Evolution or revolution! The changing face of collection care

This two-day conference organised by the British Library discusses how change and development in the library environment – in acquisition, technology, publishing, storage, formats, access, use – are defining and redefining the roles and responsibilities of collection care professionals, forcing us to ask tough questions of ourselves and our collections. Do we embrace such change as an opportunity to re-evaluate our collections and develop new models of care and stewardship? Or do we view it as a threat to traditional methods and traditional skills?

Who are the collection care professionals of today? What skills do they need to be practitioners and leaders in the collection care departments of tomorrow?

Programme

We have two full days of presentations on Mon 14 and Tue 15, with a reception on the Monday evening.

Running alongside will be a small trade fair, plus a dedicated exhibition space, showcasing the work of the British Library’s Collection Care department.

On Wed 16 Oct, post-conference, we will be running tours to different British Library departments. View the conference programme here

Speakers

We are delighted to announce Bill Thompson as our keynote speaker.

Bill is Head of Partnership Development at BBC Archives, building relationships with museums, galleries and other institutions around ways to make archive material more accessible. Spending his time thinking, writing and speaking about the ways digital technologies are changing our world, Bill will be setting the scene of our conference with a lively lecture on collection care in the age of electronics.

Following Bill we have a fantastic range of speakers from academic libraries and research libraries, colleges and universities, conservation institutions, archives, museums and galleries from as far afield as America, Australia and mainland Europe.

View and download speaker biographies and abstracts [PDF]

Trade fair

Exhibitors will be available to talk to you about their products and services during the conference.

Collection Care exhibition

Come and learn more about the British Library’s Collection Care department. Our specialists, including colleagues from the Sound Archive, will be on hand to chat with you and show you what we do, from integrated pest management and conservation, to digital preservation and scientific imaging.

Tours

Are you curious about conservation and digitisation? Fascinated by sound collections and how they’re managed, preserved and accessed? Intrigued by low-oxygen, high-density storage? Then stay with us on Wednesday 16 October and find out more.

Registration and booking fees

The conference fee is inclusive of lunch, London-based tours and an evening reception.

£125 + 20% VAT = £150 (student rate)

£175 +20% VAT = £210 (early bird - until 31 July 2013)

£225 + 20% VAT = £270 (standard)

Payment to be made online via British Library Box Office

More information and to register

Registration and payment will be via British Library Box Office. Once you have registered, the Conference Team will email you a delegate form which you should complete and return via email as soon as possible. This form will enable you to let us know if you have any special requirements or need any assistance during the conference, if you are attending our evening reception and which tour you would prefer to go on. Register now

How to find us

The Conference Centre is at the British Library building near St Pancras and King’s Cross.

96 Euston Road
London
NW1 2DB

View map

Contact the conference team

If you have any questions about any aspect of the conference, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at conference2013@bl.uk

Additional information for visitors from outside London

While we can’t formally recommend places to stay and things to do, we’ve pulled together a basic information page (accommodation, getting around, things to see and do) that may help you plan your visit.