The Rylands Heritage Imaging Lab
18 Mar 2025
The Rylands Heritage Imaging Lab is now up and running, including a collaboration with the Factum Foundation.
A key objective of the Rylands Next Chapter project was to create a dedicated, purpose-built space for the Imaging Team to continue their sector-leading work. While the previous studio had served as a photographic space for many years, advancements in imaging technology and a greater understanding of collection care made it increasingly unsuitable. Challenges such as difficult access conditions, the transportation of sensitive or heavy collection items, and fluctuating environmental controls highlighted the need for a more appropriate solution.
Over the years, several alternative locations were considered, including the Dante Room, now used for storage, and the cellars, the typical dwellings of imaging units globally. However, the French Revolution Room, part of the 1960s extension, had long been seen as an ideal option. Previously home to a substantial collection of newspapers, proclamations, periodicals, and books from the time of the French Revolution, this space has now been transformed into a state-of-the-art Imaging Lab.
This new facility offers significant advantages. Most notably, it brings the entire Imaging Team together in a dedicated workspace, designed to meet the highest standards of collection care. Full climate control ensures that environmental conditions are consistent with those in secure storage, reducing the risk of stress to fragile items. A new doorway and ramp have been installed, improving access to the large lift and storage areas and simplifying the movement of collection materials. The space is also fully modular, allowing for flexibility in accommodating larger objects and facilitating collaborative projects with researchers and other teams. The lab is now equipped with an 86” display with conferencing capabilities, further enhancing opportunities for engagement and knowledge-sharing, including research seminars, workshops, and training sessions, both in-person and online.
The new space has also made it possible to install a brand-new Selene Photometric Stereo System. Developed by Factum Foundation in collaboration with the Bodleian Library and The Helen Hamlyn Trust, this advanced technology enables the Team to capture and measure surface textures with an unprecedented level of detail. Designed specifically for non-contact, ultra-high-resolution 3D and colour recording, the system is particularly suited for flat or semi-flat items such as paintings, manuscripts, prints, book bindings, copperplates, and palm leaf manuscripts. By integrating non-contact 3D imaging, depth mapping, and high-precision colour recording, it allows for the capture of details that would otherwise be invisible to the human eye.
With this acquisition, the Rylands becomes only the third institution in the UK, alongside the Bodleian and the British Museum, to install the Selene system. The Imaging Team also joins the ‘Selene Circle’ research group, an international collaboration that includes institutions such as Princeton University and the Instituto Valencia de Don Juan in Madrid.
The benefits of the new Lab are already being realised, positioning the Imaging Team at the forefront of digital preservation and collection care. This new chapter represents a significant step forward in our ability to support research, conservation, and accessibility of the collections held at the Library.
Jamie Robinson, Imaging Manager