| PG-263398-19 | Preservation and Access: Preservation Assistance Grants | Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation | Preservation of Eastern Shore Public Library Archives | 1/1/2019 - 12/31/2019 | $6,000.00 | Cara | Jane | Burton | | | | Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation | Accomac | VA | 23301-0554 | USA | 2018 | U.S. History | Preservation Assistance Grants | Preservation and Access | 6000 | 0 | 6000 | 0 | A preservation needs assessment for more than
1,000 volumes, 500 rolls of microfilm, and 350 linear feet of manuscripts,
published materials, and photographs documenting the history of Virginia’s
Eastern Shore, and preservation training for area cultural heritage
organizations. The collection includes
manuscript records of antebellum yeoman farmers, important area businesses, and
an 1885 railroad-adjacent planned community; photographs of Eastern Shore
scenes in the 1890s; a dozen local newspapers continuously collected since the
19th century; and a comprehensive collection of books written about
the area. Recent bequests augment the library’s
collections on local and African American history and genealogy. The planned assessment would assist the applicant
in planning a new library and heritage center.
Eastern Shore Public Library Foundation, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, financially supports the mission of the Eastern Shore Public Library. The Eastern Shore Public Library (ESPL), which serves Accomack and Northampton Counties on Virginia’s Eastern Shore peninsula, has a unique local history and archives collection frequently used by historians, authors, and genealogists. ESPL proposes to hire a preservation consultant from LYRASIS to conduct a preservation needs assessment of collections and conduct training on their care and handling. ESPL’s archives include documents detailing the Shore’s rich history from its Native Americans’ European contact in the 17th century to the present, including documents about the “culture of manumission” unique to this area. ESPL’s goal through this project is to assess the collection, create plans for its preservation, and train staff and volunteers to ensure they are available to students, humanities scholars, and the community in then care and handling. |