Preservation Assessment for Folio and Rare Book Collections at the Cranbrook Academy of Art Library

FAIN: PG-51928-13

Cranbrook Educational Community (Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304-5162)
Judy Dyki (Project Director: May 2012 to October 2014)

A conservation assessment of fine art folios and rare books related to visual arts and a preservation assessment of the storage environment of the collections. Covering architecture, drawing, painting, sculpture, metalwork, textiles, printmaking, and ceramics, these materials are particularly rich for study of the history of the book and the history of architecture. Items of international significance include a 25-volume set of the engravings of Giovanni Battista Piranesi and a Kelmscott Press edition of the works of Geoffrey Chaucer. The collections are used by architects, artisans, designers, and art students and are extensively consulted by graduate students attending the Cranbrook Academy of Art and by its artists-in-residence.

The National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grant will fund the services of a consultant-Julia Miller-to evaluate the condition of and preservation work needed on the folio and rare book collections at the Cranbrook Academy of Art Library and to provide a general risk assessment of the library. The books cover a broad range of visual arts subjects, and the publication dates range from 1631 to 1941. Each volume will be individually assessed for conservation work needed and the approximate cost. The final report will provide a prioritized listing of the volumes and a budget for the conservation work needed. This item assessment will be used to seek additional grants and other funding to have the work completed on the volumes over the next few years. The general risk assessment will be the starting point for a Cranbrook committee to improve the physical storage and environmental conditions and develop a disaster planning document for the library.