Condition Assessment of Archival Collection and Onsite Preservation Workshop

FAIN: PG-50845-10

Adams Museum and House, Inc. (Deadwood, SD 57732-0252)
Carolyn S. Weber (Project Director: May 2009 to September 2011)

A preservation assessment of over-sized photographs, maps, and architectural drawings along with an in-house workshop on the care and handling of archival materials. Collections include local mining company records, the papers of an influential area business attorney, and pictorial sources on the history of South Dakota's Black Hills region.

The grant will support an on-site consultation with a paper conservator who will examine specific historic photographs, maps and drawings from the archive collections of the Adams Museum & House (AM&H). The documents selected for examination have been stored rolled-up and house in environmentally unstable conditions for years. The consultation will consist of a general assessment of the condition of the documents, including recommendations on safely accessing, storing and digitizing the materials (both analog and digital). The conservator will conduct a workshop for up to 15 people (including AM&H staff) where she will demonstrate appropriate preservation and conservation practices for museum, library and archive professionals who normally do not have ready access to a paper conservator.