Does your institution have an archive? Is it maintained for research, exhibitions, or just the records and papers that mark the history of your institution? How do you care for your archives? Or, don’t you? Whether your archives are carefully curated or simply grew over the years, what is the best approach to preserving those important materials and how does their preservation differ from other collections that you have under your care?

This webinar will cover the basics of archives preservation within a framework of risk management. Some issues discussed will be familiar to other areas of collection care, while others will speak to the particularities of archival collections. Topics will include: storage environments, housings, care and handling, collection surveys, security, integrated pest management, disaster planning, and digital preservation.

Presenter

Fletcher Durant is the Preservation Librarian at the University of Florida Smathers Libraries. His work focuses on the preventive conservation of library and archival materials, the sustainability of cultural heritage, and risk management. He is a trained book and paper conservator and a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation. Prior to joining the University of Florida, he was the Preservation Archivist for NYU Libraries and an Assistant Conservator for Special Collection at the New York Public LIbrary. He received his MSIS and CAS in the Conservation of Library and Archival Materials from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA from Wesleyan University.