Insights

Employ special care when preserving fine art and artifacts                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Proactive Measures Protect Collections

Institutions of higher learning, such as universities, museums, and archives, are the custodians of irreplaceable fragments of history. Preserving these invaluable artifacts is paramount to enabling communities to connect with the past, fostering both research and preservation. However, the natural degradation of historical documents and the potential risks they face pose significant threats to the continued accessibility of our cultural heritage.

Historical documents, particularly those on paper, are highly vulnerable to various risks, including fire, flood, aging, and potential human-induced damage. Exposure to adverse conditions can irreversibly compromise these artifacts. The delicate nature of aged collections, including photographs, historical records, and handwritten letters, amplifies the challenge of safe handling for research and archival purposes. Taking proactive measures through preventive conservation, digital preservation, and tailored archival storage is essential to ensure the long-term accessibility of these collections for future generations.

Conservation for Sustainable Preservation

The initial step towards safeguarding cultural heritage involves comprehensive conservation. Conservation specialists, proficient in handling works on paper, play a vital role in stabilizing and preserving fragile documents. A case in point is the preservation of the Hampton University Letterbooks. In 1868, Samuel Chapman Armstrong founded the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia to create educational opportunities for the Black community in the aftermath of the Civil War, known today as Hampton University. The writings and records from Armstrong's time were safeguarded in bound letterbooks, serving as a primary source for researching the university's early history.

Given the fragility of the paper, conservation was essential. Prompt intervention was necessary to maintain access to the thousands of pages of history, so in 2019, the twelve letterbooks were shipped from Virginia to The Conservation Center in Chicago, Illinois for treatment, digitization, and archival re-housing. Trained paper conservators carefully disassembled each letterbook, allowing for individual treatment, digitization, and proper storage of the 7,500 pages. Surface cleaning, mold remediation, and tear repairs were executed meticulously. An alkaline reserve was introduced into the paper via a non-aqueous deacidification spray, slowing down future degradation.

Digitization for Enhanced Access and Preservation

Following the conservation efforts, digitization played a pivotal role in enhancing access and preserving the essence of the original Hampton University letterbooks. The delicate nature of the paper necessitated the adoption of appropriate digitization methods which included BookEye overhead scanner to protect the fragile sheets during digitization. The front and back of each page, the index of each volume, the original covers (if present), and any additional inserts within the text block were scanned so that the information could be accessed digitally by researchers. A preassigned metadata schema was used to assign unique identifiers to each scan, streamlining future research efforts.

Customized Archival Storage for Longevity

Once digitization was complete, the conservators carefully prepared the original documents for long-term storage. Each page was placed within an archival mylar sleeve to provide additional protection for potential future handling. The original covers, if present, were housed in custom four-flap or folder enclosures of 10-point folder stock. Custom archival clamshell boxes, constructed with double-walled material, were tailored for each letterbook volume, further enhancing the preservation of these precious artifacts.

 

Preservation through digital reproduction acts as a safeguard, ensuring that priceless materials remain accessible. By creating and maintaining digital records of unique collections, institutions fulfill their duty as stewards of our shared history. Digitization not only reinforces preservation but also democratically amplifies access to knowledge, ensuring that our cultural heritage remains accessible and enriching for generations to come. The Hampton University letterbook preservation project serves as a testament to the vital role of conservation, digitization, and archival storage in preserving the fabric of our history.

1/29/2024

By Catharine Murphy, formerly Client Services Director, The Conservation Center

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