Preserving the Special Collections of the Center for Norbertine Studies

FAIN: PG-50536-09

St. Norbert College (De Pere, WI 54115-2099)
Felice E. Maciejewski (Project Director: May 2008 to December 2010)

The purchase of a climate control monitor, light meters, water alarm and sensors, as recommended by a general preservation survey carried out in 2007, and by a consultant who will train the staff in their installation and use in the special collections area.

St. Norbert College has rare books and periodicals that are not available or accessible elsewhere in North America; however, these materials, which have great potential for researchers worldwide and embody the College's heritage, might be damaged or lost if immediate action is not taken. The materials in the Center for Norbertine Studies Special Collection can be used by researchers in the fields of Immigrant history, Wisconsin history, European history, Christian monasticism, American Catholicism, American frontier history and Native American/Christian encounters. According to recently completed assessments, environmental monitoring is immediately required to preserve the collection, which includes a relatively large collection of early (pre-1700) imprints. The goal is to improve the environmental climate surrounding these rare materials through training and the purchase and installation of environmental monitoring equipment.