Sarah Reidell

Sarah Reidell is the Margy E. Meyerson Head of Conservation in the Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts where she leads and manages the Steven Miller Conservation Laboratory that cares for the long-term sustainability of the Libraries' special collections holdings. The conservation program has three primary goals: stabilization and protection of the collection; preparation for exhibits and loans; and collaborative outreach to other areas of the library. At Penn, Sarah created a new Ivy Plus Conservation alliance for conservation programs at 13 major research universities and co-created the informal CLAMP (Conservators at the Library and Museum at Penn) which fosters cross-campus fun and information sharing for this vibrant conservation community.

As a conservator of rare books, paper, and parchment, she held previous appointments at The New York Public Library (2006-2016) and in the Harvard University Library’s Weissman Preservation Center (2003-06). She has done fieldwork on medieval archives at private collections in Spain and southern France. Sarah received an MLIS/CAS in the Conservation and Preservation of Library and Archival Materials from the University of Texas (2002) and a BA in Anthropology from Bryn Mawr College (1999).

A Fellow of The American Institute for Conservation (AIC), Sarah serves as the Chair of the Book and Paper Group, the largest specialty group within AIC. She has also lectured and led numerous hands-on professional development workshops for conservators at leading national cultural institutions on areas of technical expertise and conservation practice.