The Bodleian Library: Chris Clarkson and the Making of a Conservation Department

Abstract

ABSTRACT Christopher Clarkson was appointed Conservation Officer at the Bodleian Library, University of Oxford in 1979 just months after its Conservation section was created. He remained in this post for eight years, but his close relationship with the Bodleian was to continue throughout the rest of his life. It is impossible to overestimate Chris’s impact on the present-day Conservation and Collection Care section (C&CC) at the Bodleian, nor his influence on its individual members. This paper gives a preliminary overview of the innovations and achievements from his work at the Bodleian and tries to convey their legacy in our conservation work today.