Recent events have shown how easily our cultural heritage can be lost forever. But as many books are lost to conflicts and natural disasters, an equal number is lost to neglect: this is where the Society for the Preservation of Rare Books can make a difference. The first and foremost objective of the SPRB is to help small libraries and institutions with emergency funding for conservation and digitisation projects.

The SPRB will reach those libraries and institutions that usually fall out of the scope of large grants, and invest 50-60% of its budget in emergency conservation and targeted digitisation projects. For instance, by supporting the conservation of the few manuscripts and rare books in the National Library of Corfu, where the entire library is being devoured by silverfish, or the digitisation of the only incunable ever printed in the Sardinian language, which survives in only two copies in the world.

The SPRB is a Registered Charity (no.1179983).