Disaster recovery – Conservation & Collections Care News

By Nancy E Kraft

Seven IMALERT members pause for a group photo in front of the Pacific Junction Railroad Museum. — IMALERT members take a group photo in front of the Pacific Junction Railroad Museum.

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Cindy Opitz holds binder over a bucket of water and uses a brush to clean the pages. — Cindy Opitz cleans a flood-damaged binder

Chairs and various objects covered in mud from the flood waters sit in sorted piles. — Flood-damaged collections sorted by material type

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On Monday, April 22, Iowa Museums, Archives, Libraries Emergency Response Team (IMALERT) members assisted with the retrieval and salvage of collection items in the flood-damaged Pacific Junction Railroad Museum (PJRM). We could not have had a more “perfect” flood recovery experience. The Mills County Historical Museum Director Steve Hunt from nearby Glenwood had everything well organized.

While the building was still underwater, he assembled a team of a few people available to bring their trucks and assist with rescue efforts. He also obtained supplies and cleared an area in a Mills County Historical Museum building where collections could be stored. Once the water receded, he worked with others to clear out the debris (fallen ceiling tiles, upended office furniture, etc.) so we would be able to get to the collections. He retrieved as many of the photographs as he could and a couple uniforms from the PJRM and City Hall, rinsed and laid them out. He also gave us the go ahead to provide assistance on April 22.

Team members from the University of Iowa – Nancy E Kraft, Cindy Opitz, Tiffany Adrain – joined team member Joy Stortvedt in Shenandoah and caravanned to Glenwood to join Steve and his team. Steve led the way to Pacific Junction as there was only one way in and it was hard to find. We loaded the collections into the trucks and hauled everything to Glenwood where we unloaded, sorted, and laid out the collections by material type. We spent the rest of the day rinsing material as needed. There were several notebooks of research material. Although we think the research material is on a server, we rinsed, wrapped, and stored the notebooks in a freezer. Once Steve has time, he’ll check the online files to identify those that really need to be salvaged

Everything is now stabilized. Material can be worked on as time and resources are available. We’re discussing a possible return for further assistance. The IMALERT has a 24/7 hotline that anyone can call for advice and assistance with collections damaged by disaster large and small. The number is 319-384-3673.

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Pagan (first row, second from the left) and other participants stand in front of the San Juan National Historic Site for a group photo. — Pagan (first row, second from the left) and other participants take group photo at the National Historic Site, Castillo de San Cristobal in San Juan.

[ezcol_2third] Candida Pagan, project conservator, traveled to Puerto Rico in early February to participate in the Helping Puerto Rican Heritage Project (HPRH).

Puerto Rico faces specific preservation challenges due to the tropical climate. Salt and humidity, along with more catastrophic weather like hurricanes, pose issues for institutions that house archives and collections. HPRH seeks to educate participants about conservation efforts in Puerto Rico while also advising conservators about care and preservation of their collections.

During HPRH, Pagan and the other participants toured a number of cultural heritage sites including the San Juan National Historic Site, Museo de Arte de Ponce, and the Hacienda Buena Vista, a living history museum whose coffee crops were damaged during Hurricane Maria. Participants also toured the Materials Characterization Center at the University of Puerto Rico’s Molecular Science Research Center. The Project included a symposium at the Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín, during which Pagan presented on basic book care and conservation. The presentations were followed by a Q & A, one of many sessions that Pagan enjoyed throughout her time with HPRH. The final day was a work day at Casa Blanca followed by a tour of La Casa del Libro for book and paper conservators.

“There are a lot of people who care about the preservation of cultural property and history,” Pagan said. “There are over 500 years-worth of historical artifacts from the time of Spanish and US governance, and a rich archaeological history that tells us about the lives of indigenous people before then.” [/ezcol_2third] [ezcol_1third_end]

Photo shows rows on cannonballs sitting on the floor and another stack on a cart with HPRH members walking in the background. — Cannonball conservation at Castillo San Felipe del Morro

Debora Mayer (second from the left), Helen H. Glaser Senior Paper Conservator at the Weisman Preservation Center speaking from the panel of conservators during audience Q&A at the Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín — Debora Mayer, Helen H. Glaser Senior Paper Conservator at Weisman Preservation Center speaks during Q&A at Fundación Luis Muñoz Marín

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The University of Iowa Libraries

Conservation & Collections Care News

Category: Disaster recovery

IMALERT members assist in disaster recovery

Pagan heads to Puerto Rico for cultural heritage conservation project