The impressive venue inside the Natural History Museum at Tring was built by zoologist Walter Rothschild and houses more than 75,000 volumes.

It is one of the world's top research facilities for ornithology, but preserving so many books - some dating back to the 1400s - comes at a price.

Librarian Alison Harding said: "A percentage of our budget pays for the conservation of the books but budgets are being squeezed and our portion of older books are getting older so the amount we need to spend on them is more."

From Monday, November 17 people will be able to sponsor one of the library's books for £5 a month.

There are six works to choose from including the oldest books in the collection called Margarita Philosophica (The Philosophical Pearl). It dates back to 1496 and covers a range of subjects including, grammer, arithmetic, geometry, philosophy, natural history and astronomy.

Animal collector Walter Rothschild housed his specimens in his own museum in Tring. In 1908 he added a library to store the books that supported his research work. The Rothschild family gifted the entire museum and its collections to the nation in 1937.

Money raised through sponsorship will go towards buying storage boxes for the library, helping to pay for light sensitive blinds and the conservation of old and damaged books.

Find out more by calling 020 7942 5906, email supporter@nhm.ac.uk or visit www.nhm.ac.uk/sponsorabook.