From the Preservation Lab

In preparation for our new exhibit on Plymouth opening in October, members of Special Collections, Reference and Technical Services have been pulling library materials to be considered for inclusion in the exhibit. During this process items in need of repair have been found, such as two maps of the Plymouth area from the 1800s. While these maps were not chosen to be included in the exhibit, they were quickly routed to preservation for some repair work prior to reshelving.

The first map repaired, pictured at left, depicts Plymouth Harbor and was printed in 1857. This map had numerous rips along all of the edges, two torn pieces that created holes along the top edge and two areas of paper loss along the bottom edge. The rips along the edges and the holes along the top were repaired with archival document repair tape, a material similar to regular pressure-sensitive tape, but that is acid and lignin-free and should remain stable over time. Where there was paper loss along the bottom edge, acid-free archival quality paper was used to stabilize the document. Below is a close up of the stabilization of the lower left corner of the map. (Click any image to enlarge).

The second map routed to preservation was a map of New England published in 1828. Unlike the Plymouth Harbor map, this map was fairly stable along the edges, having been repaired previously (40 to 60 years ago from my estimate). Instead, this map needed a good cleaning along the bottom edge of one piece and needed to be housed in a map folder to protect it while shelved.

The map was cleaned using a dry sponge made of a rubber-like material that lifts and traps dirt. A small puncture hole was repaired in the lower right corner using acid-free archival paper and archival document repair tape. Once these repairs were made, a new map folder was labeled with the call number information and the map was ready to be reshelved.




While items arrive in the preservation lab through many channels, it is important to the library that we incorporate preservation check points to work flows where possible. For the Plymouth exhibit all items included in the display will first be assessed for any preservation issues that may arise from being on display for several months. Repairs will be made where needed, systems to support items during display will be fabricated and facsimiles will be created when the item is decided to be too fragile for display. Additionally all items pulled during the planning process, but that we decided would not be in the final exhibit, will be assessed for preservation needs before the items are returned to the shelf. For this exhibit about 40 items will be assessed for inclusion in the exhibit and about 35 items will be assessed before they are routed back to the stacks. Though not all items will need repair, adding this preservation check point to the exhibit preparations allows repairs to be made where needed and works to further the library's mission goal of preservation and conservation of library collections.

Stay tuned to the library blog for more information about the Plymouth exhibit over the coming weeks.

-- Lacy Crews, Preservation Assistant

From the Edward Kirby Collection

Over the next week, the library blog will be featuring a series of items from the Edward Kirby Collection, which will soon be reseased to researchers.

The first item up is the "Massachusetts Parade of Agricultural Fairs":

• Page one


• Page two

This promotional brochure from 1966 was published by the Mass Department of Agriculture. It is in the "Events to Attend" file from Kirby's tenure as a State Representative from 1960-1966. I chose to share this item because of its graphic flair.

-Katie Chase, Special Collections Librarian

Update from the Preservation Lab

As mentioned in a previous post, the preservation intern and I have been working on boxing a selection of editions of the Public Officers of Massachusetts. As of Friday, all volumes in the project have been boxed. The preservation intern, Denise, had this to say about the experience:

"Though initially daunted by the prospect of building boxes for a full shelf of books, I became more confident in my skills as I progressed in the project. Lacy provided an excellent and detailed set of instructions (including diagrams and visual aids) to assist my memory after our step-by-step box construction training session. I soon developed a sense of the work flow and the physical memory of "making a box" which allowed me to assemble multiple boxes simultaneously. I asked questions as necessary and as I finished cutting stock for the final boxes I realized I had developed a skill I could keep for life."

The boxing project was Denise's final project as summer intern and she did a great job!

- Lacy Crews, Preservation Assistant

From the Preservation Lab Intern

As part of ongoing pamphlet binding work performed this summer, I turned up documents from the Massachusetts Civil Defense Agency (MCDA) and the Massachusetts Committee on Public Safety. Those with an interest in National Security issues at the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War era may find this information interesting. The purpose of civil defense as stated in the pamphlet is: "to minimize the effects of enemy attacks or major disaster upon the people, property, industry and commerce of the Commonwealth."

