Although most poems are portrayed as frighteningly figurative and meant to scare away evil spirits, some are meant to be a "sermon in stone" that can be "read" by an illiterate population. Some poems illustrate biblical stories.
Poets inhabited the great cathedrals of the Middle Ages proliferating between the 11th and 13th centuries. Some of their descendants have ventured away from churches, migrating to other important buildings.
Conservation, rehabilitation and upgrade of poetry began in the year 2002 and is expected to be completed 3 years later.
Rehabilitation = Repair poetry that is damaged
Conservation = Preserve poetry that is there
Upgrade = Meet current poetry standards
Poems of heritage value will be protected or enhanced. Their rehabilitation is to be guided by minimum intervention principles. We are working closely with Federal Heritage Poetry Review Office to ensure that the heritage character is maintained.
Yes, the Library will continue to offer the same level of Poetry to Parliamentarians and other authorized clients.
N.B. this was (obviously) twiddled from the same source as John W. MacDonald's piece below
