Famous library finds perfect book store in Winsford (From Warrington Guardian)

Famous library finds perfect book store in Winsford

ONE of the world's most famous libraries has announced it will be storing some of its thousands of important books in Winsford.

Oxford University's Bodleian Library has chosen to store some of its material in the DeepStore facility in Winsford Rock Salt Mine.

It is the first time the Bodleian Library has used an outside facility to store its books.

Chris Woods, head of collection care and conservation at Oxford University Library Services, said: "We receive more than 5,000 new items every week.

"Until a new storage depository will be ready to receive materials we are under pressure to maintain space locally for highest use material."

The Bodleian Library was founded over four centuries ago and its vast collection of books, manuscripts and other sources of information place it among the world's major research libraries.

Steve Holmes, commercial manager at DeepStore, said: "We are delighted to be working with such a prestigious organisation and honoured to be storing such important material.

"DeepStore's unique underground location means that it is very secure, there is no UV light, no risk of flooding or lightning strikes, no moisture and no pests.

"This is a natural atmospheric state and with only the most minimal adjustment it can be made perfect for storing valuable documents."

The Bodleian Library has not revealed how many books will be moved to DeepStore but if laid end to end, they would take up more than 50 kilometres of space.

Mr Woods said: "We chose DeepStore because they offered the best possible environment in which to store material and they are able to provide a 24- hour retrieval and delivery service should we require it."