Vermont Oversized Historical Document Preservation Project

FAIN: PG-50953-10

Vermont Historical Society (Barre, VT 05641-4209)
Mark Hudson (Project Director: May 2009 to October 2011)

A conservation assessment of oversized historical documents as well as the purchase of storage cabinets and folders for these materials and an on-site workshop addressing their care and handling. Collections comprise over 6,800 manuscripts, maps, architectural plans, and broadsides dating to the 18th century and include documentation on Calvin Coolidge, religious leader William Miller, and influential regional architect Sylvester Smith.

The grant would support three activities relating to oversized items housed in the Vermont Historical Society's Howard and Alba Leahy Library, located in the Vermont History Center in Barre, Vermont. The grant would provide for a survey of the materials by a qualified paper conservator, resulting in protocols for the storage and handling of oversized collections and priorities for their treatment. It would also would fund the purchase of additional flat file storage cabinets and folders to improve the storage of oversized manuscripts, maps, architectural plans, and broadsides at the Vermont Historical Society. Lastly, the grant would fund a workshop in the handling of oversized paper items for the staff of the Vermont Historical Society and area local historical society members.