CARLI News

Jamie Nelson, Head of Special Collections and Archives, DePaul University

All libraries need to be ready to care for their collections in the event of a disaster.  Some of the earlier installments of this CARLI Preservation Committee series on disaster planning focused on types of disasters, preparation and training for an effective staff response, and kits and supplies for in-house recovery work.   But if your disaster is more widespread, dangerous, or damaging than your institution can reasonably or safely handle, do you have any service vendors on speed-dial? 

A pastoral beautiful Tokyo street scene hand colored and captured via lantern slide...

Bonnie Parr, Historical Documents Conservator, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

Fire, water, mold – what do you do when faced with collection materials affected by these types of disasters?  The decision to undertake salvage efforts in-house or to use a vendor who provides recovery services depends on the severity of the damage, quantity of materials affected, and resources available.  The following information provides basic considerations and guidelines for recovering burned, wet, or moldy library materials.

The first page of this letter, written by Anna Persson to her sister in 1907, reflects the joy of a recent immigrant to the United States. What was undoubtedly an long an arduous journey is characterized simply as "a lot of fuss," and though Anna later notes that the food was terrible, and says that she already misses and worries about her mother, her tone invariably returns to a chatty optimism.