Sarah Reidell

Sarah Reidell is the Margy E. Meyerson Head of Conservation in the Penn Libraries where she leads and manages the Steven Miller Conservation Laboratory that cares for the long-term stability of the Libraries' special collections holdings and supports the mandate of the newly formed Preservation Department. Sarah received an MLIS/CAS in the Conservation and Preservation of Library and Archival Materials from the University of Texas and a BA in Anthropology from Bryn Mawr College. A conservator of rare books, paper, and parchment and Fellow of The American Institute for Conservation (AIC), she held previous appointments at The New York Public Library and in the Harvard University Library’s Weissman Preservation Center. Sarah recently served as the Chair of the AIC Book and Paper Group, the largest specialty group within AIC. She has conducted conservation fieldwork in medieval archives at private and institutional collections in Spain and southern France. 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.

Established in 2016, the conservation program has three primary goals: stabilization and protection of the collection in all analog formats; preparation for exhibits and loans; and collaborative outreach to other areas of the library. Sarah created and co-leads an Ivy Plus Conservation alliance for conservation programs at 13 major research universities and the informal CLAMP (Conservators at the Library and Museum at Penn) which fosters cross-campus fun and information sharing. The Steven Miller Conservation Laboratory was an early partner of the Penn Green Labs initiative and is committed to greening our laboratory practices to support Penn’s Climate and Sustainability Action Plan 3.0.