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Lambeth Palace Library Appeal

Open the Electronic Gateway to Lambeth Palace Library ... 
The Trustees of Lambeth Palace Library, chaired by the Archbishop of Canterbury, are appealing for funds to open up the Library's priceless heritage of archives and manuscripts for world-wide public use. 
 
View of Library entrance
 Founded in 1610, Lambeth Palace Library is the historic library of the Archbishops of Canterbury and the principal record office of the Church of England. Its collections, dating from the 9th century to the present, document the Church and almost every area of life, including art and architecture, politics, society, colonial and Commonwealth history, local history and genealogy. Millions of handwritten documents and pages preserve unique and precious records of our past. 

Unlocking the information 
For centuries the Library has striven to make this heritage available through catalogues and indexes. Some of these finding aids are published, but most are only available to visitors in the reading room. Now we aim to offer this information to everyone, worldwide, via the Internet.

Converting these catalogues to electronic format will bring major benefits: 

  • The data may be searched comprehensively for the first time, and in many additional ways, e.g. by names of individuals, places, dates, key words and subjects. Knowledge of our past will be enriched as unexplored data is opened up. 
  • A single search will reveal all relevant data, removing the need to search dozens of separate finding aids. 
  • Users may access the data from any part of the world. Increasingly digitised images of documents will be made available online. The Library's documentary heritage will be open to a mass audience for the first time. 
Spreading the word 
The Library's websites are receiving millions of hits each year, revealing a huge demand for access to the collections. The catalogue of printed books is already available online. Now we need to add the finding aids for archives and manuscripts. In preparation the Library has acquired CALM software, a widely-used archives management system. Pilot projects have been successfully completed showing how the conversion of finding aids to electronic format may best be achieved, and the likely cost. Some of the results are accessible via the Access to Archives website.  

We can now build on these foundations. 
Indenture of 1197 transferring the manor of Lambeth to the Archbishop of Canterbury: Lambeth Palace Library ref. CM XI/17
Programme and costs 
The total cost of conversion to electronic form is estimated to be £357,000. The work is planned in three phases: 
 
Letter of Elizabeth I to Archbishop Whitgift: Lambeth Palace Library ref. MS 2009 f. 141 Phase 1, 2005-2006. Archives of the Archbishops of Canterbury
Correspondence and papers of the Archbishops, from the Middle Ages to the present, reflecting their leading role in the Church and public life. 
Existing catalogues total 9,993 pages 

Phase 2, 2006-2007. Heritage Collections of the Archbishops 
The Archbishops have collected a rich and diverse heritage, including more than 600 medieval manuscripts, family archives from the Tudor and Stuart periods, correspondence and papers of church leaders, statesmen, politicians, diplomats, lawyers, kings and queens, historians, antiquaries, architects and surveyors, and records of church societies. This diverse material ranges from records of Queen Anne's Commission for Building Fifty New Churches to the medical reports on the madness of George III and the diaries of W.E. Gladstone. The collections extend beyond British history, including important records relating to Colonial America. 
Existing catalogues total 12,237 pages 

Phase 3, 2007-2010. Church and people 
Archives concerning the clergy and the interaction of Church and people through the centuries. Included is the archive of the Court of Arches - the court of appeal for the Province of Canterbury - one of the foremost sources for marriage, divorce and the social history of England and Wales from the 17th century onwards. 
Existing catalogues total 19,138 pages 

The programme will be carried out through a combination of external rekeying of data and in-house work by archivists and support staff. The catalogue for public use via our website was launched in 2006. We aim to convert all the Library's finding aids by 2010, the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Library

Appealing for support 
Lambeth Palace Library cannot hope to carry out this project without public support. Please help the Library to develop as a centre for research, equipped to continue its historic public service into its fifth century. 

Contributions to the Trustees' Appeal (payable to Lambeth Palace Library) may be sent to the Librarian, Lambeth Palace Library, London SE1 7JU. 
Arms of the Archbishop of Canterbury
 Trustees of Lambeth Palace Library 
His Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury (Chairman) 
Professor J.P. Barron, MA, DPhil, FSA, FKC 
Mr. Mossman Roueché, AB, MA 
Mr. Peter M. Wright, MA 

charity registration no. 1083137 

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