Collections

The main emphasis this year was on the return of Research Collections material to the newly refurbished buildings in Bedford Square and on ensuring the environmental conditions in the new stores were stable and compliant with best practice in the field.

The summer and autumn were particularly busy periods, with Collections staff involved in advising on equipment for the new work spaces, as well as preparing for the logistics of the return of material from off-site storage. After months of careful planning and at least a week of heavy lifting, the first van-load of library stock – some 400 boxes – arrived back at the Centre on 8 October 2015. It took a full three days for the movers, working with Collections staff, to unpack and re-shelve the material. The Public Study Room was re-opened to readers on Monday 26 October.

Work on stabilising the environment in the archive stores continued throughout the year, and as yet the appropriate conditions have not been met. However, in order to provide a full service to readers, the key Archive Collections and a proportion of the Photographic Archive were returned to the Centre in December. This material is currently located around the two buildings. This situation did not affect in-person visits to the Public Study Room. The number of visits made between the date of re-opening (26 October 2015) and 30 June 2016 was 591, while the total number of new readers registered was 178. These figures compare well with those of 2013–2014 (the last full year open to the public) showing a one-fifth increase.

One of the most exciting aspects of the Centre’s expansion project from a Research Collections perspective is that the newly refurbished buildings include a permanent display space. This is located in the Drawing Room, a specially designated waiting area for visitors, next to reception on the ground floor. This space allows Collections staff to fulfil a long-held ambition: exhibiting material from the Library, Archive and Photographic Archive to those who may have been previously unaware of the Centre’s holdings.

There were three displays in 2015–2016, which were researched and organised by Collections staff. All displays were accompanied by a pamphlet, available in hard copy and online. In addition, events were organised to tie into the relevant themes. Each display focused on a different subject, idea or strand found within the material in the Research Collections:

Concrete and Controversy: The Architecture of Connell Ward and Lucas, 26 October 2015–29 January 2016

John Cornforth: A Passion for Houses – Material on the Georgian Town House from the Cornforth Library donation, 8 February–26 May 2016

Yale in London 1977–2016: ‘A Remarkable Opportunity’, 6 June–26 August 2016

All the displays have been well received and have attracted new audiences to the Centre, some visiting solely for this purpose.

Charlotte Brunskill returned from maternity leave on 27 July, with Liz Moody – her maternity cover – departing to take up a new position at the Royal Society on 13 August. In September 2015, Frankie Drummond Charig began the distancelearning postgraduate diploma for Archives and Records Management, offered by Dundee University. Working four days a week as Archives and Library Assistant at the Centre, she has been granted one study day a week to pursue her course. She is due to complete the course in August 2017.

Throughout the year, Collections staff received training in digital preservation, oral history, archive cataloguing and emergency recovery procedures. They also continued to provide tours of the Research Collections, welcoming visitors from the Architectural Association, National Trust, Getty Research Institute, National Gallery, Royal Asiatic Society, Shakespeare’s Globe and the Asian Art Archives.

Tours aimed specifically at introducing students to the Research Collections were also organised. These included a general event open to students from across the country. In addition, sessions were held for MA students from the University of Buckingham (Adrian Tinniswood’s English Country House 1485–1945 and Jeremy Howard and Adriano Aymonino’s Art Market and the History of Collecting courses) and from Christie’s Education, London.

Library

A total of 1153 books, pamphlets and exhibition catalogues were accessioned during the year. Work on the Peter and Renate Nahum donation of books was completed in December 2015 and material identified as being in need of preservation was sent to the Centre’s freelance conservator, Angela Thompson. Catalogue records continued to be submitted to external union library catalogue COPAC and from 2016 onwards to the Serials Union Catalogue.

Donations of books and journals were received from Timothy Stephens (John Moore Painting Prize Catalogues), Jacob Simon and the Wilkinson Gallery. The library also acquired a number of exhibition catalogues from the Ikon Gallery and a complete collection of the British Art Show catalogues 1979–2015. Mary Smith continued cataloguing the auction catalogue collection formerly owned by Arthur Tooth & Sons. Gina Baber was employed on a freelance basis to assist with library accessioning for 3 hours per week from Tuesday 3 May 2016 (for 10 weeks).

Collected Archives

The focus this year was on achieving and maintaining a suitable environment in the newly refurbished archive stores. This involved working with the engineers and architects employed in the main build, as well as specialists who advised on how best to dry out the buildings. Industrial dehumidifiers were installed and conditions continuously monitored, with readings analysed weekly. By the end of June 2016, the fabric of the building had dried, but work continues to stabilise humidity and temperature levels.

Cataloguing of the Ellis Waterhouse, John Hayes and William Roberts Archives continued. To attract audiences perhaps less well acquainted with the Paul Mellon Centre and the field generally, Frankie Drummond Charig attended an event at Glasgow School of Art that focused on editing Wikipedia pages. Consequently, Wikipedia entries were updated or created for some of the individuals whose papers are held at the Centre. These included Ellis

Waterhouse, Brinsley Ford, Oliver Millar, Howard Colvin, Judy Egerton and Daphne Haldin. The Centre intends to continue this work in 2016–2017.

In order to reach wider audiences, descriptions of the Centre’s newly acquired archive collections were again submitted to external union catalogues including Discovery, the National Archives Catalogues and Archives Hub.

Institutional Archives

The programme of recording oral histories of former members of staff and others connected to the Centre continued. A number of interviews were recorded with Jules Prown, Professor Emeritus in the History of Art at Yale and a key figure in the Centre’s history.

The refurbishment project temporarily halted most of the traditional records management activities undertaken by Collections staff. However, new initiatives – such as British Art Studies – prompted Collections staff to raise, again, the issue of Digital Preservation. The Centre has not yet made provision for the long term preservation and accessibility of electronic records created in the course of its day-to-day work. These issues are now being responded to at the Centre.

Collections staff continued to meet with new staff to give advice on good record-keeping practice.