Optimizing Storage Environment for Preservation of the Archives of the City of Boston

FAIN: PG-233661-16

City of Boston (West Roxbury, MA 02132-4905)
John Joseph McColgan (Project Director: May 2015 to September 2017)

The purchase of equipment to monitor environmental conditions in an archive housing approximately 18,000 cubic feet of municipal records.  Established in 1989, the Boston City Archive manages an extensive collection of paper records and bound volumes, as well as plans and drawings, photographs, audiovisual materials, and microforms.  Among its oldest holdings are the “Town Book” (1634-1660) and correspondence signed by John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, and Paul Revere.  Other highlights include the records of the board of aldermen (1822-1909) and city council (1822-2010), election records (1857-1978), and school desegregation records (1952-2004).  These and other documents offer a comprehensive look at more than 300 years of Boston’s history, from its initial founding in 1630, through its incorporation as a city in 1822, up to the present.

The project will support an initiative to establish sustainable environment optimal for preservation of Boston's municipal archives. These records document governance of one of the nation's original communities and great cities and serve as sources for a wide array of historical research. Grant funds will support basic equipment and consultation for development of an environmental monitoring system that will help manage the records environment to industry-wide standards.