The seminar will be on 28 October and is hosted by Cambridge University Library, the Old Library, Pembroke College, maximum 70 people (in person only).

The central theme of the 2026 CERL Annual Conference will be materiality, presenting an opportunity for presentations and discussions exploring subjects of great current interest, including the ethics of invasive sampling, AI and special collections, pigments, the forensic investigation of medieval manuscripts, the interface between professional curatorial and conservation practice, and the use of advanced 3D imaging technology to explore historical typographical equipment. The conference is being hosted in partnership with the Cambridge University Library Research Institute, with main sessions be held in the baroque Old Library of Pembroke College, Cambridge, and with visits to the nearby University Library, a legal deposit library for more than 300 years, and home of extraordinarily rich historic collections.

We expect to arrange opportunities for visiting and networking in and around other Cambridge libraries. For those able to stay a little longer, special arrangements will be put in place facilitate research access for attendees to items in the University Library collections.