A
planning project to assess the storage environment for the college library’s
special collections, containing art and artifacts, rare books, manuscripts, and
archives dating from the 15th century to the present, and to develop
plans for improved climate control and security.
Bryn Mawr College requests a
$40,000 planning grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections program to develop a plan for creating
a cost-effective, energy-efficient storage area for the College's Special
Collections, one of the largest and richest collections of art, cultural
artifacts, rare books and manuscripts to be found among liberal arts colleges
in the country. We will use NEH funding to hire an outside consulting firm to
evaluate the current storage facilities in Canaday Library and Thomas Hall to
determine which practical and environmentally sustainable options are
available. The project committee overseeing this project will use the
information collected in the study to develop a strategic plan for prioritizing
and implementing recommended measures, and will begin immediate implementation
of transitional steps to create improved storage areas for the most vulnerable
collections until the larger-scale renovations can take place.