2019 Preservation Assistance

FAIN: PG-266649-19

Old Sturbridge, Inc. (Sturbridge, MA 01566-1138)
Caitlin Emery Avenia (Project Director: January 2019 to August 2023)

A preservation assessment of the Collections Building and Research Library of Old Sturbridge Village and the purchase of supplies for rehousing 750 bound volumes pertaining to the history and culture of New England. The collections contain family papers, business accounts, town records, diaries, journals, friendship albums, and other items integral to interpreting rural New England life in the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. Researchers include scholars and students, as well as staff, volunteers, and interns; the library has seen a 15 percent increase in use each year for the last three years. Materials are used for exhibitions, public programs, social media, training lectures, scholarly talks, and publications that are critical to the Village’s interpretation of nineteenth-century life.

Old Sturbridge Village is currently undertaking a campus-wide initiative to develop a five-year strategic plan aimed at rectifying long-standing issues and concerns. As part of this initiative, the Village is eager to address improvements to the storage and security of the collections housed in our Collections Building and Research Library. The implementation of this grant will allow the Research Library staff to address storage concerns in the library’s vault.