One of Scotland’s most prestigious new buildings has taken a significant step forward in its attempts to attract Lottery funding.
Initial work on the University of Aberdeen's new £57 million library – which is scheduled to open in 2011 – will begin in early summer 2009.
Part of this ambitious project will create a Conservation Studio to provide a centre of expertise in paper and book conservation, primarily for the University's precious and historically significant special collections.
Earlier this month it was announced that the Studio has received a crucial first-round pass in the bidding process for a significant Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
Although not a guarantee of funding, passing stage one of the application process gives the project a much higher chance of receiving a grant.
Professor Chris Gane, Vice Principal (Culture and Communities), said the new Conservation Studio would allow the University to exploit its collections for the benefit of the whole community.
He explained: "The University's collections comprise one of the most significant manuscript, printed book and archive collections in the United Kingdom.
"Amassed over 500 years, our holdings consist of over 200,000 printed books dating back to the fifteenth century and 4,000 irreplaceable archival collections.
"Many parts of our collection have long been unavailable due to their fragility, and work is needed to treat, repair and conserve them. The new library will provide a prominent and public venue for the display of our cultural heritage, enabling the collections to be made available to the wider community through outreach activities, events and exhibitions.
"The construction of this purpose built Studio will give us the ideal space and conditions to carry out the essential conservatory work on the collections, which is why this news from the Heritage Lottery Fund is so welcome."