The Organization Plan includes a map and organization chart that specifies which agency has responsibility for which region and the services provided within that region (medical, water supplies, rebuilding, etc.). It also contains an appendix with the Administrative Orders designating this responsibility and the date the order was issued.

The MCDA coordinated efforts with the Federal government in order to most efficiently cover the state's emergency needs. Some of the wording of the document is specific to the Cold War era (nuclear fallout shelters) but as the main purpose of the document is to give an accounting of which agencies are responsible for the welfare of the citizenry during a disaster, much of the information is still pertinent.

The Committee on Public Safety document is a report on air raid alarm signals. It rates the alarm's effectiveness in terms of sound and how it carries in a specific urban area in order to gauge how well the signal would travel during "air raids, blackouts, fire and contingent emergencies." The detailed testing of different air horns is meticulously graphed and reported in order to provide the best equipment to the community during wartime (1941).

As the binding on the Organization Plan is quite firmly attached, I merely built a four flap document enclosure to protect it and provide support. I removed staples and sewed most of the other documents in this group.

-Denise Anderson, Preservation Intern

From the Preservation Lab

Yesterday as I was repairing a gift book published 1909 I noticed an interesting bookplate in the front. (Click on the image to increase the size.) The warning at the bottom struck me, as I had just fully detached the front cover.

Since I am employed for the explicit purpose of cutting old books during repairs, the threat of up to six months in jail wasn't too scary. However, as I spoke to the head of our department about the statute quoted on the plate, we began to wonder if such a law was still on the Massachusetts books. A few minutes searching in LoisLaw yielded my answer. Yes, indeed this law still existed and both the fine and jail time has increased. It's lovely to know that the commonwealth has put up this front line of defense, in effect lessening the amount of items that come to the lab through malicious intent. Now, if only there were a law preventing inherent vice.

- Lacy Crews, Preservation Assistant

The State Library and UMass Boston Healey Library Announce Digitization Partnership

Partners to Scan 250,000 Pages of Massachusetts Documents

The State Library has issued the following press release:

BOSTON, Mass., August 14, 2008 – The State Library of Massachusetts and the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston have announced a partnership to scan and electronically preserve 250,000 pages of Massachusetts session laws from 1620 to the present, making it easier for people to access these important historical documents.

"This is an exciting project and a significant undertaking," said Dr. Daniel Ortiz, university librarian at UMass Boston.

UMass Boston will sponsor the digitization of the State Library's collection of Massachusetts Acts and Resolves, with the scanning of the documents to be performed at the Northeast Regional Scanning Center, housed at the Boston Public Library and sponsored by the Sloan Foundation, Boston Library Consortium, Inc., and Internet Archives.

The partnership, and its planned project, will provide students, legislators, historians, genealogists, policy researchers, and interested citizens with greater access to the vast wealth contained in these volumes.

After the announcement, Elvernoy Johnson, state librarian, said, "We are delighted and look forward to partnering with Daniel Ortiz to make these incredible documents readily available to the public, fostering R&D and informed citizenship."

The project is expected to begin this fall.

Contact Information

Elvernoy Johnson
State Librarian of Massachusetts
State Library of Massachusetts
Telephone: (617) 727-2592
Fax: (617) 727-9730
E-mail: elvernoy.johnson@state.ma.us

Dr. Daniel Ortiz
University Librarian
University of Massachusetts Boston
Telephone: (617) 287-5916
Fax: (617)287-5950
E-mail: Daniel.Ortiz@umb.edu

-Patrick Mahoney, State Library Staff

Code of Massachusetts Regulations

The CMR (Code of Massachusetts Regulations), according to MGL 30A section 5, are required to contain certain information when they are promulgated.

On the "cover" page of the individual agency regulations in the MASSACHUSETTS REGISTER, there is a wealth of information among which are:

1. the regulatory authority


2. an agency's contact, address and phone number


3. public review and hearing date


4. fiscal effect of the regulation for up to 5 years


5. small business impact


6. effective date

The individual MASSACHUSETTS REGISTERS are available at the State Library. The Reference Librarians are always available to help search for this information.

-Bette Siegel, Government Documents Librarian