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New appointment to widen access to Church history and records

31 October 2005

Declan Kelly is to be the first Director of Libraries, Archives, and Information Services for the National Institutions of the Church of England.

The new role will co-ordinate the work of the teams who care for important historic material and current records - including the Lambeth Palace Library, the Church of England Record Centre and the Library of the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division - with the aim of integrating the Church's rich catalogue of records, archives and libraries into a more cohesive and user-friendly framework.

Declan brings a wealth of experience in managing on-demand archives and high volume online research facilities. Arriving fresh from a key role as Output Services Manager at the BBC’s Information and Archives Department, Declan’s experience offers the Church an opportunity to build on the work of a recent review of its documentary heritage. This review looked at the housing and conservation of material held by the National Institutions of the Church of England, focusing in particular on Lambeth Palace Library, the Church of England Record Centre and the Library of the Council for the Care of Churches and the Cathedrals Fabric Commission.

Declan is relishing the news of his appointment: “I am delighted to be heading up this exciting new programme of work for the national Church. Each of the libraries and collections has its own distinct personality and history, and it is important that we seek to retain their unique characters whilst building an efficient, world-class management system that helps as many people as possible benefit from these treasures”.

Originally trained as a librarian, Declan is treasurer of the Association of UK Media Librarians. He will begin his new role, based at Church House, Westminster, on 1 November.

The announcement of Declan’s appointment comes on the same day as news that the entire collection of the Lambeth Palace Library has been awarded a prestigious national accolade. The library has been granted ‘Designated’ status under a Museums, Libraries and Archives Council scheme which aims to identify and celebrate pre-eminent collections of international importance held in England’s non-national collections.

 

FACTFILE

Some of the nation’s gems in the Church’s care:

  • A large collection of early printed books bequeathed in 1610 by the Lambeth Palace Library's founder, Archbishop Bancroft - including books belonging to some of his predecessors, namely Archbishops Cranmer, Grindal and Whitgift
  • Medieval texts including the 12th century Lambeth Bible and the 13th century Lambeth Apocalypse, a manuscript of the Book of Revelation
  • The largest single collection of material dedicated to  church architecture, art and design in the UK - used extensively by John Betjeman when preparing his Collins Guide to English Churches. The Council for the Care of Churches and Cathedrals Fabric Commission Library contains 25,000 photographs of church buildings, 13,000 printed books and periodicals and files on almost all of the 16,000 parish churches in England and Wales
  • The archives of the National Society – the organisation which first established a national system of education, supplemented by the State from 1870 – which provide a fascinating history of state (and pre-state) education, including teacher training material from the 1800s
  • More than 15,000 files on church schools held in the Church of England Record Centre
  • Records of proceedings of every single debate of the General Synod and its predecessor, the Church Assembly, covering topics that chart the changing character and concerns of British society – from issues of international collective security between the wars, to the nation’s health in the 1940s, to tackling terrorism today.