The Bodleian Libraries have launched an appeal to raise funds to catalogue and make accessible the archive of former Labour deputy leader, cabinet minister and alumnus of Balliol College, Denis Healey (1917-2015).
The acquisition of Healey's archive by the Bodleian last year through the Art Council England's Acceptance in Lieu Scheme has already received extensive media attention. The archive, comprising 384 boxes, sheds a fascinating light on Healey's life, as well as providing valuable material for the study of his political career. The archive also contains drafts of speeches and articles, narrative diaries, and wide ranging personal correspondence relating to Healey's political career.
It will cost £85,000 to catalogue and make Healey's archive available for researchers, a cost that the library cannot support on its own. The Bodleian is seeking donations towards this total so that the archive can be fully catalogued and made available to study, allowing it to become an essential resource for scholars of his life and career, and, more broadly of British politics and the Labour Party during the post-war decades in which he was active.
Making collections accessible: the challenge
As the main research library of the University of Oxford, the Bodleian is home to the second largest collection of manuscripts and archives in Britain. The papers of writers and poets such as J R R Tolkien, Alan Bennett and Wilfred Owen sit alongside those of scientists, artists and major public figures, including seven British Prime Ministers.
Despite this wealth of significant materials however, the Bodleian faces an ongoing challenge to make them accessible to readers and researchers for study. It currently costs £200 for every box a qualified archivist prepares and catalogues – a cost which simply cannot be met without additional support.
Building on earlier success
The Bodleian's campaign to make Healey's archive accessible builds on the success of its 2017 cataloguing appeal, during which £45,000 was raised towards cataloguing the collections of writer Bruce Chatwin, artist and craftswoman Winifred Gill, and philosopher AJ "Freddie" Ayer. Thanks to the generosity of these donors, the Bodleian is now in the process of making these unique archives accessible to its readers.
'I am delighted that last year's campaign has already made a difference,' says Richard Ovenden, Bodley's Librarian. 'It shows how vital philanthropy can be and how supporting access to our collections has long-term, wide-reaching benefits. It has been heartening to see how many people share our ambition to ensure that the collections of some of history's most important cultural figures are carefully preserved.'
How you can help
In order to ensure that this important work continues into the future, the Bodleian needs your help. All contributions made to the appeal will have a valuable impact on enabling Healey's legacy to inspire and foster new research for generations to come and for the Bodleian's treasured collections to be widely shared with readers.
Cataloguing Denis Healey's archive features as part of the Bodleian's 2018 annual fund campaign, which is also seeking support towards cataloguing the library's Janet Stone and Louis MacNeice archives.