CERL Annual Seminar 2026

Exploring the materiality of historic library collections

Organized by: CERL

Speaker(s): Amelie Roper,Ann-Marie Carey,Ann-Marie Hansen,Ben Outhwaite,Caroline Archer-Parré,Daryl Green,Eliana Dal Sasso,Jennie Fletcher,Katharina Kaska,Laura Shanahan,Marcos Martinón-Torres,Mark Box,Nikolaus Weichselbaumer,Paula Ricciardi,Suzanne Paul

CERL Annual Seminar 2026

The central theme of the 2026 CERL Annual Seminar is materiality, incorporating presentations and discussions on approaches to examining, interpreting, and preserving historic library collections. The talks will showcase advances in heritage science, ethical sampling, AI in cultural heritage, and interdisciplinary collaborations in collections research, while offering insights into the remarkable holdings of libraries across Europe.

The seminar is being hosted in partnership with the Cambridge University Library Research Institute and will be held in the historic Old Library of Pembroke College, Cambridge (CB2 1RJ).

Coffee and refreshments will be provided. Attendees should make their own arrangements for lunch. Numerous cafes and restaurants are within walking distance of the venue.

You are warmly invited to attend the CERL AGM held on the following day (29 October), and we expect to arrange opportunities for visiting and networking in and around other Cambridge libraries, on Friday 30 October. For those able to stay a little longer, special arrangements will be put in place to facilitate research access for attendees to items in the University Library collections.

Registration

This is a free event. To register for the Seminar, the AGM (or both), or to request resear

Programme

– 9:45: Registration with coffee
– 10:15: Welcome by Dr Claudia Fabian, CERL Chair and Dr Mark Purcell, Cambridge University Library

10:30 – Panel 1 – Print Culture

Moderator: Dr Alessandro Bianchi, Head of World Collections, University of Cambridge Libraries and Archives

  • Ben Outhwaite, “Most of my time in Cairo was spent in getting rid of these parvenus”: the printed fragments of the Genizah’
  • Caroline Archer-Parré, Marcos Martinón-Torres, Ann-Marie Carey and Mark Box, “Small performances”: investigating the typographic punches of John Baskerville (1707-75) through heritage science and practice-based research
  • Nikolaus Weichselbaumer – automatic typeface recognition [title TBC]

– 12:00: Lunch

13:30: Panel 2 – Conservation

Moderator: Dr Kristine Rose-Beers, Head of Conservation and Heritage, University of Cambridge Libraries and Archives

  • Laura Shanahan, Book in hand: opportunities for exploring the materiality of our collections and their historic home during the Old Library Redevelopment Project at the Library of Trinity College Dublin.
  • Katharina Kaska, How (Not) to Annoy Librarians: Practical Lessons for Heritage Science Projects
  • Eliana Dal Sasso, Reading Materiality: Scientific Investigation for Conservation at ICPAL
  • Dr Suzanne Paul and Dr Paola Ricciardi, Hidden in Plain Sight: Historical and Scientific Analysis of Premodern Sacred Books

– 15:30: Tea break

16:00: Panel 3 – Collections as data

Moderator: Steven Archer, Sub Librarian of Trinity College Library, Cambridge

  • Ann-Marie Hansen, Co3Dicology: Investigating the Codicology of Medieval Bookbindings through Digital Imaging
  • Dr Amelie Roper and Jennie Fletcher, Introducing the AI for Cultural Heritage Hub: towards responsible use of AI on cultural heritage collections
  • Daryl Green, A manuscript is a manuscript and is not a manuscript: the need to link multiple metadata modalities

– 17:30: Conclusion, followed by a drinks reception

Abstracts and speaker biographies

Caroline Archer-Parré, Marcos Martinón-Torres, Ann-Marie Carey and Mark Box, “Small performances”: investigating the typographic punches of John Baskerville (1707-75) through heritage science and practice-based research

  • Abstract:

    Bringing together archaeologists, printing historians, heritage scientists, craftspeople, and type designers, the “Small performances” project is reconstructing eighteenth-century punch-making using a combination of pioneering scientific and artisanal methods. At its heart is the exceptional collection of typographic punches designed, cut, and used at John Baskerville’s workshop in Birmingham, which are now held at Cambridge University Library.

    Members of the project team will share their reflections on working as an interdisciplinary team to analyse, digitise, and rehouse this incredible collection to make a substantial contribution to the history of printing technology, whilst ensuring it is a living process that will continue into the future.

