St Mark’s College Library Sundowner was held on Friday 6 September in the Ian & Pamela Wall Academic Centre. A wonderful evening was enjoyed by over 25 students, staff, Old Collegians and friends of the Library as they came together to listen to Anthony Zammit deliver an enlightening talk on rare book restoration.
Guests enjoyed sampling delicious wines by John Duval Wines and canapés by Sodexo whilst admiring the various rare book displays prepared by the College Librarian, Pirjo Rayner. Our interim Head of College, Darren Pitt, conducted the proceedings and Tim Duval (alumnus 2001-03) provided the commentary.
Guest speaker, Anthony Zammit, a highly respected book and paper conservator and expert on rare book restoration, delivered an intriguing presentation titled “The book conservator’s point of view”. He spoke about paper conservation and his search for improved restoration techniques as well as his professional involvement as a conservation advisor and educator. He encouraged us to think about practical preventative strategies which we can take for preserving our papers, books and photographs. And finally, he reminded us that worth and value is not only measured in monetary terms, but also in terms of our emotional connection to specific materials, such as family ‘treasures’. His great passion for his profession shone through.
The library displays included the 10 rare books which had been wonderfully restored by Mr Anthony Zammit, due to the generosity of various donors who participated in our inaugural Adopt-a-Rare-Book Program (2017). Also, on display were another seven books chosen for future restoration (one was adopted on the night), as well as a selection of new books and recently donated materials.
Do you have a love of rare books and are interested in participating in our Adopt-a-Rare-Book Program? If so, click HERE.
Are you interested in learning more about book restoration? Click HERE to watch a video about Anthony Zammit’s wonderful work, produced by St Mark’s College talented student, Yardley Smeaton.
