Details
Age group: Year 7-13
Available: Monday – Friday
Length: 120 minutes. Please allow more time after your workshop to explore the galleries and public spaces.
Group size: minimum 10
Subject and Key Skills
English, Art, History.
Workshop outline
An exciting opportunity to find out more about conservation and collection care at the British Library.
Groups will learn about some of the processes for conserving and find out more about the techniques that are applied. Using creative activities, participants will be able to explore our exhibitions and handling collection to question why we conserve artefacts.
We will look at a variety of collection items on display in the Treasures gallery, including books, handwritten diaries, letters, maps and music scores. We will ask questions such as: what factors have affected the condition of these items? Who decides which items are conserved?
The workshop will explore the benefits of caring for our historically significant collection as well as the ethics of this work. Students will question how digitisation will affect the future of conservation.
Please note that this workshop does not include a visit to the Centre for Conservation studios.
Pre-visit activities
Take a look at these videos and watch our experts tackle five projects, conserving priceless books and scrolls.
Ask students to make a list of the different factors they think have affected the condition of each item.
Post-visit activities
Ask students to look closely at some of the books they have at home or in their library. Using the skills they learnt during the workshop, are they able to find out what factors have affected its condition?
Discuss how digitisation is changing the ways in which we access knowledge. Do your group feel that access to digitised material available online will eventually replace the need to conserve the original?
Ready to book?
