Shelf Replacement Conservation Project

FAIN: PG-50246-08

Washington County Historical Society and Museum (Portland, OR 97229)
Jennifer Kozik (Project Director: May 2007 to December 2009)

Purchasing storage furniture to rehouse the historical society's collections, including Native American artifacts, agricultural implements, furniture, logging tools, textiles, and library and archival materials, related to the history and culture of the Portland area

The Washington County Historical Society (WCHS) requests a Preservation Assistance Grant of $4,965 to purchase new metal shelving to house its 40,000+ object collection. New conservation-quality metal shelving will replace existing wood shelving on which boxes and artifacts are currently stored, stacked ten high in places, straining existing wood racks, and damaging boxes. Existing wooden shelves are attracting moisture and they allow mold growth. They off-gas, degrade, and are sagging under the weight of the collections. Collection items are also housed on the floor, subject to damage from day-to-day use of the space and unprotected from the elements.