Talbot Library books go to Liverpool Hope University
A collection of more than 50,000 books that could have been split up following the closure of a religious library has been saved.
In December Lancaster Roman Catholic Diocese closed the Talbot Library in Preston, which housed the books.
They will be loaned permanently to Liverpool Hope University.
It was recommended the library should be kept intact after Sotheby's identified books of historical and cultural importance.
The diocese said a number of parties had expressed an interest in acquiring the library, which includes a collection of early printed books and a complete collection of Cardinal John Henry Newman's works.
Hope said the library would be kept in temperature-controlled, British Museum-standard conditions, which the university has established for its other valuable works.