2024-
2025
The William Salt
Library
William Salt LibraryAnnual Report
## **WILLIAM SALT LIBRARY**
## **ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 2024- MARCH 2025**
## **AN OVERVIEW**
This year the Library building remained closed until November 2024 with access to its collection delivered through the Archive and Heritage Service in the temporary base at Eastgate House.
Construction work continued on the Staffordshire History Centre and William Salt Library building. In addition the activity programme has continued to engage people with the project and The Trust continues to play a very active role on the Project Team and Project Board represented by the Chair, Mithra Tonking, and Vice Chair, David Marriott.
The Staffordshire History Centre opened on 6 November 2024 providing onsite access to a quick reference library collection, the library townhouse ground floor, and restricted access to the library collection which is still in storage.
Cataloguing of the collection is ongoing and has been supported by a Project Cataloguer. I would like to record my thanks to all of the Archive and Heritage staff, volunteers, and trustees.
## **THE TRUST**
Trustee meetings were held in person at Eastgate House. The Trust’s Annual General Meeting was held on 20 May 2024. Staffordshire County Council appointed Carolyn Trowbridge as its representative on the Trust. Two further meetings took place during the year for the Trust on 16 September 2024 and 20 January 2025.
## **STAFFING AND VOLUNTEERS**
## **Establishment**
The key staff working with the Library collections were Chris Copp (Collections Manager to 31 January 2025), Dominic Farr (Collection Officer) and Lisa Williams (Conservator) who have worked on planning the display, interpretation, shelving and conservation of the collections. Louise Crompton started her post as Project Cataloguer in October 2022 and resigned in April 2024. Geraldine Barnes took up the post as Project Cataloguer on 29 July 2024.
Access to the collection was delivered by the History Centre Assistants (Claire Jackson, Henrietta Martinez, Amanda Spearman, and Bev Sutherland) led by Julie O’Neill (History Centre Manager) and supported by Collection Officers (Liz Street, Dominic Farr and Rebecca Jackson).
Copying, photography, scanning, social media, website amendments and coordination of volunteers were delivered by the Engagement and Access team led 1 2024-2025
by Sarah English (Engagement and Access Manager) and Helen Johnson (Community Engagement and Partnership Officer), Ben Cunliffe (Digital Officer), and Melanie Williamson (Volunteer Coordinator).
Cataloguing of the Library’s collection is led by Dominic Farr (Collection Officer) supported by the Geraldine Barnes (Project Cataloguer) and our volunteers.
## **Volunteers**
Catherine Nichols has been working on WSL accession material that was not used during the Access to Archives (A2A) project. She has been adding them from the typed lists onto CALM and editing them. Currently she is up to the accession collections received in 1945. During the year Randle Knight was working on the Transcript collection and has added to the catalogue up to Trans 88. Randle Knight and Catherine Nichols worked until mid-August when volunteering paused to enable the Archive and Heritage Service to move into the History Centre and prepare for opening. Volunteering will be resuming in 2025/2026.
As part of the NLHF funded project, Geraldine Barnes was working on the uncatalogued B9 volumes that were previously located in the Wrottesley Room. She added 908 volumes to the online catalogue during the year.
Dominic Farr spent some time identifying material from the Library collection to be added to the Research Room shelves.
## **THE LIBRARY BUILDING**
Construction work continued to progress during 2024 with partial handover of the site completed in August 2024 with full handover by December. Work is ongoing through the defects list of minor issues with regular meetings between the Staffordshire County Council’s (SCC) Strategic Property Project Manager, History Centre Manager and the Chair of the William Salt Library Trust.
The rent for the lease between Staffordshire County Council and the William Salt Library Trust for the ground floor of the town house is being managed and paid by Property Services.
Lowe & Elliott Chartered Surveyors manage the lettings for the cottage and office space on behalf of the William Salt Library Trust. The cottage tenancy started 1 April 2025 and the tenant has moved in. The upstairs cupboard has been let to the Staffordshire Record Society.
