Conservation Survey of The Sarnoff Collection at The College of New Jersey
FAIN: PG-263580-19
College of New Jersey (Ewing, NJ 08628-0718)
Margaret Pezalla-Granlund (Project Director: May 2018 to present)
A preservation assessment of the Sarnoff Collection consisting of more than
6,000 objects documenting major developments in communication and electronics
through the lens of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). Initially part of a
museum and technical archive located at RCA’s research laboratory in Princeton,
New Jersey, the collection was transferred to The College of New Jersey in
2010. It consists of vacuum tubes and
early versions of phonographs, radios, televisions, computers, and flat screen technology,
along with assorted RCA memorabilia. Among its highlights are the audion, a
limited run vacuum tube manufactured in 1915; the first commercially available
color television set (1954); and experimental recordings made in 1955 from the world’s
first programmable electronic synthesizer.
The purpose of the conservation
survey of the Sarnoff Collection at The College of New Jersey is to identify
objects of particular preservation concern (including plastics, electronic
components, and other unstable or hazardous materials) and prioritize remedial,
preventive, and storage-related conservation actions for the Collection.