'New Wine in Old Bottles ’

How Two British Roman Catholic Seminary Libraries ‘At Risk’ Were Saved for New Sustainable Use

Abstract

This article examines the sustainability of Catholic Seminary libraries when their parent institutions close, a not uncommon situation in the UK in recent decades. What happens to the seminary libraries, built over many decades, will  they be relocated, dispersed or sold or is there another or different  existence possible to help them to survive? Two British seminary libraries -St Cuthbert’s Seminary, Ushaw and St John’s Seminary, Wonersh,  both established in the C19th and with excellent libraries but  closed in 2011 and 2022 but their libraries still exist for new and sustainable futures. The reasons for their survival and a sustainable future  are examined together with critical success factors in this scenario.