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Nine of the UK’s arts collections receive special recognition from The Museum's, Libraries & Archives Council (MLA).

Nine of the country’s collections in Hampshire, Liverpool, London, Oxford, and Tyne and Wear have received special recognition from the MLA through its Designation Scheme. Designation of the collections, in libraries, archives and other organisations across England, means they have been recognised as being of outstanding national and international importance.

This new status will also enable the libraries and archives involved to raise the profile of the collections and attract more visitors.

MLA Chairman, Mark Wood welcomed the newly announced list saying: "We are fortunate in this country to have many fantastic collections. These in particular have been deemed outstanding, which is terrific for the organisations concerned. Designation status confers a status which has often enabled libraries, archives and museums to strengthen their ability to raise additional funds. "There are many other collections which would be worthy of Designated status and we have an ongoing programme to accommodate future applications."

The designated collections are:

Institute of Engineering and Technology (London)

The Institute's collections cover a remarkable range of scientific history, especially on the subject of electricity and magnetism. The Rare Books Collection includes manuscripts of Geoffrey Chaucer's On the Astrolabe and Peter Peregrinus' Letter on the Magnet, and many vital books on the development of experimental physics in the 600 years since. The Archive includes Michael Faraday's papers on electromagnetism, from his lecture notes and laboratory books to correspondence with figures such as Dickens, Lord Melbourne, and André-Marie Ampère. Many other crucial figures and organisations in the history of physics and engineering are also represented.

Tyne and Wear Archives Service

The Shipbuilding archives hold a wide range of material from over 30 Tyneside and Wearside shipbuilding firms, including major companies such as Swan Hunter. Complete records of the construction of ships such as Turbinia - the world's first turbine powered vessel, the liners Carpathia and Mauretania, and the Royal Navy flagship HMS Ark Royal are included. The Designated collections also cover many other civilian and naval craft, along with the development of maritime industries on the Tyne and the Wear over more than 400 years.

The collections at Tyne & Wear Archives comprise tens of thousands of items, including plans, photographs, administrative, contract and employee records from nearly all the shipyards formerly operating on the Tyne and the Wear, one of the most important shipbuilding regions in the world, as well as records of related engineering and fitting companies and of shipowners. The collections are so huge that unfortunately many of them remain uncatalogued, but the archives service hopes that this recognition of their importance will help to unlock resources to carry out more work on them.

Liverpool City Council

The photographic collections at Liverpool cover a wide range of activities and subjects in Merseyside covering almost the entire 20th century and the latter part of the 19th. The City Engineer's Department and the Housing Department documented often pioneering work in town planning, transport, housing and public health which changed the face of this internationally important city, showing the state of affairs before work began, as well as the impact that it had. Another highlight is the complete work of the renowned landscape and portrait photographer Edward Chambré Hardman.

Oxford University Library Service

A wide range of special collections at the Bodleian Library has been Designated. The Rare Books collection includes the largest collection of early printed books in a university library anywhere in the world, as well as many thousands of later volumes, especially on religious topics. Among the rare books is the only Shakespeare First Folio which is still in its original home. The manuscripts and archives are exceptionally wide-ranging, including papers from dozens of great figures in the fields of literature, poetry, science, politics, diplomacy, topography and religion. There are maps covering a vast geographical range and illustrating the entire history of cartography in Britain, from the first road map in about 1360, down to contemporary Ordnance Survey work of all types. The music collection includes manuscript scores by numerous great composers, including Handel's conducting score of Messiah and Holst's autograph of The Planets. Lastly, the archives of the University of Oxford itself are included, with documents dating back to the middle ages on many aspects of the University's work.

Hampshire County Council

The collections which have been Designated include a wide range of civic and religious documents in continuous sequences that in several cases stretch back to the 13th century. Winchester's status as a former capital of England ensured its prominence throughout the middle ages, and the records preserved in the county archives testify to this high status, including two charters granted by Henry II. The famous Winchester Pipe Rolls and other documents from the estates of the bishops of Winchester provide outstandingly detailed information on life at all levels in the south of England as far back as 1208. Also included are many more recent documents covering the whole of Hampshire, including a large quantity of original sound and film footage.

The MLA and the nine regional agencies work in partnership to provide strategic direction and leadership for museums, libraries and archives across England. Together these agencies work to improve people’s lives by building knowledge, supporting learning, inspiring creativity and celebrating identity. The Partnership acts collectively for the benefit of the museums and library sector and the public, leading the transformation of museums, libraries and archives for the future. For more information about the work of the MLA and the 'Designation' scheme, visit The Museum's, Libraries & Archives Council website.

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