General Preservation Assessment of Archival Collections

FAIN: PA-51668-06

Bristol Historical Society (Bristol, CT 06010-5051)
Ellen Zoppo (Project Director: May 2005 to November 2006)

A general preservation assessment of photographs, postcards, correspondence, and artworks, related primarily to the 19th-century history of Bristol, Connecticut.

The Bristol Historical Society has moved from a small homestead setting to the former Bristol High School (circa 1890) which has over 35,000 sf of exhibition space. The BHS is conducting the restoration of the building and is now faced with a myriad of collection storage issues including physical lay-out and renovation of research and public display areas; as well as storage space to conform with best practices; the need to identify and purchase proper storage units and materials; and to identify and environmental or building risks associated with the Society's new location, as well as protecting the collection during the renovations.