Preservation Assessments of Fresno County Public Library's California History and Genealogy Room

FAIN: PG-52029-13

Fresno County Public Library (Fresno, CA 93721)
Lisa Eckman (Project Director: May 2012 to December 2012)
Laurel Prysiazny (Project Director: December 2012 to December 2012)
Jeanne Johnson (Project Director: December 2012 to January 2013)
Nance Espinosa (Project Director: January 2013 to November 2014)

A preservation assessment for the library's collection of published material and primary sources dealing with the history of Fresno and the state of California more generally. The collection includes over 30,000 books, microfilm reels, and manuscript items as well as 113 linear feet of local government records containing extensive demographic and social history documentation of California residents dating from 1850 through the late 20th century. Of note, the library maintains census information (1896-1908) on Cherokees, who migrated in significant numbers to California's San Joaquin Valley, along with archival records pertaining to an Indian boarding school in Riverside, California. The collection also contains over 100 oral history recordings of local Japanese Americans in addition to over 3,000 photographs, publications, plays, artworks, and letters by and about Fresno-born author and dramatist William Saroyan.

Preservation of the collections in the California History and Genealogy Room is a priority for the Fresno County Public Library. The collections in the California History and Genealogy Room consist of more than 30,000 books and pamphlets, 5,000 microforms, 300 CD-ROMs, and numerous other types of research materials. They contain a wealth of historical and genealogical information heavily used by members of the community, as well as by researchers from around the country and internationally. The grant will support two assessments by a consultant: one to review the collections and provide recommendations for preservation and storage; the other to review physical and environmental factors in the Room and provide recommendations for future facilities improvements.