Lambeth Palace Library's exhibition to go on virtual display

Fans of history, theology and printed works who missed out on the opportunity to see some of the riches of Lambeth Palace Library during a special exhibition to mark the 400th anniversary of the historic library will soon get another chance – via their mobile phone.

A virtual exhibition is being planned in response to huge interest in Treasures of Lambeth Palace Library, which saw 24,000 visitors pass through Lambeth Palace over a ten-week period and high demand for the book produced to accompany the displays. Lambeth Palace Library: Treasures from the Collection of the Archbishops of Canterbury, published by Scala, has had to be reprinted to meet demand, with the first print run of 4,000 now sold out.

Lambeth Palace Library staff are now working with ATS Heritage, who produce audio and video guides for historic visitor attractions, to create an iPhone application so that users can explore some of the items originally included in the exhibition.

These include key items collected during Lambeth Palace Library's 400 years as a working library, beginning with the founding collection owned and used by Archbishop Richard Bancroft as his ‘theological arsenal’ in a time of religious controversy and as a scholar and patron of learning.

Other treasures include a Gutenberg Bible (Mainz, 1455), the first book printed in Western Europe from movable metal type; the 12th century Lambeth Bible, regarded as one of the monuments of Romanesque art; and some unique witchcraft tracts collected by Bancroft through his interest in debates over diabolic possession and exorcism.

The exhibition’s curator, Gabriel Sewell, comments: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the level of interest in the collection, and delighted with the comments left by visitors.

"To open the doors to families and individuals who would not have usually considered paying a visit to a historic library, and now to be able to use modern communications technology to extend further the exhibition’s reach, is a great way of celebrating our anniversary, and one of which I am sure our founder would have been proud.”

The iPhones application is being developed over the summer with the aim of being available for download from October. It follows the launch earlier this summer of myDiocese, an iPhone application offering access to news updates from Church of England dioceses and a tool for locating the nearest Church of England church to the phone user’s location.

For further information about Lambeth Palace Library and the exhibition, visit: www.lambethpalacelibrary.org