Preserving and Protecting the Willard J. Houghton Library's Humanities Collections

FAIN: PG-50804-10

Houghton College (Houghton, NY 14744-8732)
Jill Kingdon (Project Director: May 2009 to May 2011)
David W. Stevick (Project Director: May 2011 to September 2011)

A workshop to train library staff in managing the environment for preservation and in using tools for environmental monitoring and data analysis. Funding will also support a follow-up workshop to be held one-year later that will use the data collected to guide the development of a long-term preservation policy.

At a time when the importance of humanities scholarship is increasingly overlooked, preservation efforts insightfully recognize the value of humanities investments made in the past, they steadfastly support humanities studies in the present, and proactively ensure the ongoing contributions of humanities scholarship. A humanities education informs our thinking, adds to our knowledge and understanding of our world, and helps us positively shape our future. We believe the library facilities at Houghton College lack effective climate control, and put a substantial humanities collection at risk. With the generous help of this NEH grant, and the assistance of expert preservation consultants, we can take the first step towards stabilizing and extending the life of the collections in our care. The preservation assessment project outlined in the grant would begin in January 2010 and end by May 31, 2011.