Previous Conservation Internships
Trinity College Dublin Library
Brannah MacKenzie 2010 - 2011
Brannah studied Conservation of Book and Library Materials at West Dean College, West Sussex, England. Following the completion of her MA in Conservation Studies in 2009 she went on to internships at the Leather Conservation Centre, Northampton and the British Library, London.
Brannah’s first project at Trinity College Library was a printed book entitled An Historical Account of the Campaign in the Netherlands in 1815 Under His Grace The Duke of Wellington and Marshal Prince Blucher Comprising the Battles of Ligny, Quatre Bras and Waterloo, written by William Mudford and printed in 1817. This required treatment of a fold out map. It was necessary to carry out a full treatment on the map including removing it from the binding, removal of the existing linings, washing, relining and repair before reinserting it back into the volume. The boards of the volume were also detached and required a leather reback.
A second project involved the repair and rebinding of the Index for the 1641 Depositions. The rebinding of this manuscript in quarter vellum with vellum tips presented a valuable opportunity to learn techniques employed in binding with vellum. Brannah also had the chance to assist in the preparation and display of a variety of objects for inclusion in exhibitions in the Long Room of the Old Library.
- Brannah MacKenzie working on the index of the 1641 Depositions.
Simona Cenci 2009 - 2010
After graduating in Classics in 2005 from the Università degli Studi di Perugia, Simona attended the two-year course in Book and Paper Conservation at the Scuola Europea di Conservazione e Restauro del Libro, Spoleto finishing in 2007. As part of the course she also completed an internship at the National Library of Scotland. Simona has also worked in Scotland as Project Conservator at Lothian Health Services Archive, preserving and re-housing 20th century case-notes and surveying the collection of books.
During her internship with Trinity College Library Simona worked on the treatment of XIX century adhesive bindings; the treatment and rebinding of two volumes of the 1641 Depositions; the set-up, support making, and preparation of books and manuscripts for two of the exhibitions in the Long Room; the treatment of two early Greek manuscripts; and the treatment of a parchment document. During the year she also had the opportunity to improve her knowledge of many aspects of conservation. She attended in-house seminars and workshops, such as the identification and storage of photographic materials, the stabilisation of iron gall ink manuscripts, Japanese lining techniques, and joint tacketing.
This experience provided an excellent opportunity for her professional
development, giving her a chance to join a team of experienced conservators and to improve her knowledge and skills through contact with a variety of materials and new methodologies.
- Simona Cenci working on the conservation of a volume of the 1642 Depositions.
- A volume from the 1642 Depositions, before and after conservation.
Catt Baum 2008 - 2009
Catt spent one year with staff in the Conservation Department of Trinity College Library working specifically on parchment projects. She graduated with distinction in 2007 from the Masters programme in Book Conservation at Camberwell College of Arts, London and has worked at the Wellcome Library, the British Library and the Victoria & Albert Museum among others.
Catt’s first project was the conservation and re-housing of a collection of parchment deeds, some with wax seals, dated from the 14th to 17th centuries. The re-housing solutions were devised by Matthew Hatton and Katerina Laina for another collection of deeds. Traditional techniques of parchment repair were learned under the guidance of Ray Jordan and Matthew.
Following on from this project, Catt worked with Andrew Megaw, conserving two 16th century vellum-bound volumes. The two books shared common features of the bindings as well as common problems. In-situ repairs were carried out to the sewing and endbands, the books were re-backed using new parchment, and dyed to blend in with the primary covering material. The aims of restoring the books’ functionality while preserving the historical structures, materials and evidence of earlier bindings, were achieved with great success.
Catt also worked on Manuscript 55, one of the treasures of the Trinity Collections, she also bound one of the volumes of the conserved 1641 Depositions. Trinity’s reputation for their parchment conservation work is internationally renowned and Catt felt privileged to have the opportunity to learn about this difficult material.
- Catt Baum at Trinity College Library, Dublin.