2102, 2023

Collection Care & Digitisation at SOAS Library

By Special Collections|21st February 2023|Behind the scenes|0 comments

As SOAS Library formally opens its new Collection Care & Digitisation facilities, we look behind-the-scenes at the work that will now be supported thanks to generous funding from donors including the Foyle Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation and the Wolfson Foundation. Collection Care & Digitisation (CCD), part of our Library Services Directorate, is home to our small digitisation team and a recently appointed Conservator (a first for SOAS) who is

0307, 2017

Miniature Portraits in the London Missionary Society Archive

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|3rd July 2017|Behind the scenes, Collections & Research|0 comments

This week’s blog looks more closely at a fascinating collection of miniature portraits found in the archive of the London Missionary Society, which are currently undergoing conservation treatment to ensure their long-term preservation. The archive of the London Missionary Society is rich in visual materials, including photographs, drawings, paintings and engravings. Amongst this material is a unique collection of 165 miniatures dating from around 1798 to 1844, primarily watercolour on

1711, 2014

Conserving Swire’s archives

By Special Collections, SOAS Library|17th November 2014|Behind the scenes|0 comments

This week’s guest blog is written by Graeme Gardiner ACR, Director of Preservation Solutions, and takes a fascinating behind the scenes look at the professional conservation work currently being undertaken on the archives of John Swire & Sons, held here at SOAS Archives. The conservation of the Swire archive has been ongoing since 2011, and is scheduled for completion in 2019. In 25 years of working as a conservator of archival material, this