Preservation Assessment for Archival Collections

FAIN: PG-51730-12

Albany Institute of History and Art (Albany, NY 12210-2202)
Tammis K. Groft (Project Director: May 2011 to April 2014)

The hiring of a consultant to conduct a preservation assessment of archival and curatorial collections documenting the history of railroad development in the United States from the 1820s through the present. The collections include topographical surveys, architectural records, photographs, scrapbooks, artwork, posters, broadsides, samples of iron rails, Pullman blankets, conductors' uniforms, train models, and furniture.

Albany Institute of History & Art (AIHA) requests $5,372 to conduct a Preservation Survey for 3 nationally significant collections of archival materials related to New York Central Railroad and Delaware & Hudson Railroad. This survey will be conducted by two conservators from the Williamstown Art Conservation Center (WACC). Susan D’Entremont, Regional Archivist for the Capital District Library Council (CDLC) will review the collections and the AIHA’s guidelines for Arranging and Describing Archival Collections. The survey is the first step in a multi-part project to make these frequently requested collections physically and intellectually accessible to public audiences. The goal is to conduct the Preservation Survey and plan the strategy for the Arrangement and Description of these collections simultaneously. The survey will also provide plans for the improved storage and re-housing of the collections and identify items that require future conservation treatment.