The CILIP Rare Books & Special Collections Group 2021 annual study conference, “The appliance of science: what might developments in science and technology mean for Special Collections?” will take place online via Zoom on 7th and 8th September, with attendance free to all.

The conference will consider how developments in technology, and new techniques in heritage science and biomedical science, are adding to and changing our understanding of our collections. It will shed light on recent developments and will consider the implications for our collection knowledge, collection stewardship, and how we preserve and share these collections into the future. Confirmed speakers include Paola Ricciardi (Fitzwilliam Museum) and Lora Angelova (National Archives) on different analytical techniques and their applications; Kathryn Rudy (St Andrews University) and Eileen Tisdall (University of Stirling) on the possibilities of pollen analysis in recreating past journeys of books and manuscripts; and Martin Hamilton (independent writer, futurist, and innovation adviser) on Artificial Intelligence and special collections. Other topics include passive preservation, ethical sampling and destructive testing, and ink analysis in forgery detection.

The full programme and registration are available at https://whova.com/web/crsc_202109/