One of the five “core funcions” specified in the National Library’s Royal Charter is professional collaboration with related bodies in the fields of library and information services, archives, museums and galleries. As Head of the Rare Books Unit I am privileged to represent the Library on the advisory committees of Hereford and St. David’s Cathedral Libraries. Each committee meets just once a year, but there may of course be matters to follow up after the meeting.
Hereford Cathedral Library is housed in a building dating from the 1990s which blends perfectly with the architecture of the Cathedral itself. Its treasures include the Mappa Mundi and one of the few remaining chained libraries in the country, but it is also a modern working library and continues to acquire books and archives. At the meeting on 27th September, the committee received an encouraging report on the on-line cataloguing project, which began with the All Saints’ Chained Library collection and moved on at the beginning of 2010 to the Cwm Library collection of Jesuit publications rescued by Bishop Croft. The Library is still being used by many for reading and research, despite the limited opening hours resulting from the Librarian’s departure in June to complete his Ph.D. studies. It is hoped to advertise for his replacement soon. 2011 will be an important year for Hereford Cathedral Library, as it will be the 400th anniversary both of the chained library and of the Authorised Version of the Bible.
St. David’s Cathedral Library, by contrast, is housed in the Cathedral itself, and is reached via a narrow staircase leading from the north aisle. It is open to the public most afternoons for the modest charge of £1. There are some problems with damp where the collections are currently housed, but at its meeting on 30th September the committee discussed options for moving part of the collections to another room in the Cathedral which is currently vacant. This would both provide better environmental conditions and relieve pressure on space in the main Library.
This was the second time I had attended meetings of the two committees. In both Hereford and St. Davids I have been impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment both of the professional library staff and of the clergy who oversee their work. These are important historic collections which are being carefully preserved and made available to a wider public.