General Preservation Assessment of the Auerbach Art Library and Wadsworth Atheneum Archives

FAIN: PG-271581-20

Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art (Hartford, CT 06103-2911)
Amy Kilkenny (Project Director: January 2020 to January 2023)

A preservation assessment of the Atheneum’s library and archives, which contain 50,000 bound volumes, 3,000 linear feet of archival material, and 200 periodical titles that date from the seventeenth century to the present. The Wadsworth Atheneum is the oldest continuously operating public art museum in the United States. Its library and archives house materials that document its history, are relevant to its collection, and support art historical research more broadly for staff, docents, and visiting scholars. Collection highlights include the museum’s first published Catalogue of Paintings from 1844, artists’ books donated by Sol Le Witt, a manuscript collection that documents the business and family of Rhode Island merchant Benjamin Fowler (1937–1818), and records of the Connecticut Historical Society and Hartford Public Library, which were housed within the Atheneum until the 1950s.

The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art respectfully requests a grant of $7,521 from the NEH Preservation Assistance Grant program to undertake a general preservation assessment of the Auerbach Art Library and Wadsworth Atheneum Archives, a collection spanning more than 50,000 bound volumes, 3,000 linear feet of archival materials, and 200 periodical titles. Conducted by a consultant from the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC), the assessment will evaluate the building and environment as they relate to the preservation needs of the materials; examine current policies, storage, and handling procedures; and assess the general condition of a representative sample of the collections. Observations and recommendations will be presented in a written report that will identify short-, medium-, and long-term preservation priorities. The general preservation assessment will be a vital step in the development of a long-range preservation plan for the Library and Archives.