News

Designation Status for Lambeth Palace Library

The entire collections held in Lambeth Palace Library have been awarded Designated status under the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council’s Designation Scheme. The scheme aims to identify and celebrate the pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in England’s non-national museums, libraries and archives. The scheme was launched in 1997 for museums only, and extended to libraries and archives in 2005: 38 collections in 28 libraries and archives have been designated.

Mark Wood, Chair of MLA, which manages the Designation Scheme, said: “It’s not just national institutions which hold our greatest treasures. Some of the nation’s most important collections are in regional and independent museums, libraries and archives across the country. Under this important scheme, those collections are ‘Designated’ as being of outstanding national and international importance. One of them is right here in Lambeth Palace Library. I hope that people will seize the opportunity to see this unique treasure right on their doorsteps.”

Dr. Richard Palmer, Librarian and Archivist, was delighted at the news. He said: "Designated Status recognizes the outstanding importance of the heritage held in Lambeth Palace Library. Founded in 1610, the Library holds the archives and collections of manuscripts and printed books of successive Archbishops of Canterbury, including major national treasures such as the Lambeth Bible and the Lambeth Apocalypse. It is the leading resource for research into the history of the Church of England. The award recognizes not only the Library’s collections but also its service to the public. It also imposes an obligation on us to make the collections more widely available, not just to the research community, but also to the public. The staff are working to achieve this and look forward to raising the profile of the Library and of the Church of England’s documentary heritage in its care.”