Preservation of Large Documents and Scrapbooks
FAIN: PG-252807-17
Edmond Historical Society, Inc. (Edmond, OK 73034-3873)
Deborah Derby Baker (Project Director: May 2016 to May 2018)
Derek H. Lee (Project Director: May 2018 to March 2021)
The purchase of preservation supplies to create
storage enclosures for the Edmond Historical Society and Museum’s collection of
scrapbooks, documents, and small objects stored in flat file drawers. The
collection documents the history of Edmond, Oklahoma, from its founding as a
railway stop in 1889 through present times, and contains over 40,000 artifacts
including documents, photographs, textiles, household goods, business
memorabilia, furniture, and farm equipment. The museum’s research library is an
especially rich resource, containing community directories and phonebooks
dating back to 1920 along with complete sets of yearbooks from local high
schools and the University of Central Oklahoma. Creating archival storage boxes
for these and other materials was noted as a high priority during a 2015
Collection Preservation Plan.
The Edmond Historical Society and Museum (EHS&M) requests funds for the creation or purchase of storage enclosures for collections stored in flat file drawers and exceptional books in the museum’s Research Library. Collections at EHS&M consist of nearly 40,000 artifacts, photos and documents relating to the history of Edmond, Oklahoma before the Land Run days of 1889 to present. Recently completed lead-paint and asbestos remediation at the museum enabled staff to reorganize key storage locations, install high-density shelving and move the Research Library to a more inviting and accessible location, per recommendations in a Collection Preservation Plan completed in 2015. This request is targeted at providing appropriate archival housing to protect fragile and unique items, such as community scrapbooks. It will also allow for the inventory and archival housing of maps and large photographs which are currently difficult to retrieve due to poor organization and housing of these materials.