Partnership deal to forge closer links between city libraries

CLOSER links are being built between two major libraries in York – including one collection that dates back more than 1,200 years.

A new agreement is due to be signed this week which will involve a closer working relationship between York Minster’s historic library, which dates back to the early Middle Ages, and the book collections at York University.

The partnership agreement is aimed at streamlining arrangements between the two libraries. York University staff, including recently appointed librarian Sarah Griffin, will work at the collections housed at the cathedral’s Old Palace.

There will also a joint cataloguing and lending system for the library’s famous collection of books, periodicals, pamphlets, and music, and guaranteed free usage to all university students and staff. While the partnership between the Old Palace and York University dates back to the 1960s, the new agreement provides a comprehensive framework for the future which is hoping to reflect the world-class nature of both institutions.

The Dean of York, Keith Jones, and York University’s director of information, Stephen Town, are due to sign the formal partnership agreement between the two organisations on Thursday at the Old Palace.

The cathedral’s library was formed after some of the leading scholars in the early Middle Ages started a chain of events that gave birth to the most important literary collection in Europe outside of Rome.

King Egbert became the Archbishop of York in 735 and had a dream of turning the city into a major centre for learning.

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