28 October 2005
Issued by Museums, Libraries and Archives Council

Outstanding library and archive collections receive national recognition
The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) today announced a list of 38 collections in libraries and archives across England that have been recognised as having outstanding national and international importance under the Designation scheme. Celebrating and safeguarding the nation’s heritage held in libraries and archives, the new status will enable the 28 libraries and archives to raise the profile of the collections and attract more visitors.

The list includes an impressive variety of library and archive collections, ranging from religious and higher education library collections to business and company archives. Some highlights include:

• Archives relating to Cornwall’s hard-rock mining industry in Cornwall Record Office - A comprehensive overview from the sixteenth century to the present day of an industrial activity that not only transformed Cornwall’s economy and environment, but had a significant impact on modern industrial society as a whole.
• All holdings in the Britten-Pears library, one of the UK’s most important music archives and facilities for music research. The continually growing collection of books, manuscripts, recordings and printed music was originally assembled by the composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) and the tenor Peter Pears (1910- 1986). The library hosts organised educational visits, holds exhibitions and is visited by research scholars.
• The unrivalled Birmingham Collection, charting every aspect of Birmingham’s history, at the Birmingham Central library, as well as photographic, archive, literature, music and printing collections. The library is recognised as being unique among UK public libraries for the depth and range of its collections and it hosts a wide range of events, activities and outreach programmes.
• The Archive of the United Africa Company held by Unilever Archive and Records Management in the North West. This business archive containing papers dating from the late eighteenth century to the colonial period of African history and its aftermath, is the largest of its kind and is of international importance to historians of African, imperial and business history.
• All collections held in the British Library of political and economic science at the London School of Economics and Political Science. The library is considered to be the most significant centre for social scientists in the UK due to its vast collection of both primary archive resources and secondary resources including research monographs and serial titles. Its historical collection of pamphlets in all European languages is unrivalled; many items are rare and not duplicated in any other library.

MLA Chairman, Mark Wood welcomed the newly announced list saying: “These 38 collections are among those in England that stand out from the crowd and it’s extremely satisfying to be able to raise their profile through the Designation scheme. As well as raising public awareness of the collection, Designation confers a status which has often enabled libraries, archives and museums to strengthen their ability to raise additional funds.”

He continues: “There are many other collections which would be worthy of Designated status and we are setting up a rolling programme to accommodate future applications.”

Applications may be submitted at any time and they will be scheduled into the next available panel agenda. The application guidance notes are currently being updated to explain how this process will operate and will be published on the MLA website shortly.

Press contact

For further information please contact Gemma Crisp/ Clare Waller at Kinross and Render PR mla@kinrossrender.com, 020 7592 3100

Notes to Editors

MLA
MLA is the national development agency for museums, libraries and archives, advising the government on policy and priorities for the sector. MLA's roles are to provide strategic leadership, to act as a powerful advocate, to develop capacity and to promote innovation and change. www.mla.gov.uk

Designation
The Designation Scheme aims to identify and celebrate the best museum, library and archive collections in England; those that are deemed to be of outstanding national and international importance. The Scheme recognises that organisations with Designated collections care for a significant part of England's cultural heritage. It was launched in 1997 for museums only, with two further rounds in 1998 and 1999, and extended to libraries and archives in 2005. The Scheme now covers over 100 collections held in museums, libraries and archives. It is managed by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.

Designation 2005
Summary of Awards

38 Designated collections covering 28 institutions in the following regions:

East Midlands

• The Lincoln Episcopal Rolls and Registers - Lincolnshire Archives
• The Portland (London), Portland of Welbeck and Newcastle of Clumber family, estate, political and literary papers, 12th – 20th centuries - University of Nottingham

East of England

• All holdings in the Britten-Pears Library - The Britten-Pears Foundation
• The papers of leading politicians, diplomats, civil servants, military commanders and scientists of the ‘Churchill Era’ and beyond - Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge
• All collections relating to the history of Norfolk from the eleventh century to the present day - Norfolk Record Office
• The Old Library Collection which covers the books, manuscripts, personal papers, photographs and artifacts - St John's College, Cambridge

London

• All collections held in the British Library of Political and Economic Science - London School of Economics and Political Science
• The History of London Collection held at the Guildhall Library and the London Metropolitan Archives, which trace the history of the City of London and Greater London - Corporation of London
• All collections which includes the manuscripts and printed books of the archiepiscopal collections and the record office for the archives of the Archbishopric of Canterbury - Lambeth Palace Library
• The Special Collections and Archives of the Royal Academy of Music Library which contain early printed and manuscript music and books dating from the sixteenth century to the present day - Royal Academy of Music
• All geographical collections which includes cartographic material, the picture library, the library material, the archives and artifacts - Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers
• The British Architecture Library - Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA)
• All records relating to the operation, policy, development and social impact of the British Post Office from 1636 to the present day - The Royal Mail Archive
• All collections within the Wellcome Library relating to the study of the history of medicine and associated subjects – The Wellcome Trust
• The Art and Design collection held at Westminster Reference Library and Westminster Archives - Westminster Libraries and Archives

North East

• The Bishop Cosin’s Library; The Sudan Archive - Durham University Library

North West

• The Special Collections; The Manchester Medical Society Library - University of Manchester, John Rylands University Library
• Archive of the United Africa Company - Unilever Archives & Records Management (Unilever plc)

South East

• The Beckett Collection, which is part of the University Library’s special collections - Reading University Library
• The Mass-Observation Archive that provides a written record of everyday life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries - University of Sussex Library

South West

• All collections relating to the history and development of Bath as a World Heritage City - Bath Record Office
• All collections relating to the history and development of the city of Bristol - Bristol City Council (Bristol City Record Office & Bristol Central Library’s Local Studies Service)
• The archives relating to Cornwall's hard rock mining industry - Cornwall Record Office

West Midlands

• The Photography Collections; The Archives; The Early and Fine Printing Collections; The Literature Collections; The Music Collection; The Birmingham Collection - Birmingham Central Library
• All collections relating to Shakespeare’s life and times and the performance and study of his works, from the sixteenth century to the present day - Shakespeare Birthplace Trust & Royal Shakespeare Company
• The Mingana Collection of Middle Eastern Manuscripts, which is part of the University’s special collections - University of Birmingham

Yorkshire

• The English Literature Collection; The Romany Collection; The Cookery Collection; The Leeds Russian Archive; The Liddle Collection - Leeds University Library, Special Collections