5 June 2007

University Conservation Studio up for national award

The Book & Paper Conservation Studio at the University of Dundee has been nominated for one of The Conservation Awards 2007 in recognition of their work with the Linnaean Society of London, the world’s oldest biological society.

The Awards, sponsored by Sir Paul McCartney, are the "Oscars" of the conservation world. The Dundee team have been nominated for the Award for Care of Collections. The awards will be presented at the British Museum in September.

The Linnean Society, located at Burlington House, Piccadilly, communicates scientific advances through its three world-class journals, open meetings and website. Founded in 1788, it takes its name from the great Swedish naturalist, Carl Linnaeus, who promoted the binominal system that is used today for naming all plants and animals. It has in its care almost 4,000 letters sent to Linnaeus by 600 different correspondents, many major figures in eighteenth-century science.

Over the last three years, The Book & Paper Conservation Studio at the University of Dundee has participated in The Linnaean Correspondence Project, a three-phase programme to preserve the letters for future generations of scholars and to make them more widely accessible on the World Wide Web.

The Conservation Studio at the University is led by Vanessa Charles and Philippa Sterlini. Yesterday they welcomed the team’s nomination for the Conservation Awards.

"We are absolutely thrilled to have been nominated for this award," said Vanessa Charles "The conservation of Linneaus’ letters has been an exciting undertaking, and our team at the University of Dundee has enjoyed collaborating with the Linnean Society in order to bring the work of Carl Linnaeus to a wider audience."

Philippa Sterlini said, "We are the only regional conservation centre of this type and scale in Scotland and have the ideal location in Dundee, where we have been working successfully for over 20 years. It is always wonderful to receive recognition for the work that we do."

The culmination of the Linnean Correspondence Project has coincided with the tercentenary of Carl Linnaeus’ birth which is being celebrated internationally throughout 2007. These celebrations have already included Royal Visits to the Society by the King of Sweden and the Emperor of Japan, at which the Dundee conservators were given an opportunity to describe their work.

There has also been a garden celebrating Carl Linnaeus at the Chelsea Flower show, which was awarded a gold medal. The University’s conservation studio has been busy too, organising events and talks at various Scottish venues.

The Book and Paper Conservation Studio operates in the University of Dundee on a cost-recovery basis, providing a wide range of conservation services for anyone with paper-based and related materials. Their clients include museums, libraries, archives, trusts and members of the public.

NOTES TO EDITORS

The Conservation Awards are the UK's leading awards for the preservation of cultural heritage. They are sponsored by Sir Paul McCartney and supported by key organisations in conservation and collections care: the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA), English Heritage, the Institute of Conservation (Icon) and the National Preservation Office. The Digital Preservation Coalition and the Anna Plowden Trust sponsor the awards in their names. For more information visit the Awards website: www.conservationawards.org.uk, which includes links to information about the supporting partners and sponsors.

Book and Paper Conservation Studio, University of Dundee www.dundee.ac.uk/library/conservation

The Linnean Society of London www.linnean.org

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