Grand Rapids Public Museum Improved Museum Archival Preservation and Access Planning Grant

FAIN: PF-260728-18

Public Museum School (Grand Rapids, MI 49504-5351)
Tim Priest (Project Director: December 2017 to October 2023)

A planning project to improve preservation conditions for the Grand Rapids Public Museum’s Community Archives and Research Center, a storage facility for its holdings of 250,000 artifacts and other sources on the history and culture of western Michigan, and to facilitate their increased use for research and teaching.

The Grand Rapids Public Museum is planning the transformation of the Museum’s archival storage at the Community Archives and Research Center (CARC) for 21st -century artifact preservation and access. With the support of the NEH, the GRPM will complete a range of planning activities with assistance from Museum archival staff, community stakeholders, and conservators. Planning activities will include bulk inventory of the Collections, analysis of existing storage and preservation issues, research into 21st-century storage methods, redesign of the CARC layout, implementation of the redesign, and a plan for implementation. The project will facilitate increased utilization of the Collections within the CARC, allow for proper storage of artifacts taking their classification into account, preserve space, and update storage methods to better preserve the Collections.