  • Biographies: Caroline Archer-Parré is Professor of Typography and Co-director of the Centre for Printing History & Culture at Birmingham City University / University of Birmingham, and Chair of the Baskerville Society and Print Networks. She is also a serving member of the Virtual Museum of Printing and the Printing Historical Society. With an interest in typographic history from the eighteenth to twentieth centuries, Caroline has published widely. Marcos Martinón-Torres is the Pitt-Rivers Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Cambridge, where he also co-leads the Cambridge Heritage Science Hub (CHERISH). His core interests centre around material culture and technologies, the context of innovations, and knowledge transmission. Ann-Marie Carey is Associate Professor in the School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University. The duality of craftsmanship and technology is a constant thread in Ann-Marie’s research and brings a subject-specific perspective to the examination and interpretation of artefacts and their production. Mark Box is a skilled Cultural Heritage Photographer with thirteen years’ experience in capturing historical artifacts and collections. Based at Cambridge University Library as Chief Digitisation Technician, Mark is an integral member of the Cultural Heritage Imaging Laboratory (CHIL).

Eliana Dal Sasso, Reading Materiality: Scientific Investigation for Conservation at ICPAL

  • Abstract: Materiality lies at the heart of scientific investigation in libraries and archives, where analytical techniques provide unique insights into the manufacture, history and preservation of books and manuscripts. This presentation will explore how the Istituto Centrale per la Patologia degli Archivi e del Libro (ICPAL) investigates library and archival heritage through the characterisation of constituent materials, the assessment of biological deterioration, environmental monitoring, and the evaluation of innovative conservation materials and treatments. Particular attention will be devoted to the ethical balance between knowledge acquisition and the preservation of the objects themselves. Drawing on recent ICPAL projects, the paper will discuss the advantages and limitations of invasive, micro-invasive and non-invasive analytical techniques, highlighting the Institute’s preference for micro-invasive and non-invasive approaches whenever they can provide reliable answers to research and conservation questions.Finally, the presentation will consider how complex scientific evidence can be translated into meaningful information for librarians, archivists and curators, supporting informed conservation and collection management. Recent case studies, including the Borso d’Este Bible and the Constitution of the Italian Republic, will illustrate how material analysis and environmental monitoring contribute to the long-term preservation of documentary heritage.

  • Biography: Eliana Dal Sasso is a book and paper conservator at the Istituto Centrale per la Patologia degli Archivi e del Libro (ICPAL) in Rome, working for the Italian Ministry of Culture. She earned her PhD in 2024 with a dissertation on Coptic bookbinding. She has previously contributed to CERL initiatives and is a member of the CERL Bookbindings Working Group.

Daryl Green, A manuscript is a manuscript and is not a manuscript: the need to link multiple metadata modalities

  • Abstract: This presentation will explore the emerging concerns and potential solutions for capturing the multitude of ways that professionals, academics and the public describe manuscripts, and the need to make all of that information available to all of our users.

  • Biography: Daryl Green is chair of the CERL Manuscripts Working Group and Associate Director of Heritage Collections at the University of Edinburgh.

Ann-Marie Hansen, Co3Dicology: Investigating the Codicology of Medieval Bookbindings through Digital Imaging

  • Abstract:

    Over the past 25 years, renewed interest in studying bindings has emerged, particularly in the context of medieval manuscripts (Lanoë, 2008), however binding structures tend to remain overshadowed by the written content they protect. When bindings were considered, previous research primarily focused on book decoration, but it is crucial to note that the majority of early medieval bindings were not decorated. This has led to a limited overview of binding production in France, which is often restricted to the most ornate volumes.

    Co3Dicology aims to address the gaps in our understanding of medieval bookbinding structures, not limited to their decorative aspects but extending to their materiality and manufacture. These gaps stem from the impracticality until now of observing three-dimensional details hidden beneath book covers without invasive or even destructive interventions. This will be addressed by rendering structural information visible in digital visualisations, alongside accurate recording of material and structural details.

    To this end, the Co3Dicology project has developed a robust methodology integrating non-invasive digital tools that enable one to scrutinise and analyse structural components of the book concealed to the naked eye. This in turn enables study of manuscripts as objects, examining their materiality and three-dimensional structures with the aim of fostering a richer understanding of the historical complexity of medieval bookbinding craftsmanship.

    Using state-of-the-art imaging technology that combines 2D photography with photogrammetry and a simplified reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) protocol, this project seeks to establish best practices for 3D digitisation, for the benefit of both specialists and institutions holding manuscripts.

  • Biography: Dr Ann-Marie Hansen is ingénieure de recherche for the Co3Dicology project, a collaboration between the Université de Paris 1 – Panthéon Sorbonne and the Institut de recherche et de l’histoire des textes (IRHT-CNRS).

