History of Disaster in Libraries
CILIP Library & Information History Group Annual Conference 2026
Newnham College, Cambridge, Tuesday 8 December
Libraries have historically been destroyed, rebuilt, and recovered from disaster. Whether from flood, fire, theft, war, or individual bad actors, salvage has always formed a part of heritage and conservation, and libraries have regularly adapted to new sites and tasks in disastrous conditions. This conference will explore the history of catastrophic events and the libraries that survived them.
The Library & Information History Group invites potential speakers to submit an abstract (500 words or less) and short biography (100 words or less) by the closing date of Friday 31 July.
Suggested topics are:
- Case studies of historic disasters affecting libraries
- Historical accounts of disaster recovery and salvage operations
- Historical accounts of theft, forgery, or other malpractice
- Analyses of libraries operating in adverse circumstances
- Alternative uses of library spaces in historic disasters
Papers should be no longer than 20 minutes in length, and we ask potential speakers to be mindful of the historical angle of the conference. Therefore, we will not consider any paper for which the primary focus is later than the turn of the twenty-first century.
This is an in-person conference and will not be recorded, though a summary will follow in the Library & Information Group newsletter. Please submit all abstracts and any queries to Eve Lacey at eve.lacey@newn.cam.ac.uk
Contact Email
eve.lacey@newn.cam.ac.uk
URL
https://www.cilip.org.uk/members/group_content_view.asp?group=201304&id=698161
Attachments
Publishing in the Archives Profession 