NEH Chairman's Emergency Grant

FAIN: PB-261589-18

Department of Planning and Natural Resources Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums (St. Thomas, VI 00802-1735)
Arlene Pinney-Benjamin (Project Director: January 2018 to October 2020)
Kim Blackett (Project Director: October 2020 to February 2021)
Symra T. Chinnery Wilkinson (Project Director: February 2021 to December 2022)

A four-day site visit by a conservator to assess and plan for restoration, five days of staff training and five days of triage alongside staff to address the most seriously damaged and/or most valuable materials, and the development of a written recovery plan to preserve the collections of the Virgin Islands Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums that document the history of the Virgin Islands and were damaged during Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The grant will also pay for archival equipment, such as data loggers, boxes, and folders.

Due to the damages caused, water and moisture have been and remain a major issue un various facilities.  To deter any further damage to antiques and archival materials, there is a need of new storage spaces to house our collections until our facilities have been fully restored.  Also as a result our collections are in dire need of restoration, reorganization, and preservation.  It is our belief that among the first step in this process would be the hiring of personnel to offer education and training to staff members.  It is imperative that our staff be trained and educated to handle and work with delicate archival materials in our collections.  It is our goal to hire experienced personnel for approximately 6 months to conduct training sessions, workshops, etc. that will assist our staff in becoming qualified to work efficiently or effectively within the Archives.  Our project will be broken down into three phases; Phase One: Planning and assessment, which includes site visits, supply or