State Library Receives National Endowment for the Humanities Grant

The State Library is happy to announce that it has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities grant for 2012! The Preservation Assistance Grant provides funding for the continuation of the Massachusetts Room Preservation Project, a multi-year project that began in 2009.

A previous NEH Preservation Assistance Grant in 2010 supported the systematic repair and preservation of several important sub-categories of collections within the State Documents Collection (the Massachusetts Room, 20th Century Massachusetts maps, legislators' papers). The 2012 grant will continue this work, focusing on ephemeral materials housed in the Massachusetts Room.

For more information about the grant award, please see the National Endowment for the Humanities' press release. For more information about the preservation work performed as part of this multi-year project, please click on the "Massachusetts Room Preservation Project" label in the gray box at the bottom of this post.

- Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

Love that Dirty Water? Not Quite

Earlier this year a library staff member brought me a badly water-damaged item. What follows is a photo essay of the preservation process. Here's how the item looked when it first arrived in the preservation lab:
It kind of looked like a topographic map had been added to the cover. The item was dry when I received it, and my best guess is it had been in the path of a periodic leak. The drying and subsequent wetting of the item could cause rings of varying sizes. A close up of the title and images:Sediment from the water was left at the edges of the puddles as the water dried, creating dark rings of hardened sediment. The rings from a slightly different angle:

The cover of the book has a glossy finish which both saved this item from being destroyed and allowed for cleaning. Using a cotton swab dipped in distilled water, I carefully tested one small area of the cover to see if it would come clean. This test showed positive results and I began slowly cleaning the entire cover. After a bit of cleaning, this was the result:

The top layer of dirt was removed from the majority of the cover and many cotton swabs were used in the process. Blotter paper was put on both sides of the front cover and the item was placed under weights overnight. This process helped to draw out any remaining dampness from the cover and help prevent further warping from water absorption.

After the remaining area of dirt had been cleaned, I was left with only the toughest areas of residue to clean.
The first layer of dirt had been easy to lift with just a damp cotton swab. However, for this next phase of cleaning, I swabbed on a bit of distilled water and let it sit for about one minute before I began lifting the dirt with a damp cotton swab. This technique proved quite effective, though I was careful to keep the water used on the item to a minimum. If I had to leave the item for any substantial amount of time, I would sandwich it between blotter paper and put it under weights.

The result of this detailed work is an item that looks remarkably beautiful when compared to its pre-preservation state:
There is still a bit of staining along the top edge where the water was able to migrate between the glossy top layer and the backing paper. Removal of a section of the glossy layer might aid in further cleaning, however I am reluctant to remove it as it includes the grid design seen throughout the cover. A custom phase box will be the last step in preserving this item. I leave you with one final shot of the title and images:

- Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

A Slight Diversion

Work on the Massachusetts Room Preservation Project is moving at a swift pace, with the lab preserving over 3,900 items in fiscal year 2011. One of the items that came across my workbench in this time was a series of four reading lists published in 1919 by the library of the Massachusetts Agricultural College at Amherst (now UMass Amherst). Each card is approximately three and a half inches by five inches and includes numerous titles on a given subject. The reading list shown at left is on the topic of sports and recreation. Other topics in the reading list series include flower arranging, gardening and the domestic arts. These reading lists can be found in the Mass. Room under the call number 630.72M3J A27r. In these hazy days of August, I encourage you to heed the words of H. More:

The mind ought sometimes to be diverted, that it may return the better to thinking.

Lacy Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

When Paper Clips Go Bad

As part of the Massachusetts Room Preservation Project I have been re-housing and boxing collections to protect from light, dust and other calamities. Recently I came across several items from the 1920s that had paper clips inside that had rusted.

The images at left show the extent to which rust can damage and discolor paper. All of the paper clips were carefully removed, along with the remaining specks of rust.

Aside from rust, paper clips can cause paper to warp and tear, so before you add one to your personal or professional archives, take a second and think of these photos.

- Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

Favorite Book Cover of 2010

In the first year of the Mass. Room Preservation Project the preservation interns and I have preserved nearly 2,000 items. While the majority of these items have simple covers that include title and author details, every now and then an interesting title or cover art slips in. Some of my favorite titles have included:

The Cool Facts on Recycling Metalworking Coolants

Tire Piles in Massachusetts

Grow Your own Lobsters Commercially

By far my favorite cover seen this year is that of Measures of Water Pollution by the Water Resources Commission, pictured above. I love the cranky-looking octopus and all the little pictures of various types of pollution. Decorated bindings have their place, but I think there’s plenty of room to enjoy the more pedestrian of bindings too.

I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled in 2011 for a cover that tops this, but for 2010, the cranky octopus wins my award of favorite cover.

- Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

Preservation Milestones

The past month has been a busy and exciting one for the preservation lab!

At the end of July preservation work was completed on the items being digitized under the Mapping Massachusetts grant. In total 368 items were preserved, with a total of 2,223 repairs performed. Work began in October of 2009 and was performed by the Preservation Librarian with help from lab interns Sarah Pickard, Jay Moschella and Chessie Monks.

This week the 1,000th item from the Massachusetts Room Preservation Project(MRPP) was repaired and preserved. Work on this NEH grant funded project began in January of 2010 and will continue through the end of the grant period in 2011 and beyond. The MRPP is designed to be a multi-year project that aims to assess and preserve when needed an estimated 40,000 items in the Massachusetts Room. Work is being completed by the Preservation Librarian and many dedicated interns. These wonderful interns include Sarah Pickard, Hilary Vaught, Bianca Hezekiah, Lori Satter and Shawna Smith.

- Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

image: Harbor at Cotuit and Osterville in the town of Barnstable

Putting the "P" in Preservation

When I encountered this document on the shelf of the Massachusetts Room in the State Library, the true value of this preservation project become clear. The Mass. Labor Relations Commission Report from the 1940s documents decisions made regarding the treatment of union workers in Massachusetts during the Great Depression.

As you can see in the photograph, the document was held together with a cloth ribbon. The document itself resided in a thick stock file folder that had definitely seen better days.


As soon as I untied the cloth ribbon, the front cover of the folder fell off, as it had become increasingly brittle over the past 70 years! Needless to say this document was crying out for some attention and a new enclosure.


Before I could create a new folder, I had to unfold the tissue paper thin document that had been placed on top of a second document.













After both documents were laid flat, I then created a new folder from archival quality acid free paper stock to better support the items. These materials were both over-sized, that is larger than 8 1/2 by 11 inches. I placed the documents on top of an over-sized folder and then marked where I would cut the folder to better line up with the margins of the documents. You can see the markings on the bottom right corner of the image on the left.


After using the paper cutter to ensure even and level cuts, the items were ready to be placed in their new folder. The new folder housing the items then goes into a large envelope, also made from archival quality acid free paper.


This item was not yet entered into the library's online catalog and so, I cut out the original folder (remember the one that had fallen apart) that contained the author and call number information and paper clipped it to the new envelope and set the entire package aside to be sent to the cataloging department.

From the moment I take the item off the shelf and begin to plan how best to preserve it, I spend at least five minutes with each item. It's far too easy to rush the treatment process, but having encountered this tricky item I certainly appreciate how important it is to be careful and thorough.

And as you can see from the image of the final product- the effort is well worth it!

- Lori Satter, Preservation Intern

Back to the Future

Since working on the Massachusetts Room Project, I have been able to see so many interesting pieces of Massachusetts’ past. Ranging from economic growth pamphlets to energy conservation efforts of the 1980s, I have learned so much about the importance of preserving the information from the past.

This past week I came across two very different, yet wildly interesting pamphlets. The first, entitled Business Opportunities in Space by The Center for Space Policy, outlined the goals of a conference held in 1984 to promote and expand space exploration. More specifically it was “aimed at developing a pragmatic understanding of the issues involved in the commercial exploitation of space.” Within the packet there is a letter from Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis encouraging people to attend said conference. Most interestingly, he notes that the conference will discuss the United States’ commitment to build a civilized space station for $8.5 billion. This space station was projected to create more than 5 million jobs by the year 2000 and was expected to build new industries related to gravity-free living. Since I was born in 1986, I found this pamphlet to be extremely interesting as I never had the opportunity to live through the Reagan Administration and its ideas on space exploration. Thinking back to my childhood, it is quite humorous to think that a civilized space station was more understandable and believable than current technology such as the Internet.

