Rehousing the AG Bell Archival & Library Collections

FAIN: PG-51836-13

AG Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (Washington, DC 20007-2737)
Gary Yates (Project Director: May 2012 to April 2016)

Training for staff in the care and handling of archival collections, as well as the purchase of rehousing supplies. The collection includes over 285 linear feet of files on the subject of deafness from the 19th and 20th centuries. A highlight of the collection for researchers is the personal "home notes" or diaries of Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, documenting his professional, technical, and scientific endeavors in deafness, deaf education, and speech, as well as a variety of his other interests, activities, and accomplishments from 1879 until his death in 1922.

The proposed project is based on specific recommendations obtained from the 2011 Preservation Needs Assessment for AG Bell, made possible through a PAG award. Project goals include: purchasing archival-quality material to rehouse the collections, plus training AG Bell staff and volunteers on how to properly rehouse the collections as well as on the proper methods for future arrangement and description. AG Bell believes that the proposed activities will provide the basis for a greater degree of preservation and lead to additional intellectual control. This will lay the groundwork for developing a future digital portal to AG Bell's valuable resources and collections in order to ensure public access for the benefit of current and future generations.