Improvements to Collections Storage at South Coast Railroad Museum

FAIN: PG-50003-07

South Coast Railroad Museum (Goleta, CA 93117-1502)
Gary Brian Coombs (Project Director: May 2006 to September 2008)

The purchase of storage furniture and dataloggers for collections at the historic Goleta Depot, constructed in 1901 during the completion of the Southern Pacific Railroad's Coast Route linking San Francisco and Los Angeles. Collections to be rehoused include photographs, slides, tools, artwork, depot clothing and furnishings, and toys that document the history of the depot and railroads in southern California.

Grant funds, if awarded, will be used to improve the conditions of the museum's stored collections, particularly with respect to security and environmental controls. More specifically, the grant will be used to purchase and install three museum-quality storage units, containing a combined 130 cu. ft. of usable storage area. The grant would also include the purchase of moisture-barrier material and two temperature-humidity data loggers, which will be used in the storage units. The project also includes the relocation of all of the museum's stored collection items to these storage units. This project is one of six near-term (within two years) goals of the museum's Long-Range Conservation Plan. The long-range plan was developed in consultation with a professional collections conservator, who was hired using a 2004 NEH Preservation Assistance Grant.