Agenda item

To agree the public minutes and summary of the meeting held on 4 May 2018.

RESOLVED – That the public minutes and non-public summary of the meeting held on Friday 4 May 2018 be approved as a correct record subject to the following amendment:

Item 9 on the Music Collection duplicated the information contained at Item 8 on Gresham College Council Appointments and should read:

“The Committee received a report of the Town Clerk which set out an approach for restoration works to the Gresham Music Collection Library and sought approval for the Finance Committee to be approached to request funding. The Principal Librarian explained that, following a review of the rare books within the collection, it was apparent that certain items within the Gresham Music Collection required immediate attention.

In response to a Member’s query concerning the composition of the Collection, the Principal Librarian confirmed that a third of the Collection was made up of music (of which a sixth was manuscripts and the remainder printed music books), and the remainder mainly contained travel books. The Committee noted the importance of the Collection, particularly the copy of Thomas Tallis’ Spem In Alium. Discussion took place as to whether the Collection should be disaggregated to reflect the historical significance of the Music Collection. It was also suggested that the nomenclature could be revised, such that it was referred to as the Gresham Taylor Collection in recognition of the Gresham Professor of Music, Edward Taylor, who had bequeathed the Collection to the College. 

In response to a Member’s query on whether other organisations had been approached to fund work on the Collection, the Principal Librarian confirmed there had been interest from outside parties in relation to the creation of a detailed catalogue to international music manuscript cataloguing standards.

The Committee agreed that the material within the Collection should be accessible to the public and consideration should be given to holding a performance of the works contained within the Collection.

RESOLVED – That the Committee:

·         approve the approach to restoration works outlined in the report, subject to the concurrence of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and the Joint Grand Gresham Committee;

·         approve the approach to Finance Committee for an allocation of £18,477 to pay for the immediate works necessary to restore the priority works within the Gresham Music Collection, subject to the concurrence of the Worshipful Company of Mercers and the Joint Grand Gresham Committee; and

·         note that the total cost of the works is £36,954, with £18,477 to be funded each from the City Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers.”