The protection of the books is a high priority, and the use of boxes is an essential part of that. The bindings on many books were either very fragile, covered in fragile materials (such a fine textiles) or decorated with metalwork which is both a risk itself or a danger to the books on each side. The renovation of the interior of the library has given us the opportunity for a radical revision of the storage of the manuscripts, and in particular will allow us to store the books horizontally, as the Greek-style bindings found on so many of them require. Our new box design is therefore intended to accommodate horizontal storage, as well as the very dry conditions found in the monastery.
The work on the boxing programme has been carried out by Nicholas Pickwoad and Nicholas Hadgraft.
Final recommendations for the box design and the manuscripts to be boxed
An additional study for the objective spatial arrangement of the boxes in the new library has also been undertaken and it can be found here: Manuscript boxing: a technique for objective spatial arrangement.