Collection Storage Improvements for the Lee Library Historical Collection
FAIN: PG-258549-18
Lee Library Association (Lee, MA 01238-1614)
Damon Vorce (Project Director: May 2017 to September 2019)
A preservation assessment and the purchase of
archival supplies to rehouse items documenting the local history of Lee,
Massachusetts, and its historical businesses.
The collection contains materials from some of Lee’s 26 paper mills,
including business and family records, artifacts, and sample papers, as well as
documentation of the town’s marble industry. The collection includes 850 rare
books; town reports from 1777 to the present; 19th-century
scrapbooks; records of all of the town’s Revolutionary War participants; and religious
organization materials from the 1790s to the present, including correspondence,
church records, printed sermons and addresses, and photographs. Materials are used for scholarly research,
exhibits, lectures, publications, genealogy, and school projects.
Our project will allow us to
make major collection storage improvements for preserving the Lee Library
Historical Collection. The collection contains town records, maps, photos,
books, newspapers, early letters, business ledgers, and a record of early life
to the present. Records include the history of papermaking and the marble
industry. The Lee Library is the only institution that holds the original
newspapers of the Valley Gleaner
(1857-1944). Approximately 1,500 photos, from the 1800s to the present, provide
a visual record of a small New England town.
The money requested for the supplies would enhance the stability of the
collection and preserve it for future generations. It is essential to the
library and community that these materials have a safe and protected future
here as well as access to them. We intend to hire a consultant to recommend the
appropriate archival storage enclosures and help us create a comprehensive plan
for preserving and maintaining the collection.