Improving Storage of the History San Jose Research Library's Archival and Manuscript Collections

FAIN: PZ-50039-06

History San Jose (San Jose, CA 95112-2599)
Alida J. Bray (Project Director: October 2005 to November 2008)

The purchase of storage furniture and supplies to rehouse 5,000 linear feet of archival and manuscript collections related to the history of California's Santa Clara Valley from 1777 to the present.

This project will ensure the safety and preservation of the Research Collection. Stabilizing and organizing the Collection will enhance staff ability to conduct more in-depth cataloging and increase access to the public. The Collection contains film, oral histories, archival and manuscript records, maps, architectural drawings, 30,000 photographs (only 2,500 of which have ever been seen), and the Pueblo Papers—the oldest municipal documents in the state. Currently, these materials are at risk, housed in non-archival materials, in a woodframe building without a fire suppression system. HSJ has a new state-of-the-art Collection Center, and appropriate shelving, yet lacks the funds to move and rehouse the Collection from it’s current location.