Addressing the Presence of Arsenical Bindings in the British Library’s Collections

This paper covers our ongoing work to address the presence of copper acetoarsenite in nineteenth-century book materials at the British Library. We focus upon the challenges of identifying arsenical materials within a collection of over 100 million items stored in multiple locations, and detail the health and safety procedures specific to these materials which we are developing for Library staff and for the public. Since beginning this work in early 2020 it has been apparent to us that the scale of British Library’s collections, storage infrastructures, and institutional procedures would pose unique challenges. Methods for identifying arsenical book materials adopted within smaller institutions are not feasible within an organization of the size and complexity of the British Library, and our challenge has been to design an accessible, streamlined system which enables identification, limitation of exposure, and safe handling when necessary. Developing methods of identification has gone hand in hand with developing bespoke health and safety practices, as any staff who handle collection items are potentially at risk of exposure. Communication with internal stakeholders has emphasized the importance of existing health and safety measures while working collaboratively to develop new bespoke solutions to protect staff and readers.