Preservation Supplies and Environmental Monitoring Workshop for the Donnelly Library at New Mexico Highlands University

FAIN: PG-52027-13

New Mexico Highlands University (Las Vegas, NM 87701-4279)
Cheryl Zebrowski (Project Director: May 2012 to August 2014)

The purchase of environmental monitoring equipment, basic preservation and re-housing supplies, and hiring of a consultant to present a one-day training workshop for the library staff. The workshop would cover use of environmental monitoring equipment, interpretation of environmental data, and basic book-repair techniques. Three collections that focus on the art and history of New Mexico would be monitored and improved by the project's activities: a fine art collection of 2,500 items that includes original works by artists Fritz Scholder, Elmer Schooley, and Paul Volckening and crafts of the Hispanic people of northern New Mexico from the 1930s; special collections that include historic documents relating to the Santa Fe Trail and photographs of Las Vegas, New Mexico, and the surrounding area; and the Beisman collection of artifacts, field notes, and 7,500 maps relating to land surveying dating from the late 19th to 20th centuries.

New Mexico Highlands University Libraries will begin to implement the short term goals recommended in a Preservation Site Survey. We will purchase equipment to monitor the environment, purchase archival supplies to rehouse some of the items, and receive training on paper repair and archival housing techniques. The major archival collections include Special Collections containing local photographs, newspapers, land grant and Fort Union documents. The art collection consists of 2,500 original works and prints by regional folk artists and internationally known master artists. The Beisman Collection contains 7,500 regional survey maps. These collections reflect the history and culture of Northern New Mexico, from pre-history to the Santa Fe Trail period, to Las Vegas's heyday as a railroad town. This material provides unique insights into controversial land claims between diverse cultures, from the Native American pueblos to the Hispanic land-grant system to Anglo property laws.