As part of our continued commitment to supporting emerging conservators, the Willard Prize has been awarded for several years at West Dean College, located near Chichester, West Sussex. This prestigious prize recognizes exceptional achievement in the field of conservation.
We are delighted to announce that this year’s winner is:
Eleanor Smith
MA Conservation Studies, September 2024
Eleanor's prize was awarded for her exemplary study, "Defying Gravity A Preliminary Study Evaluating The Efficacy And Impact Of Simplified Textblock Supports For In Situ Library Conservation."
This study expertly researched an area of interest while raising current issues within that subject. The research question was formulated well and carried out successfully to address these issues with professionally analysed results.
Lorna Calcutt, Conservation Studies Team Leader & Subject Leader Ceramics made these comments in testament to this award winning project...
"In practical experimentation, textblock drop was successfully created, demonstrating the damage discussed in the literature review. Various designs for support and testing of these demonstrated the necessity of a book shoe. Further steps indicated ways that seemed to reduce the damage done by textblock drop providing a fascinating additional aspect of the project worth further study.
Outreach to practical conservators and a specific collection added a layer of support to the study, as did the assessment of storage capacities and costs faced by institutions. Data and visual aids were presented effectively, making the text accessible to professional conservators, librarians, archivists and others in the Cultural Heritage sector.
The bibliography and appendices fully supported the research project, building on the excellent diagrammatic representation of the research provided throughout the project. The instructions for the Simplified Book Shoe were thorough, accessible and easy to follow, as was the additional information on costing, material access and discussion."
Congratulations, Eleanor! We wish you every success in your future career in conservation.
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