Helen Shenton appointed Deputy Director of Harvard University Library

Helen Shenton, Head of Collection Care at the British Library, has
been appointed to the newly created post of Deputy Director of
Harvard University Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She begins
work at the end of March 2010.

Helen will play a significant role at a key moment in the history of
the development of the library and information provision of Harvard
University. She will contribute her expertise in leading new
initiatives and change management to strengthen and help transform
Harvard's great library system, comprised of 73 library units,
towards a system designed to meet the needs of the twenty-first
century.

Helen is a leading figure in her field in the UK, Europe and beyond.
She has been a member of numerous national and international groups,
such as IFLA (International Federation of Library Association)
Preservation and Conservation Committee, LIBER (Association of
European Research Libraries) Preservation Division, University
College London's Centre for Sustainable Heritage's Academic Advisory
Committee, Archbishop of Canterbury's Library Advisory Council and
the National Heritage Science Strategy Steering Group. She is a
founding Board member of the UK's Digital Preservation Coalition.

Since joining the British Library from the Victoria and Albert
Museum in 1998 and becoming its first Head of Collection Care in
2002, Helen has transformed the library's approach to collection
care into a world class operation, as uniquely evidenced by the
opening of the Centre for Conservation comprising state of the art
studios for the conservation of books and preservation of sound, and
an ambitious training and public outreach programme. Under her
leadership the British Library has conserved more than 1.3 million
items; increased access for readers by producing more than 152
million surrogacy frames and images; taken part in major projects
such as the virtual reunification of Codex Sinaiticus (the earliest
new testament in the world); secured a future for the National
Preservation Office as the Preservation Advisory Centre; contributed
thought leadership to the profession, for example, through the
development of life cycle collection management; and built digital
preservation expertise within the Library from 0 to 100 years'
collective experience over the past ten years.

In keeping with Helen's appetite for progress, she leaves the
British Library having put in place an ambitious programme to
address the key strategic challenges for the preservation and
conservation of its physical and digital collections for the next 10
years. The strategy combines the best of the known with the best of
the new and places the library on a sure-footing to face the seismic
changes of "Digital Britain", the increasingly important
environmental and energy issues and the current financial climate.

"I am so proud of what we've achieved at the British Library. It has
been a privilege to work with such phenomenal collections, to
grapple with such revolutionary developments in the library, media
and information world, and to work with such an interesting and
talented range of people" says Helen. She goes on to say "I am now
looking forward very much to the undoubtedly challenging and
exciting life ahead at Harvard". The new role embraces a range of
key services--from high density stores to archives and records
management, from information systems to preservation--whilst also
being deeply involved with the Taskforce set up by the Provost to
develop Harvard University Library.

Links:

    British Library Collection Care
    <URL:http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/stratpolprog/ccare/>

    BL Centre for Conservation
    <URL:http://www.bl.uk/conservation>

    PAC
    <URL:http://www.bl.uk/npo/index.html>

    Codex Sinaiticus
    <URL:http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/>

    Harvard Gazette article
    <URL:http://hul.harvard.edu/news/2009_1211.html>

    Harvard University Library Taskforce Report
    <URL:http://www.provost.harvard.edu/
        reports/Library_Task_Force_Report.pdf>


    **** Moderator's comments: The above URL has been wrapped for
    email. There should be no newline.

Dr Barry Knight
Head of Conservation Research
The British Library
96 Euston Road
London NW1 2DB
+44 20 7412 7229
Fax: +44 20 7412 7658


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 23:33
                 Distributed: Wednesday, March 3, 2010
                       Message Id: cdl-23-33-001
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