Katharine Kaska, How (Not) to Annoy Librarians: Practical Lessons for Heritage

  • Abstract: Based on practical experience at the Austrian National Library, this presentation discusses key factors for successful cooperation in heritage science projects. It highlights essential aspects from adequate research questions to the choice of analytical methods and objects. Particular attention is given to logistical challenges such as object handling and room requirements that are often neglected during the preparatory phase. Finally, it addresses the ethical implications of (minimally) invasive techniques and the tension between scientific investigations and long-term preservation of cultural heritage.

  • Biography: Katharina Kaska is the director of the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books at the Austrian National Library. Her research interests are palaeography, library history and interdisciplinary manuscript research.

Ben Outhwaite, “Most of my time in Cairo was spent in getting rid of these parvenus”: the printed fragments of the Genizah’

  • Abstract: When Solomon Schechter made his historic visit to Egypt in 1897 to explore the Ben Ezra Synagogue’s ‘sacred storeroom’, he transformed the study of Hebrew manuscripts. The resulting Taylor-Schechter Collection at Cambridge contains roughly 197,000 items and continues to generate immense scholarly excitement today. Yet Schechter himself would have preferred to bring back far less. He spent no small amount of time in Cairo attempting to separate the medieval riches from the printed ‘parvenus’ that ‘proved a source of great trouble’.

    Time was against him, however. Schechter ultimately shipped sacks of unsorted material back to England—accidentally preserving thousands of pages of printed books, including unicums, rare incunables, and previously unknown editions in various Jewish languages spanning Europe and the Ottoman Mediterranean. This talk focuses on these dismissed printed fragments, their printers, and why the Genizah serves as such a surprisingly rich resource for print history. Like Schechter, Ben has spent much of his career forced to ‘confine [his] likings to the manuscripts’—making this exploration of the Genizah’s printed treasures a voyage of discovery for us all.

  • Biography: Ben Outhwaite has been Head of the Genizah Research Unit in Cambridge University Library since 2006 and runs a research team dedicated to the world’s largest and most important single collection of medieval Jewish manuscripts, the Taylor-Schechter Cairo Genizah Collection. Ben has been PI of numerous research projects, and his research interests revolve around the intersection of language and history, especially the use and transmission of Hebrew in the Middle Ages.

Dr Suzanne Paul and Dr Paola Ricciardi, Hidden in Plain Sight: Historical and Scientific Analysis of Premodern Sacred Books

  • Abstract: Hidden in Plain Sight is an innovative 3-year research project funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), which has assembled a cross-disciplinary team with multiple specialisms to conduct historical and scientific analysis of premodern sacred books and objects. As the project comes to an end, the two Co-Investigators, Suzanne Paul and Paola Ricciardi, will share reflections on the various modes of working employed by the project including embedding heritage science research in the library, working with external experts, supporting technical staff to develop research expertise, and sharing knowledge and skills with a variety of cultural heritage professionals both nationally and internationally.
  • Biographies: Dr Paola Ricciardi is a research, impact and partnerships professional, with 18 years’ experience spanning academia and the heritage sector, including roles at the Fitzwilliam Museum (Cambridge), the Natural History Museum (London), the National Gallery of Art (Washington DC), Independent Research Organisation Consortium (IROC) and the Royal Society. She trained as a heritage scientist in Italy and worked in France and the US before moving to the UK in 2011 to set up an analytical lab for the Fitzwilliam Museum. Her research has focused on the use of non-invasive imaging and spectroscopic techniques to investigate works of art, library materials, and archaeological objects. She has a particular interest in the materiality of books and manuscripts and in the pigments and paint binders used by medieval and early modern artists. She also has a focused interest in broader research topics, including research management and research culture, leadership in research, as well as curriculum-led school engagement.Dr Suzanne Paul is Keeper of Rare Books and Early Manuscripts at the University of Cambridge Libraries and Archives. A medieval manuscript scholar by training, she is particularly interested in the application of digital and scientific approaches to the study and curation of manuscripts and realising the benefits of multidisciplinary collaboration. She has led several large-scale digitisation, conservation and cataloguing projects and international collaborations.

Dr Amelie Roper and Jennie Fletcher, Introducing the AI for Cultural Heritage Hub: towards responsible use of AI on cultural heritage collections

  • Abstract: This presentation introduces the AI for Cultural Heritage Hub (ArCH), a proof-of-concept project drawing on the University of Cambridge’s rich library, archive and museum holdings. The project has created a prototype workspace (“the hub”) that enables cultural heritage professionals and academics working with collections to analyse cultural heritage data securely using AI tools. The presentation will describe the project’s methodology, demonstrate the Hub’s functionality, and outline the collections-based case studies that informed its development, and offer some reflections on the responsible use of AI on cultural heritage collections.

