A general preservation assessment of the Japanese American Service Committee (JASC) Legacy Center’s collections and the purchase of wireless dataloggers and software to implement an environmental monitoring program. The collections consist of 800 bound volumes and 400 archival collections, documenting the history and lived experiences of the Japanese American community in Chicago and the surrounding area, as well as the institutional records of the JASC. After World War II, the Japanese American population in Chicago grew rapidly because of post-incarceration resettlement efforts and represented the largest concentration of Japanese Americans outside of the West Coast. The materials, which include 5,000 photographs from professional photographer James Numata and 25 paintings created by Japanese American children during their incarceration at Granada (Amache) Relocation Center in Colorado, serve a variety of researchers, both genealogical and academic, and support the center’s exhibits and public programming. The assessment and equipment would help the staff ensure the long-term availability of these humanities collections.

The proposed project will enable the Japanese American Service Committee Legacy Center to purchase environmental monitoring equipment and hire a consultant to complete a general preservation assessment. The goal of the project is to assess the preservation needs of the Legacy Center's archives and library so that an actionable plan can be developed for the long term protection of unique materials pertaining to the history of the Japanese American community in Chicago. Preserving and providing access to these holdings supports the humanities by enabling academic research, family history research, educational programming, exhibits, and public programming highlighting the immigration experience, World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans, resettlement in Chicago, long-term effects of intergenerational trauma resulting from civil rights violations, and the redress and reparations movement.