Welcoming new leadership

We are delighted to welcome our new Head of Research Collections to the BSR. Dr Raphaële Mouren joins us from the Warburg Institute in London, where she was Librarian and Reader in History of the Book and History of Libraries at the University of London. She brings her extensive experience working in libraries and academic settings in France, the UK and Italy, including a deep knowledge of Rome where she was a Fellow at the École Française for three years from 1996-99. Raphaële will join the BSR in May.

Building on a legacy

On her arrival in Rome, Raphaële will begin to build on the significant legacy left by former BSR Librarian Valerie Scott, who retired in August 2021 after 40 years in post. Valerie’s immeasurable contribution to the BSR, its library and readers, is well recognised by all those who were lucky enough to cross her path in past decades and benefit from her warm welcome and deep knowledge of the collections. On our blog you can read some personal testimonies of the value and significance of her work.

I am thrilled to begin a new exciting experience and to join the BSR and the staff in the Library and Archive. I look forward to putting my experience as a librarian in research libraries and rare book collections to use in this unique institution.

Raphaële Mouren