Environmental Monitoring and Rehousing of the Northside School Museum Collection

FAIN: PG-52015-13

Northside Education Foundation (San Antonio, TX 78238-1435)
Bonnie Ellison (Project Director: May 2012 to October 2013)
Cassandra Miranda (Project Director: October 2013 to November 2014)

A one-day training workshop on the proper care and storage of archives and manuscript collections for the museum's staff and volunteers, as well as the purchase of preservation supplies, a steel flat file cabinet, and environmental monitoring equipment. The museum's collection of approximately 11,000 items documents the history of education in Texas from 1868 to the present; exhibits reach out to local teachers and students with historic photographs and artifacts to help them explore the intersection between local and national trends. The evolution of the Northside Independent School District from one rural school to the largest school district in South Texas encompasses the history of Latino immigration to the area, the impact of school desegregation, and a community influenced by military service and culture.

The Northside School Museum (NSM) collects artifacts, documents, and photographs that are relevant to the history of education in the area within the Northside Independent School District in San Antonio, TX. These materials illustrate the history of education of Texas, and also intersect with many other regional and national trends, including the transition from rural to urban communities, the challenge of desegregation, and the growth of the Hispanic community. The goal of this project is to significantly improve the preservation capabilities at the NSM. The activities are based on recommendations following a November 2011 preservation assessment, and include: 1. Expand the capacity of preservation activities through training for staff and volunteers. 2. Monitor the light and temperature of museum facilities continuously with an environmental datalogger system. 3. Improve the physical storage of items with museum-quality cabinets and archival supplies.