Rosenbach Environmental Monitoring Project

FAIN: PG-50053-07

Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA 19103-6510)
Judith M. Guston (Project Director: May 2006 to November 2008)

The purchase of data loggers and a light meter to monitor environmental conditions in the 1860s Rosenbach townhouse and adjacent building where 30,000 rare books, 300,000 manuscripts, 20,000 works of art on paper, 500 paintings, and 3,000 decorative and fine art objects are exhibited and stored. The collections are especially strong in American history, British and American literature, book illustration, and include such materials as the papers of poet Mariane Moore, illustrator Maurice Sendak, and the Rosenbach Company.

In April 2003, the Rosenbach Museum and Library completed a three-year renovation and restoration project which expanded the museum and library into a second building to accommodate storage, programming, increased exhibition spaces, and also involved restoration to the original historic home. In its new configuration, the Rosenbach's collection spaces include four separate storage areas, three gallery spaces, six rooms that are presented as house museum spaces, and library reading room facilities. The Rosenbach requests a Preservation Assistance Grant from NEH to fund the purchase of environmental monitoring equipment to monitor these spaces. This equipment would include a system of data loggers to monitor temperature and humidity and a light meter to monitor both visible and ultraviolet light.