The History Centre Manager is still a point of contact for the site but is no longer managing the Library building except for the part leased by Staffordshire County Council. The fire risk assessment has been completed for both the William Salt Library and Staffordshire History Centre by the History Centre Manager. The County Council site supervisors open/lock and alarm the History Centre and townhouse at the start and end of each day. The gates to the site are also secured by the site supervisors.
## **STAFFORDSHIRE HISTORY CENTRE PROJECT**
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On 6 November the History Centre opened receiving 1,469 visitors in the first 3 weeks which was a 287% increase compared to the combined visitor figures for the Library and Record office in November 2019. The SCC comms team social media countdown and media day helped to engage local and regional media to promote the opening of the new facility. We are continuing our outreach activities including talks and community engagement projects. We have introduced an onsite engagement programme for the History Centre including lunchtime spotlight talks.
The official opening on 2 December with historian Ruth Goodman, generated further media interest. Media coverage Nov-Dec 2024 was 57,542,247 and 100% positive in sentiment. Footfall remains high and we have received 8,436 visitors to the History Centre up to 30 April 2025.
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive including: ‘Illuminating, inspiring, informative’, ‘an amazing centre’, ‘good for children with learning difficulties’ ‘just what the town needs’ and numerous compliments for the staff and volunteers welcoming visitors. New partners are getting in touch with the service to work with us for spring/summer activities.
The schools programme was tested in the autumn/winter and formally launched in April with three school visits in the first month. Again the feedback has been very positive.
The collections have not moved to the History Centre yet as the strongrooms are drying out. The temperature and humidity are being monitored by the archive service conservator to ensure they reach optimum conditions before moving items in. This work will be completed during 2025-2026.
Delivery of the funded activity programme continues and we will be requesting an extension to the NLHF grant to take account of delays to procure the construction company and delays to the construction programme. Early indications are that the NLHF are very likely to agree to this.
## **COLLECTIONS MANAGEMENT**
## **Conservation of Printed Book Collections**
Work has continued on the printed book programme and is being completed by Conservator Lisa Williams in a private capacity. The following books have been conserved:
Ref No Title
bs 11/2 The Poetical Works of the Right Honourable Joseph Addison bs 11/3 The Freeholder or, Political Essays 1744 bs9 Wal The Complete angler 1810 bs 15/6 Railway and Commercial Information c.1850 by Samuel Salt bs 15/6 Railway and Commercial Information c.1850 by Samuel Salt copy 2 bs 18 The Will of King Alfred Reprinted from the Oxford Edition of 1788 bs 19 The Royal Kalendar or Complete and Correct Annual Register For England, Scotland, Ireland and America For the Year 1771
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bs 16/2 The Homilies of the Anglo Saxon Church- The First Part Containing the Sermones Catholici or Homilies of Aelfric
- bs 29/4 Voyage a la Mer du Sud, Fait par Quelques Officiers Commandants le Vaisseau le Wager Pour servir de Suite au Voyage de Georges Anson
- bs 1400/1 Remarks on Church Architecture bs 1400/2 Remarks on Church Architecture
## **COLLECTIONS DEVELOPMENT**
## **Accessions**
A total of 122 accessions were received during the year. Please see annual accession list appended to the report.
A total of 50 printed books were added to the library’s collections and 11 were donated.
## **Cataloguing**
Not all new accessions received during the year have been catalogued as the priority has been work relating to the Staffordshire History Centre project. The cataloguing backlog from has improved from 78.60 to 70.43 linear metres. A total of 1,039 (compared to 3,951 for 2023-24) individual catalogue descriptions for new items were added to the online catalogue during the course of the year. By the end of March 2025 through the History Centre project a total of 10,043 items has been catalogued out of a target of 12,000 (83%)
Progress was made on the expansion of the online catalogue by the addition of legacy data on our holdings. In total 2,027 (compared to 2,027 for 2023-24) retrospective catalogue descriptions were added to the online database during the year.
