Spring 1999

Archival Management Survey Are you sure that the security system provided for your documents is adequate, or that the humidity level is at the proper level to best preserve your collections? A consultation can easily be set up for librarians and archivists to learn what can be done to see that their collections are protected properly. To get the process underway, all that need be done is to have someone fill out the enclosed North Country Reference and Research Resources Documentary Heritage Program Application for Advisory and Technical Assistance. Once the application has been submitted and approved, an expert consultant will be in touch with a member of the institution to set up a convenient time to meet. The consultant will spend the day reviewing the collection. After the consultant has finished the work, he/she will prepare a written report. The consultant will then be available to come back and review the report with the institution’s board and/or managing individuals. If a more sophisticated review is needed, one will be set up through the North Country Reference and Research Resources Council. Librarians and archivists have no reason to be wary of the consultation. They are under no obligation to perform any of the recommendations - they are all optional. Remember, no collection is too small or too large to be considered for a consultation.

A Look At Some Actual Studies A survey was completed in March, 1999, for the Feinberg Library Special Collections at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh. "The Special Collections department is located on the basement/sub 1st floor level of the library which was constructed in the mid 1970’s," the report stated. "The Special Collections room appears to have been constructed as a reading room with limited stacks and three adjacent rooms used for offices and support work space. "Over the years as the Special Collections have grown, a limited access archive area was created by the addition of a wire partition and locking wire door referred to as the ‘cage,’" the report continued. Among the observations made by the consultant were that the light levels in the storage areas were too high, the humidity in the storage space was too high and too unstable, and there were concerns with the water sprinklers in the storage area, to name a few. The consultant listed his concerns, which were observed in each area and then offered a potential solution and suggested what materials would be needed to rectify the problem. He also took photos of the various areas, which were included in the report. A survey for the New Haven Historian was also completed in March. "The archival collection is housed in the historian’s office, a single room in a 1996 addition to the Town Hall, a building erected in 1948," the report said. Some of the specific problems the consultant reported on included loose papers inserted in the books, the format in which photographs are being stored, and also the format in which scrapbooks and diaries are being handled. The consultant dealing with the New Haven collection also gave suggestions as to how to deal with the issues that were identified, what items would be needed to complete the process, and where the supplies may be located.