aroline has been training conservators, volunteers and library and archive professionals since 1989. She became The Arts Society’s (formerly NADFAS) adviser and trainer in 1992 and in the same year became the National Trust’s adviser on libraries conservation, part of which is to deliver training to volunteers, property staff and conservators across the National Trust. Caroline also provides training for a range of other clients, including the British Library, where, since 2003, she has been delivering courses on subjects such as packing and moving collections, cleaning libraries and archives and recognising, identifying and understanding the causes of damage and how to address them, these courses now run by West Dean College.

She also provides an annual module at University College London (UCL) for the Collections Care students, covering packing and moving collections, book structure, handling and cleaning, as well as occasional teaching at West Dean College.

Types of training:

• Library & archive professionals

• • West Dean – courses at the British Library
  • West Dean College – occasional modules for students
  • UCL – module for Collection Care students

• Volunteers & private owners

• • The Arts Society (formerly NADFAS)
  • Historic House library owners and their staff

• National Trust collection staff and volunteers
• Institute of Conservation (ICON) – Conservators
• In-situ training :
  – Students
  – Conservators

I have been involved for the last sixteen years with volunteering in book conservation, with NADFAS, now The Arts Society. During that time I have been endlessly impressed by Caroline’s ability to demonstrate and explain sometimes quite complex procedures in the conservation of old and fragile books, and to keep the information fresh and interesting over our regular training sessions.
She handles adults of varying levels of skills with tact and enthusiasm and makes a training session into something to look forward to, knowing that we will learn more every time.
I know that we all feel inspired and enabled after one of her training days.

— Hilary Olleson, Head of Heritage Volunteers Team, The Arts Society

 

“Heritage conservation is an important part of The Arts Society’s activities and our Heritage Volunteers  undertake Book projects in the libraries of historic houses, cathedrals and other such sites around the UK where they carry out cleaning, basic repairs and cataloguing of the books.

Caroline has been the Book conservator in charge of all our Library projects for 30 years.  She carries out an initial survey of the books in each library to determine what treatment is needed, then trains all the volunteers before they start.  Annual refresher training is under Caroline’s wing and until recently she also trained new volunteers at our office in London to prepare them to join a project which was  already underway. 

We are extremely fortunate to benefit from Caroline’s expertise and commitment which ensures that the work is of the high standard needed in this specialist field.  Caroline also imparts her enthusiasm for these tasks which inspires and encourages our volunteers ensuring that The Arts Society continues to maintain the high standard of Heritage Volunteering that host organisations have come to expect.”

— Joanne Martin, Membership Manager, The Arts Society