Quincy University Rare Materials Assessment

FAIN: PG-50379-08

Quincy University (Quincy, IL 62301-2699)
Patricia Tomczak (Project Director: May 2007 to March 2009)

A preservation assessment of rare book and archival collections, including a local history collection of documents and photographs on Quincy, Illinois, during the Civil War and steamboat eras; an early collection of African American folklore; and a collection of books, manuscripts, and letters on 17th- and 18th-century Franciscan missionary work in Mexico and the American Southwest.

Quincy University will hire a consultant from the Northeast Document Conservation Center to provide a general preservation survey of the paper-based library and archival materials of the Brenner Library. The survey will assess possible risks to collections, address fire protection and security concerns, evaluate institutional policies and procedures, review the existing collections maintenance program, provide recommendations for improving storage and handling practices, and review the general condition of paper-based collections.