Environmental Monitoring and Collections Housekeeping at the New Hampshire Political Library and Franklin Pierce Manse

FAIN: PG-50119-07

Library and Archives of New Hampshire's Political Tradition (Concord, NH 03302-2512)
Lori Fisher (Project Director: May 2006 to December 2008)

Purchase of environmental monitoring equipment and consultation with a conservator to study conditions in the New Hampshire Political Library and the Franklin Pierce Manse (built ca. 1838), where Pierce and his family lived from 1842 to 1848. The Manse and the Library recently merged and their combined collections provide researchers and the public a better understanding of our 14th President and New Hampshire's political history.

The New Hampshire Political Library and Franklin Pierce Manse seek funds to establish an environmental monitoring program for the historic house and archives storage areas. The program would entail monitoring temperature and humidity using HOBO dataloggers, under the guidance of a conservator who will assist us to interpret the data as the institution installs a new HVAC system in the historic house and new exhibition galleries in 2007. In addition, funds are sought to purchase a visible light meter in order to establish a monitoring program in areas where there are collections objects as well as sources of daylight, and a Nilfisk HEPA variable speed vacuum cleaner in order to effectively and efficiently clean the period rooms within the historic house and the collections storage areas.