Written by Claire Wooldridge, Project Senior Library Assistant: Landscape Institute

1500 items from the Landscape Institute library have now been integrated into our MERL library collection.  These items include books and pamphlets, which have all been cleaned, processed, catalogued and labelled and are available in our open access library.  A small number of rare books received from the Landscape Institute have also been catalogued into our closed access MERL LIBRARY RESERVE collection.

Amherst’s Children’s Gardens (1902) integrated into our MERL Library Reserve Collection

These titles complement our existing holdings, particularly our MERL library books on topics such as gardening, land policy and the environment, this new material also prompts us to consider our MERL collections afresh.   The landscape is the backdrop to all aspects of rural life, but must also be seen as a worthy subject of consideration in its own right.

Why not visit our Reading Room and take a look…

MERL Reading Room

We’re very grateful to our library volunteers who have been a great help with the processing and labeling of this collection.  There are still many hundreds of books to go!  Please contact us on merl@reading.ac.uk if you would like more information.