Old Library awarded Designated Status

The Old Library of St John's College has been awarded Designated Status by the Museums Libraries and Archives Council. The Designation scheme has for some years been open to non-national Museums in England, but in 2005, for the first time, libraries and archives have been eligible to apply. Collections in just twenty-eight libraries and archives have been awarded Designated status.  The only other Designation in Oxford and Cambridge in this round has gone to the Churchill Archives Centre.

Recognising that organisations with such collections care for a significant part of England's cultural heritage, the Designation scheme sets out to identify and celebrate the pre-eminent collections of national and international importance held in England's non-national museums, libraries and archives.  Applicant institutions have to demonstrate that they maintain their collections in appropriate conditions, and, crucially, that they make every reasonable effort to enhance access, so that people from all sectors of the community can use, and benefit from, the Designated collections.  These aspirations exactly coincide with the College Library's strategic aims, and we are delighted and proud that our efforts have been recognised in this way.