The next pamphlet I found that piqued my curiosity has the longest title: In the 1950s Something Happened in a Few Small Laboratories in Massachusetts that has Transformed the World Forever. It is About to Happen Again. It contained information on what was then called photovoltaics, a term from the 1970s that means solar panels. This pamphlet outlines some goals set by Governor Dukakis which include applying these panels to all state highways, marine and railroad facilities. He also wanted to build a village demonstration project, where an entire community could be shown to run economically and efficiently on photovoltaics. Although this is not where we are in the United States today, this idea is definitely more likely to happen in the near future than a civilized space station. For now, any further information on these two topics can be found in the Massachusetts Room of the State Library. Hopefully I will have some more interesting finds for you soon!

- Sarah Pickard, Preservation Intern

Preservation Intern Update

One of the best things about the Massachusetts Room project that I am working on is that I never know what kinds of materials to expect. The documents are housed in a variety of different types of folders and envelopes. Some of the documents are in standard plastic folders while others have had individual folders fashioned to fit their size. Many of the documents have been stapled together but others have been tied with ribbon or string. Some documents have hand-written call numbers while others have printed labels. The original housings are all very unique.

The documents themselves also come in a mixture of different shapes and sizes. The documents may be small pamphlets, oversize newsletters, or standard size reports. Some documents are tall and thin while others are short and wide. Most of the documents are black and white but some are in color. It makes the project interesting because every document I handle is a bit different from the previous one.

The content of the documents that I have been working with is also a source of variety. Many different subjects are covered. To name just a few, I have encountered documents on the Commission Against Discrimination, the Massachusetts State Library, and the Department of Veterans’ Services.


One of the most interesting things that I found recently is a newsletter called The Update. It is the newsletter of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women. This particular document is from Spring 2002. Please note the logo for the commission in the upper right-hand corner. It clearly communicates the mission of the organization it represents and it is very easy to remember. I also think it’s one of the best logos that I’ve seen.

The second page of the newsletter mentions the public hearings on women in Massachusetts. The hearings cover everything from domestic violence, housing, childcare, and health care. A number of those hearings, including the Fitchburg Hearing that is mentioned, are also found in the Massachusetts Room of the State Library.

The third page explains National Women’s History Month, which is celebrated every March. It gives a little background and talks about the celebration in 2002. It also reminds us that International Women’s Day is March 8. That’s something to add to the calendar for when spring finally comes!

- Corinne Philips, Preservation Intern

Blast from the Past: Library Rules

Over the summer, I completed a course on preservation management as part of the archives management concentration at the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science. The class took a field trip to the State Library, its Special Collections, and the preservation lab. It was fascinating to see behind the scenes and how a number of preservation techniques that we were learning about were applied in a real situation. After finishing the class, I am fortunate enough to intern here at the State Library’s preservation lab and gain some hands on experience.

The project I am working on is rehousing documents from the Massachusetts Room that are fragile and thin. The items that I have worked on so far have a wide range in dates and cover a number of different topics. One of the best things about this project is that each document is unique. Many are different sizes or different formats and every day I find something new and interesting.

The first thing I do is remove any deteriorating paper or plastic folders. I then take out any staples or ribbons that have been holding multiple sheets together. These steps are taken to prevent further damage to the documents caused by unstable enclosures or fasteners. Next, I measure and cut a new acid-free folder so that it will give a close fit for the document with just a little extra room on the sides. The last thing I do is place the folder inside an envelope that is labeled with its call number, title, and author. This allows patrons to identify the contents of each envelope without having to pull out the item. Now the documents have a little more support and protection from light damage and shelf wear.

One of my favorite things that I have found so far is a document called Massachusetts State Library Rules. They went into effect on December 1, 1926.

A few of my favorite rules are:

#11: It is requested that users of the library shall refrain from removing their coats and appearing in shirt-sleeves in the main reading room

#13: Telephone calls will be delivered only in cases of emergency.

The rules are fascinating because they highlight changes in social conventions, technology advances, and differences in library procedures. Stay tuned for more interesting finds!

- Corinne Philips, Preservation Intern

Preservation Update

It has been a busy couple of weeks in Special Collections and Preservation! Two major initiatives are underway and in the midst of these projects, I traveled to New Jersey to finish up my term at the Preservation Management Institute.

