NHSF Blog: Rethinking Hazards in Collections at the British Library
How is heritage science improving safety, access, and understanding in library and archive collections? This month's blog post dives into the British Library's 'Hazards in Collections' project.
In this month's blog post, Dr Margaret-Ashley Veall (Hazards in Collections project manager at the British Library) explores how heritage science can help to understand hazards within heritage collections and how to manage them.
Heritage organisations are incredibly diverse: in size, budget, collections, staffing and public audience. Yet across this variety, one shared reality is often overlooked: collections can contain hazards. The UK heritage sector has renewed its focus on hazardous materials in collections. Initiatives such as the Science Museum Group’s Empowering Safety: Hazardous Materials Awareness, Identification and Management and Museum Development South West’s Reducing the Risks: Hazards in Collections reflect this growing awareness.