Environmental Monitoring of Collections

FAIN: PG-50347-08

SUNY Research Foundation, College at Fredonia (Fredonia, NY 14063-1127)
Jeremy Linden (Project Director: May 2007 to October 2010)
Randolph L. Gadikian (Project Director: October 2010 to October 2010)

The purchase of environmental monitoring equipment for the State University of New York, Fredonia Archives and Special Collections of more than 1,600 linear feet of institutional archives and manuscript collections documenting the history of the university, the Seneca Nation, and western New York State.

This proposed Preservation Assistance Grant project will begin on 2 January 2008 by purchasing seven Preservation Environment Monitors and the accompanying Climate Notebook software and peripherals from the Image Permanence Institute in order to implement a new preservation environment monitoring program at the SUNY Fredonia Archives and Special Collections unit. The collection and analysis of environmental data from among our seven storage areas will better allow staff to make educated and informed decisions regarding the physical housing and storage environments of our collections. Analyzed data will be shared with even smaller repositories within the Lake Erie grape belt region in an effort to foster a greater understanding of the effects of our particular temperate climate on collections preservation and storage. The project analysis and results will be submitted for publication in an appropriate professional/academic journal concerning the preservation of humanities collections.