A key component of online cataloguing for Library items is the preparation of biographical information about authors and personal subjects associated with a particular work. These are called name authority records and, during the year, an additional 783 (compared to 997 in 2023-24) of these have been created.
## **PUBLIC SERVICES**
The Library collection remains in storage with limited access for visitors except where it is not possible to produce items. There is a quick reference collection available in the new Research Room and access to items that can be produced. It is not possible to separately record use of the collection in person so figures are given for all visits to the Research Room. The Library collection will move to the History Centre in 2025 once the new strongrooms have reached the correct temperature and humidity. Photocopying, photography and scanning orders were supplied through the Staffordshire History Centre and are recorded separately.
Visitor sessions to the Staffordshire Views pages on the Past Track website have reduced over the year. Past Track will be promoted on the new History Centre website.
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## **Public Service Statistics**
||**2024/25**
**2023/24**|
|---|---|
|**Use via Staffordshire History Centre**||
|All Research Room visits Nov 2024-Mar 2025|402
55|
|Enquiries|99
Notrecorded|
|||
|**Reprographics Services**||
|Number of photocopy orders|17
27|
|NumberofStaffordshireViews orders|2
4|
|Numberotherorders|5
5|
|Total numberoforders|24
38|
|||
|**Online Use**||
|Numberof visitorsessions onStaffsViewsweb site|1,640
2,143|
## **Permissions to Publish**
Nine permissions to publish or exhibit items from the Library’s collections were granted for:
- Staffordshire Views (SV.I.75, 82b, 77) of Armitage and photograph of crop marks (138/14/2005) for use in by Richard Ewing on his Armitage website www.armitageops.com
- Portaits UNETT/ANN/1 for use by Joanne Butler, postgraduate researcher Keele University, in presentation at Midlands History Conference on Women in the Provincial Print trade 1700-1830.
- Staffordshire Views, J Buckler (BV.VIII.20, 21, 22) of Waltham Abbey, Essex for use by Lawrence Greenall in ‘From Norman to Victoria Gothic: Waltham Abbey Church, Essex in the 19[th] century’ published by Waltham Abbey Historical Society.
- SV-VIII.169b Shelton Old Hall, ‘The Birth Place of Elijah Fenton the Poet’, 1843. Drawn by S. Bourne; Etched by J. F. Mullock, SV-X.16 'The Railway Station at Stoke, Staffordshire.' 1848 Artist: George Buckler for use by Neil Brownsword for a heritage trail app and website co-ordinated by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.
## **Talks and Visits**
Talks and visits are now delivered across the three collections and so figures are not available just for the Library collection. However one of the most popular spotlight talks since opening the Centre has been the talk on William Palmer which includes items from the Library collection.
## **Social Media**
There are combined Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts for the Archive, Museum and William Salt Library from which a number of staff post items about the collections and work of all three services.
Twitter: @ArchandHeritage
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/StaffordshireArchivesandHeritage
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## Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/archandheritage/
## **Friends of the William Salt Library**
The Friends of the William Salt Library held their AGM in person on 20 June 2024 at St Bertelin’s Church, Stafford which was attended by the Librarian and Chair of Trustees.
___________________________________________________________________
Joanna Terry William Salt Librarian, May 2025
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Charity registration number: 1173509
THE WILLIAM SALT LIBRARY TRUST
ACCOUNTS
for the year ended 31 March 2025
The William Salt Library Trust
General Purpose Account
Year ended 31 March 2025
Contents
Page
Accountant's Report
Income and expenditure account
Balance sheet
Income and expenditure account - Conservation account
Balance Sheet - Conservation account
The William Salt Library Trust
General Purpose Account
Year ended 31 March 20ZS
Actountant'5 feport to the trustees of The Vrilliam Salt Library Trust
We have examined, without carrying out an audit, the Balance Sheets dated 31 March 2025,
together with the Income and Expenditure Accounts for the year ended on that date,
and confirm that they are in accordance with accounting records and information supplied.
