Purchase Storage Furniture to Preserve the University's Archives Collection

FAIN: PG-51677-12

Chatham University (Pittsburgh, PA 15229-1232)
Rachel Rohrbaugh (Project Director: May 2011 to October 2013)

The purchase of shelving to protect the college's archive of personal papers, administrative records, student publications, photographs, motion picture , films, audio recordings, scrapbooks, and artifacts. Among the collections are the papers of environmentalist and alumna, Rachel Carson.

Chatham University seeks support to purchase shelving and a map case to properly store the University Archives collection. The University Archives captures the dynamic history of one of the last original eastern colleges that still limit baccalaureate degrees to women. The collection contains over 740 linear feet of papers, photographs, publications, film, audio, scrapbooks, architectural drawings, and other artifacts ranging in date from the institution’s founding in 1869 to the present day. The University Archives provides unique access to humanities themes such as women’s education from 19th century forward, local perspectives on historic national events, and the evolution of Chatham’s historically significant buildings and landscape. The current shelving does not support the depth of archival boxes of any size and the capacity of the existing map case has been exceeded. New storage furniture would ensure lasting preservation of this important collection.