Assessing Two Centuries-Old Humanities Collections of the Hampden-Sydney College Library

FAIN: PG-50769-10

Hampden-Sydney College (Hampden-Sydney, VA 23901-5657)
Chandra L. Gigliotti-Guridi (Project Director: May 2009 to September 2010)
Shaunna E. Hunter (Project Director: September 2010 to March 2012)

Funding supports a preservation needs assessment of two special collections that have recently been moved into a new library building, and the purchase of preservation supplies as recommended by the consultant; the assessment will address current storage conditions and long-term care.

Hampden-Sydney College, a small private liberal arts college in south central Virginia, proposes to hire a consultant to conduct a preservation needs assessment of two historical collections in its Library: the UPLS Collection offers insight into nineteenth century history, life and humanities study, and the Rare Book and Manuscript Collection includes a number of rare documents that provide a broader view of human endeavor over many centuries. We request funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities to cover the fees and expenses of a preservation specialist from Lyrasis (formerly SOLINET) to assess these two collections and create plans for their restoration and preservation. We anticipate the project to begin when funds are available in January 2010 and to be able to render a final report in July 2011. With grant funds, we can assure these works will be available for our students, humanities scholars, and the community for generations to come.