A note from Staffordshire Archives…

The Trustees of the William Salt Library have agreed to close access temporarily to the Library’s collection from 1 December 2021. This is to enable preparatory work for the move of the collection from the Library building in early 2022. Due to the nature of the listed building the removal process will take several weeks.

Staff and volunteers will be cleaning and packaging the collection prior to transfer to crates for removal. Where items are in a poor state of repair basic conservation work will be completed. This work is essential to ensure nothing is lost during the move and to limit transfer of dirt or pests into the new strongrooms at the Staffordshire History Centre.

Limited remote access to the collection will be introduced once the Archives and Heritage Service has moved to a temporary base. This is anticipated to be in place by late Spring. From Spring 2022 a remote service will be provided including copying/digital images from collections, answering enquiries about the collection and a limited research service.

The temporary closure is planned to last for 12-18 months dependent on the construction programme.

If you are interested in volunteering to help prepare the collection for the big move please contact Staffordshire Record Office: staffordshire.record.office@staffordshire.gov.uk

For further updates please visit the Planning a Visit to the William Salt Library page on our website. Further updates will also be available on our Staffordshire History Centre page, via this newsletter and through our social media channels.