Holyoke History Room Preservation Storage and Training Project

FAIN: PG-51357-11

Holyoke Public Library Corporation Incorporated (Holyoke, MA 01040-4858)
Penni Martorell (Project Director: May 2010 to January 2011)
Jim Massery (Project Director: January 2011 to November 2012)

The purchase of storage equipment and preservation supplies and training conducted at the library on care and handling of archival materials. The collections of the Holyoke History Room include photographs and artifacts depicting the city's street car from the late 19th to early 20th centuries; glass plate negatives and prints from the late 1800s illustrating local transportation, industry, and homes; and the business records of the Parsons Paper Company located in Holyoke, nicknamed "Paper City" and known as one of America's first planned industrial communities.

There are 12-15 collections within the Holyoke Public Library’s Holyoke History Room archive whose contents are under stress due to improper housing — loose files not in storage boxes; non-archival containers; unlabeled collections. In addition, the City Directories Collection dating back to 1873 is suffering from deteriorating book spines. Based on the recommendations provided in a previously completed preservation survey, this grant will fund the purchase of permanent and durable furniture and supplies to protect these collections. This project also includes a request for on-site training, by the preservationist who did the original archival assessment and preservation survey, in the preservation and care of the collections.