Deans
Chartered Accountants
Gibson House
Hurricane Court
Hurricane Close
Stafford
ST16 IGZ
Date-.
Page I
The William Salt Library Trust
General Purpose Account
Year ended 31 March 2025
2025
2024
Income
Staffordshire County Council Grant
Building income
Interest
COIF
M & G Fixed interest
Bank and Building Society
Reproduction fees
Bridgeman royalties
Stafford5hire Views
General income
3,000
7,515
1,545
2,435
120
1,167
1,851
162
761
105
55
2,700
153
449
12,216
9,801
Less Ex
enditure
Librarians salary
Clerk
Insurance
Accountancy
Subscription5 to societie5
Book5 and manuscripts
IT
Bank charges
Building costs
Administration
Relocation project
350
739
2,241
864
149
967
2,100
55
8,347
35
350
465
477
762
256
1,000
2,100
65
2,349
15.846
7,824
Net (deficit)/surplus for the year
{3.630}
1,977
Page 2
The William Salt LlbraryTrust
General Purpose Account Balance sheet
Yearended 31 March 2025
2025
2024
Investments
COIF- Charities Fixed Interest
Date
purchased
06107/2007
2810812007
0310412008
0310712008
3110312019
31/0312020
3110312021
1111112021
3110312022
3110312023
3110312024
Units
7.005
2.655
1.836
2.076
3,541
1,972
13461
24,643
13011
16401
1,445
43,886
Cost
8,500
3,302
2,309
2,500
4,808
2.687
14651
33,250
13771
17541
1,777
57,537
Market value at 31 March 2025
£55.366
M&G - Charities Fixed Interest
Date
purchased
0610712007
1910712007
2110412008
02/07/2008
Units
2,215
2,801
1,951
Cost
2,589
3,302
2,309
l-]]_
2.189
5,733
4,085
27,301
545
2,512
49,331
2,5CN)
7,OCH)
5,000
33,250
602
2,774
59,325
10105/2010
2110312011
1111112021
31103/2024
3110312025
116,863
114,089
Market value at 31 March 2025
£54,482
Total market value at 31 March 2025
£109,848
Bank accounts
CAF
- Gold account
- Cash account
12,2701
4.061
Creditor
18341
{7621
113.760
117,389
Reserve account
Balance brought forward
117.389
115.412
IDeficitl/Surplus from income account
{3,6301
1,977
113,760
117,389
Approved on behalf of the board of trustees
C Hawley
Page 3
The William Salt Library Trust
Conservation Account
Year ended 31 March 2025
2025
2024
Income
M & G interest
766
611
COIF interest
40
766
651
Less Ex
enditure
Binding/restoration
3,540
3,030
3,540
3,030
Net deficit for the year
12,774)
{2,3791
Page 4
The William Salt library Trust
Conseniation Account Balance sheet
Year ended 31 Marth 2025
2025
2024
Investments
COIF- Charlties Flxed Interest
Date purchased
l June 2009
Transferred
31 March 2019
31 March 2020
31 March 2021
31 March 2022
31 March 2024
31 March 2023
Unlts
5.672
Cost
7.089
13,5411
11,972}
346
301
640
11,4461
14,4271
12.4641
433
376
800
11,806
Market value at 31 March 2025
M&G- Charities Fixed Interest
Date purchased
2 June 2009
Mar-24
Unlts
15,280
15451
12,5121
12,224
Cost
17.878
16371
12.9391
14,302
Mar-25
14,302
17,241
Market value at 31 March 2025
Market value at 31 March 2024
11,192
16,274
Creditor
14.302
17,241
Reserve account
Surplus for year
Capitèl gain on units transferred
17.241
12.7741
11651
14,302
19,685
12,3791
1651
17,241
Approved on behalf of the board of tru5tee5
C Hawley
Page 5