Heading north from Cardiff to Durham University, I wanted to continue the theme of how items enter collections for #RLUKCollections and their wide variety
For some of @dulib collections the connection is obvious. As a well-established university in a powerful and often rich ecclesiastical centre there are the illuminated manuscripts and items reflecting the history of the region that you might expect
But then some items have a less immediately connection with Durham – a significant Sudan Collection from the days of empire and, intriguingly, the archive of the Cremation Society of Great Britain!
Focussed collection policies, donations, personal connections, serendipity, good timing – all contribute to the depth and breadth of any library collection. (And that is without mentioning Durham’s superb museum collections.)
A recent example of a great collection coming into the library was the acquisition last year of the papers of John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham. Lambton, known as ‘Radical Jack', was one of four politicians who drafted the Reform Bill, which become the Great Reform Act of 1832
Here the connections are clear – geography, subject fit with existing collections, timing all coming together to produce an obvious candidate for addition to the wider Durham collection. (More details, with an excellent video, at dur.ac.uk/research/news/…)
But, as with the Cardiff collection yesterday, it was not inevitable that Radical Jack’s papers would either remain a discrete collection or find such a good home. Again, it takes hard work, determination, and political skill to bring these collections into our universities.
A large part of historic collections of papers such as this is often letters. But, of course, unless the writer had kept copies, they will more often contain letters sent to the writer rather than letters from the writer
As more of these collections are acquired, catalogued, and made available, we start to see more of the conversations that were taking place, rather than just one-sided views
With Radical Jack’s papers becoming a research resource, we get to see more of the interconnections of early C19th policy and politics and so deepen our understanding of the period.
