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A last ditch attempt has been launched to stop Cardiff City Council from breaking up and selling off a national heritage collection of Cardiff Public Library’s rare books dating from the 15th century. Sales lists are now being drafted by the auctioneers Bonhams in London and the first sales will probably take place before the end of the year. A new action group, ‘Cardiff Heritage Friends’, which includes local Cardiff residents, academics, solicitors, historians and librarians, is calling for world-wide support from specialists in this field, demanding that the Council stop the sale of some of the greatest treasures in one of Wales’ great libraries. The group will also be seeking legal advice on the Council’s actions and exploring the case for stopping the sale. It is thought insufficient funding has been earmarked by the Council to complete the new public library building in Cardiff, and that a decision has been made to sell at auction their most important British and European historical research collections in order to plug the financial gap. There has been no consultation with local people, academics or other libraries, to discuss the wider value of the collection for Cardiff, Wales and beyond. It’s believed many new Councillors on the City Council are not aware that Cardiff’s heritage is being sold in their name! Academics at Cardiff University have estimated that they could recruit between 15 to 20 postgraduates per year to the city if they had access to the collections for teaching and research; this would bring in around £150,000 to £200,000 per year in student fees and related spending to the city – not to mention the spending by people coming to Cardiff to consult these rare collections. One Cardiff resident, Mr Siôn Tudur, said on behalf of the action group: “The idea of selling a heritage collection such as this is a national scandal, and brings shame to the City and its Councillors. In short, this is a classic example of cultural incompetence.” Dr E. Wyn James, Secretary of the Cardiff Welsh Bibliographical Society, added: “It is ironic that the City Council intends selling this collection of international significance now, in the year Cardiff had aspired to be the cultural capital of Europe! The Council appears to be ignorant of the cultural and heritage importance of this unique collection, and of its prestige and potential use. Selling the Public Library’s rare books would be a disaster to Cardiff and Wales comparable to the National Museum selling its French Impressionist art collection.” 1 September 2008
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The Council has decided not to invest the money required to maintain the collection and has worked with auctioneers to split the collection and sell most of the material. The Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University has formally confirmed that the University is willing to house the collection in suitable conditions and raise funds for cataloguing and maintenance of the books and manuscripts. The material would be fully available for the public, and displays and educational events would be organised, with no expense to the Council. Cardiff Heritage Friends hope that readers of all professions and backgrounds will contact public representatives to explain why they believe that this collection should remain intact and available to Cardiff’s people and visitors.
Cardiff Heritage Friends' Response to the "way ahead", October 2008 |
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Images on this site are from editions of a small selection of the books listed for sale at the Bonhams auction of Cardiff holdings in November 2008. They are not from the Cardiff copies, which are not available for public examination at present |
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The ‘Great Bible’: |
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Ptolemy’s Geographia (1552) |
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William Prisse : |
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Two seventeenth-century editions of Abraham Ortelius’s atlas are listed for auction. |
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Henry Stanley’s account of his travels: |
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Frederick Sander: Reichenbachia, Orchids (1888-94) |
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