General Preservation Assessment for Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library Local History Room

FAIN: PG-51914-13

Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library (Clifton Park, NY 12065-3808)
Lauren Cardinal (Project Director: May 2012 to February 2014)
Gail Winters (Project Director: February 2014 to August 2014)

A preservation assessment for the library's local history collections, comprising 100 linear feet of manuscripts and archival records and 50 artifacts. Sources include land records, diaries, deeds, and wills from 18th-century Dutch settlers in eastern New York, along with mid-19th-century court documents and "Overseers of the Poor" records depicting aspects of life during the peak operational years of the Erie Canal, which ran through the Clifton Park-Hamilton area. The collections also include the records of several agricultural and manufacturing businesses and local schools in the region during the late 1800s and 1900s. Among the artifacts are arrowheads traced to pre-Colonial Mohican and Mohawk inhabitants as well as textiles, silver pieces, and paintings dating to the early 19th century.

Our project goal is to create a preservation plan for our local history collections. To this end, we will commission a preservation specialist to conduct a general preservation assessment of the Library's historical collections, comprising approximately 100 linear feet of archives and 50 artifacts. Our collections contain documents as old as 1711, and Native American artifacts dated back 8,000 years. They are invaluable in documenting the rich history of the area, and have been used as the basis for publications, presentations, exhibits, and educational activities. The consultant will conduct a site visit to assess environmental status; review the condition of the collection; and provide recommendations for improving storage and handling practices. We will receive a report with short-, mid-, and long-term preservation priorities which will form the basis for a preservation plan. The report will be shared with library administration and guide future preservation activities.