A Proposal for Preservation Assessment of Wofford College’s Archival and Special Collections and Disaster Recovery Training

FAIN: PG-252808-17

Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC 29303-3612)
Kevin Reynolds (Project Director: May 2016 to April 2018)

A preservation assessment of a collection of 7,500 books and 750 linear feet of archival and manuscript materials documenting the early history of the college (founded in 1854), Methodism, the town of Spartanburg, and South Carolina and Southern history more generally.  Also planned is a disaster recovery workshop for staff from the college and nearby cultural heritage institutions.

Wofford College's archival and special collections include college and United Methodist records, manuscripts, personal papers, ephemera, and rare books that focus on history, literature, religion, the South, and educational history. Researchers, including students and faculty on our campus, genealogists, and scholars throughout the country use these collections to explore their past and make connections to the present.  Cramped conditions have the potential to cause damage to many unique materials.  An overall preservation assessment will help guide our efforts to protect these resources for future researchers. Additionally, a disaster recovery workshop will prepare staff from Wofford and from area institutions to be able to respond effectively should disaster strike our unique collections.