines the materials and techniques used in their construction, and the reasons why they might degrade. Attendees also learn to describe and safely handle bindings, and have the opportunity to look at some historic bindings first hand. Recent customers have included Chatsworth House and the British Library.