The Massachusetts Room Preservation Project
This is a multi-year project focused on rehousing unique documents produced by state agencies and concerning the Commonwealth. Many of these items were produced during the era of brittle paper (approximately the 1850s to 1950s) and are very fragile as a result. The preservation intern for the fall is working on rehousing fragile and thin items into acid-free folders and envelopes to provide support on the shelf and protection from light damage that can further degrade brittle paper. So far this season over 150 items have been preserved as part of this project. Stay tuned to the blog for updates on the project and posts about interesting items discovered in the process.

Mapping Massachusetts: the History of Transportation in the Commonwealth
This year the State Library received a grant as part of the Library Services and Technology Act to digitize collections relating to transportation systems in the Commonwealth. These materials include manuscript maps of railroads (built and proposed), materials from the Land and Harbor Commissioners, and materials relating to canals and tunnels in the state. Preparation for digitization has begun and that includes making sure that items look their best before they go under the cameras. Over the next few weeks I'll be cleaning up and making any minor repairs necessary to our first batch of items to be scanned, approximately 300 railroad maps. It is a great experience to see and work on these hand-drawn maps. With some stretching to over six feet long, they are really a testament to the care and diligence of state mapmakers of years past.

Preservation Management Institute
As mentioned in previous posts, the Library was awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grant last year to support my year of study at the Preservation Management Institute, a program of the Rutgers University School of Communication and Information. This October I traveled to Rutgers to complete my third and final week of the program. The class had some very interesting discussions about mission statements and current trends, the future of libraries in light of growing digital collections, managing change during times of restructuring and budget shifts, and a very enlightening presentation on digital imaging and what saving as a jpeg means for data/image loss. This week of discussions and presentations brought together ideas discussed in the previous two weeks of class and the hands-on experiences I've gained at the State Library over the past year.

The highlight of week three for me was our "backstage" tour of the New York Public Library (Mid-Manhattan Library). We spent a rainy afternoon there touring the preservation and conservation labs, the microfilming lab, the Office of the Registrar which handles exhibits, the main reading room, and the map room.
There were so many amazing things it is hard to express all we saw, but I guess I can sum it up by saying, we walked right by a Gutenberg Bible and only noticed it on a second pass through. What could be the crown of some collections is just sitting quietly in its own exhibit case with no fanfare. A slightly dark picture of the Bible is included at left. (No flash photography was allowed.)

We ended the day by visiting the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division. I know their collections are amazing, but I was most taken by the compact map shelving and beautiful decor of the reading room. Below at left is a picture of the ceiling of the reading room. While I appreciate that new technologies can provide library services in remote locations, there's something to be said for providing library services in amazing reading rooms.

For those of you looking for a beautiful space to access library resources and wi-fi here in Boston, the State Library has huge windows for natural light, a beautifully renovated reading room, and a flat screen television on the balcony for viewing House and Senate sessions.

- Lacy Crews Stoneburner, Preservation Librarian

From the Preservation Intern

As part of the archives management concentration at the Simmons College Graduate School of Library and Information Science, students must complete a preservation elective. The preservation elective I completed was called Preservation Management for Libraries and Archives, which introduced the field of preservation and preservation methods. After completing the course, I decided to intern at the State Library's preservation lab to gain firsthand preservation experience.


My first project is to create enclosures for documents from the Division of Insurance, now part of the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. These documents are available in the State Library of Massachusetts on the 3rd floor of the State House, as well as other documents that state agencies produce.

The first step in preserving these documents is to remove staples from the documents with a microspatula. This prevents the staples from rusting and damaging the paper. Next, I sew the document by making three holes about three inches apart on the left hand side of the edge, and placing thread through the holes. Tying the thread keeps the thread secure. I then measure and cut a folder about 1/8" bigger on all sides than the document. I place the document inside the folder, and place the folder in a 9" x 12" or 10" x 13" envelope, depending on the thickness of the document. Lastly, the call number is written on the lower left hand corner of the envelope, and the flap is placed inside the envelope.


The photo on the left shows the documents before receiving preservation enclosures (box on the right) and after enclosures have been made (box on the left). I am halfway through preserving these documents. When I am done, my next project is to clean maps that will be on display at the State Library over the summer. Stay tuned for more updates!

- Tina Chan, Preservation Intern