Program

Preservation and Access: Preservation Assistance Grants

Period of Performance

9/1/2019 - 2/28/2021

Funding Totals

$9,938.00 (approved)
$9,938.00 (awarded)


Rare Books Preservation Assessment of the Biblioteca Santiago Iglesias, hijo of the School of Architecture at the UPR

FAIN: PG-266702-19

University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus (San Juan, PR 00925-2512)
Jose Flores-Ramos (Project Director: January 2019 to September 2019)
Laurie Ortiz-Rivera (Project Director: September 2019 to August 2022)

An item-level survey of the physical condition of rare books held by the Biblioteca Santiago Iglesias, the library of the School of Architecture at the University of Puerto Rico in Río Piedras.  The 892 titles (1,271 volumes) include influential texts on the history of architecture, aesthetic theory, and visual representation in European art.  Highlights include the 3rd edition of Andrea Palladio’s I Quattro libri della architettura (1601), the 1769 Roman edition of Diverse maniere d'Adornare i Cammini ed ogni altra parte degli edifizi desunte dall'archiettura Egizia, Etrusca e Greca by Giovanni Battista Piranesi, and the 1782 Italian edition of Leon Battista Alberti’s works Della Architettura, Della pittura e Della statua.  The rare books collection supports research and teaching at the School of Architecture, as well as at the Graduate School of Information Sciences, where faculty and students use the books to study printing techniques and the challenges rare books present for preservation and bibliographic control.

The Biblioteca Santiago Iglesias, hijo is the most important research facility of the School of Architecture at the University of Puerto Rico and of architectural studies in the whole of the Island. This information unit is requesting a grant of $10,000 from the National Endowment for Humanities’ Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions program. The reason for this request is to hire a paper conservator who will be conducting an initial item-by-item preservation assessment of our Rare Books Collection. Two librarians will be assisting the consultant. A written assessment report with recommendations for storage and proper housing of the collections will be provided. The final activity will be a two-hour workshop in which the Deans of Academic and Administrative Affairs and/or their designated representatives and Directors from other libraries can partake of the results of our endeavors.





Associated Products

Rare Books Preservation Assessment of the Biblioteca Santiago Iglesias, hijo of the School of Architecture at the UPR (Public Lecture or Presentation)
Title: Rare Books Preservation Assessment of the Biblioteca Santiago Iglesias, hijo of the School of Architecture at the UPR
Abstract: The library’s purpose of this assessment is to develop a long-term preservation plan “to delineate our conservation needs by developing the proper strategies and actions to meet those needs. In so doing, we will be establishing a much-needed initial framework. This long-term plan will serve as a basic working tool during the coming years. In addition, the plan will justify to the University and funding agencies and foundations our preservation needs. It will also establish a future comprehensive plan for our invaluable collection pieces, many which are not found elsewhere. This activity, beyond attending to our particular needs, will also serve as a working model to other libraries in our Campus.” (José E. Flores Ramos, 2018). This preservation plan is based on this written assessment report that will include recommendations for proper storage, housing and more important issues to be considered.
Author: Viviana van Vliet
Date: 07/01/2019
Location: Biblioteca Santiago Iglesias, hijo of the School of Architecture at the UPR
Primary URL: http://bibarquitectura.uprrp.edu/index.php/rare-books-bshi/
Primary URL Description: Official Web Site - Biblioteca Santiago Iglesias, hijo