Out of the Light and Into the Dark: Peabody Special Collections Window Treatment Installation Project

FAIN: PG-287815-22

Hampton University (Hampton, VA 23668-0108)
Erica Gudino (Project Director: January 2022 to May 2024)
Randy N. Smith (Co Project Director: August 2022 to May 2024)

The purchase and installation of blackout roller shades to protect the Peabody Collections, one of the oldest African-American library collections in the country, from further light damage.

The Peabody Special Collections is a one of the oldest African American library collections in the country with over 50,000 items by and about African Americans and the African diaspora. The subject areas are various and range from African American life in the South to Reconstruction to the history of the American colonization of Liberia. However, the current state of the window treatments in the Peabody Collection have allowed for ultraviolet light to enter the Stacks, resulting in sunlight damage and temperature changes. The goal of this project is to purchase and install blackout roller shades to protect the Peabody Collections from further damage and preserve it's legacy.