Thursday, September 17, 2008 Waking up in our dorm rooms, we went to work nearly immediately, as the lab was only fifty feet away. Caitlin and I began tackling the “George Washington Carver clay mess.” Clay had absorbed water in the flood, slid out of its storage jar and resealed itself, becoming moldy. We neededContinue reading “Training Under Helen Alten Continues”
Author Archives: Elizabeth Stone
Training Under Helen Alten
Wednesday, September 17, 2008 After the pretty drive over to Illinois, Caitlin and I unpacked the car–a load of baskets, the clay from George Washington Carver, some metal objects, a few gourds and some supplies Helen had recommended we bring. Although it was almost dinner time, Helen thought we should dive into some training, and thenContinue reading “Training Under Helen Alten”
Celebration
Thursday, September 4, 2008 Finished with the initial cleaning of all–yes all– the records. We had abused the Oakdale paper facility for the summer, and Tim let us use the space for a party. Nancy picked up sandwiches, Gary and Joyce brought drinks and the table decoration, and Caitlin, Kat and I cleaned up theContinue reading “Celebration”
45s Are Fun!
Thursday, August 21, 2008 After working on the LPs and 78s, the 45s are a breeze. First, there are only three boxes–about 300 to clean. Second, they are small and cute and easy to handle. They are not brittle, like the 78s. They have few labels running, unlike all the Supraphon from the LPs. TheContinue reading “45s Are Fun!”
Cleaning CDs and DVDs
Friday, July 25, 2008 The DVDs and CDs from the African-American Museum are still caked with dirt. Most had been in plastic cases, and so Bill and I pitched the covers and dry wiped these. There was a stack, however, that were only in paper sleeves, and so in worse condition. Nervous about putting theContinue reading “Cleaning CDs and DVDs”
Hanging in There
Tuesday, July 22, 2008 Caitlin has gone home to visit Michigan. Which means Bill has come to help me out. Although he makes fun of the lunches I bring, and doesn’t laugh at my jokes, it is good to have two people doing this. The day goes faster and more smoothly. Plus, Bill does appreciateContinue reading “Hanging in There”
Drying Out LP’s
Thursday, July 3, 2008 As we are taking out the LPs from their disgusting boxes, the covers and the records themselves are still wet. And caked with mud. And they need to be dried–preferably with some semblance of the order they are in. Luckily, Tim Barrett has allowed us to take over the Paper LabContinue reading “Drying Out LP’s”
Mass Drying
Monday, July 7, 2008 We try to utilize the entire drying rack daily. The records are hung staggered with the covers, which allows air to pass around them all. We set up a few fans around the room, not directly on the rack, as it caused some of the covers to fall, but just toContinue reading “Mass Drying”