  • Biographies: Dr Amelie Roper is Head of Research at the University of Cambridge Libraries and Archives (CULA), where she manages the University Library Research Institute, a centre for collections-led research. She is a Co-Lead on the AI for Cultural Heritage Hub project (ArCH) and supports the delivery of CULA’s research grants portfolio. She completed a PhD in book history at the University of St Andrews, focussing on the culture of music printing in 16th-century Augsburg.

    Jennie Fletcher is Lead Software Developer at University of Cambridge Libraries and Archives, leading a small development team that supports library services and digital humanities research. She has led the development of the Cambridge Digital Library and the AI for Cultural Heritage Hub (ArCH), with a focus on applying innovative technologies to enhance access to and discovery of cultural heritage collections.

Laura Shanahan, Book in hand: opportunities for exploring the materiality of our collections and their historic home during the Old Library Redevelopment Project at the Library of Trinity College Dublin.

  • Abstract: In late 2027, the Old Library at Trinity College Dublin will to close for a three year period for a once in a century major redevelopment. For this work to be completed, all of the Library’s collections of objects, artworks, books, pamphlets, manuscripts and maps will be moved out of the building. In the process of handling and assessing every single item, the Library has an unprecedented opportunity to look at the materiality of our collections, and the building that houses them, in a different way. The adjacent Virtual Trinity Library programme to work strategically with key collections in conservation, cataloguing, digitisation and research is the mechanism by which the Library is introducing new approaches to analysing and documenting these collections.

  • Biography: Laura Shanahan is a professional Librarian with over twenty years’ experience in University and research libraries, and a Board Member of the Consortium of European Research Libraries (CERL). Laura joined Trinity College Dublin in 2018, leading the curatorial and service teams who manage the manuscript, archival, special and early printed collections of the Library. Current strategic priorities include delivery of a portfolio of projects under the Virtual Trinity Library programme, and assisting in the preparations for the redevelopment of the Old Library building in the Exhibition Design working group and as lead for the Library Operations group.

    Laura is involved in widening access to the Library’s collections through supporting the Educational Outreach and Civic Engagement programme, and was recently credited as an Associate Producer for the Library’s three-part documentary series, Trinity’s Treasures, which aired on Ireland’s national broadcast station, RTÉ, in Summer 2026. Prior to her work in Trinity, Laura delivered on a variety of capital, digital and service improvement projects, whilst leading a large team working in the field of contemporary digital and print research collections at the University of Edinburgh Library.

Nikolaus Weichselbaumer, Sorting Sorts: Automated Typeface Analysis and OCR for Early Printed Books.

  • Abstract: In recent years, the application of artificial intelligence has opened up entirely new possibilities for special collections and book history. In this paper, I will report on a series of DFG-funded research projects conducted in collaboration with the Pattern Recognition Lab at FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, demonstrating how AI can help us achieve better analytical results for early printed books.

    Our earlier work focused on font group recognition, successfully using machine learning to automatically classify broad historical font families (such as Fraktur, Textura, or Antiqua) across large digitized corpora. While this macroscopic approach is highly useful for improving general OCR results, our current project, Werck der Bücher, goes significantly deeper. We are now utilizing AI to investigate individual incunabula typefaces, analyzing minute variances in printed glyphs to distinguish artifacts of the printing process from actual variations in early typecasting.

    By automating the extraction and comparison of hundreds of thousands of individual characters, this technology points towards a highly promising future: it could eventually pave the way for a comprehensive Typenrepertorium for the sixteenth century, as we would no longer be solely reliant on the bottleneck of manual identification. At the same time, this approach introduces a new set of methodological questions. As we integrate deep learning into bibliographic analysis, ensuring that the machine’s classifications remain transparent, understandable, and verifiable by human experts remains one of our central challenges.

  • Biography: Dr. Nikolaus Weichselbaumer is Head of the Department of Manuscripts and Rare Books at the Berlin State Library (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin). He previously served as a junior professor for book studies at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. His research centers on historical typography, incunabula, paleography and the application of digital methods and machine learning to the history of the early book, regularly collaborating with partners in computer science.

Related resources

CERL Newsletter 48

Cerl Newsletter 48 – June 2026

EVENT INFORMATION

Cambridge University Library, the Old Library, Pembroke College

  • Location: Cambridge - United Kingdom
  • Event date: October 28, 2026

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