Priaulx Library needs more funds to fix its leaking roof
THE Priaulx Library, which houses many of Guernsey’s most precious and valuable books, maps and other records, has a leaky roof.
Staff have had to strategically place several plastic containers around the upper floors of the building in order to catch drips and so avoid damage to ancient publications.
Alternative storage facilities have had to be earmarked in recent years, including De Lisle Chapel and, more recently, the States’ offices in Burnt Lane in St Martin’s.
Library council chairman Nik Van Leuven said the States had been helpful in offering various storage locations, but the library had to say no to some suggestions because the books and documents require dry, secure and vermin-free storage.
The building itself is two centuries old and was given to the States of Guernsey by Osmond de Beauvoir Priaulx in 1871, along with the grounds of Candie Gardens and a large collection of books. It became the Priaulx Library in 1889 but by 1936, the States accepted that Priaulx’s endowment was not sufficient to cover all costs and decided to take on responsibility for repairs and maintenance – a responsibility it still retains.
Running costs are met by a grant from the States but this does not rise with inflation.
The storage and funding issues have been exacerbated by obligations regarding fire safety and floor loading, requiring the removal of a lot more heavy newspapers and books from the building.
‘Financially, there’s nothing coming in to improve and extend solutions, although we do have some reserves,’ Mr Van Leuven said.
‘A key challenge for the Priaulx is to get the States and the public to appreciate more fully the library’s value. I feel passionately about this.
‘We have to get the public to understand the real worth and value of what we have here.
‘I sit in this building and revel in the presence of these books and documents.
‘We have, in Guernsey, a unique collection of books with relevance to local studies – books which illuminate the history of the island and, in particular, the history of those families that have made Guernsey what it is.’
The former Procureur added that many of the books in the Priaulx Library had their own intrinsic value as historic objects, over and above the information they contained.
The library has recently embarked on a thorough programme of ‘decluttering’, removing collections of books that do not justify the space, such as shelves full of bound volumes of Gentleman’s Magazine, which ‘can also be found in plenty of gentlemen’s clubs across London’.
At one time, the library accepted boxes full of donated books and documents but has now placed a moratorium on any further donations, with the exception of family papers.
‘By heavens, have we got some tosh,’ Mr Van Leuven said, ‘but it can’t simply be thrown out. It needs to be catalogued and sorted because in one large box of irrelevant material, there might be one item that’s of great value that we mustn’t lose.’
The process demands staff resources that the library does not have, he said, with day-to-day work demanding all their ‘already stretched’ time.
‘Modest increases in our grants could get the ball rolling and begin to solve many of these issues,’ he said.
‘We’re in the process of ascertaining the amount necessary but we recognise the competing pressures on States finances.’
