CONSERVATION CENTER FOR ART AND HISTORIC ARTIFACTS
OFFERING SUBSIDIZED PRESERVATION OVERVIEW SURVEYS
FOR PAPER COLLECTIONS

  -  Are you overwhelmed by the needs of your collection
     and can't decide where to begin?

  -  Do you need to improve storage and environmental conditions,
     security and handling procedures for your collections?

  -  Do you have a preservation plan for your collection?

  -  Do you need an overview survey to support a collection care
     project or grant application?


The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)
encourages Mid-Atlantic institutions with paper-based collections
to apply for Preservation Overview Surveys, generously subsidized
by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.  CCAHA
continues to offer, for the next two years (1996-1997), subsidized
preservation overview surveys for non-profit organizations,
including libraries, archives, museums, educational institutions,
and historical organizations, that have paper-based collections of
long-term value to the study and understanding of the humanities.


PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

The purpose of a preservation overview survey is to assess an
institution's current care of its paper-based collections and to
provide strategies for addressing immediate needs and developing
extended strategies for the collections' long-term preservation.

  -  The Conservation Center is conducting a limited number of
     preservation overview surveys in 1996 and 1997.

  -  There is a fee of $300.00 for a survey, plus travel expenses
     for the surveyor.

  -  Applications are reviewed in order of receipt.  The selection
     process continues throughout each year.

A survey consists of a one-day site visit by a member of the
Center's staff and submission of an extensive report.  An overview
survey encompasses a general review of an institution's
preservation needs with regards to environment (temperature,
relative humidity, pollution, and light), housekeeping, pest
control, fire protection, security, disaster preparedness, storage,
handling, exhibition, treatment, and preservation planning.  To
identify the preservation needs of the institution, the visit
consists of a review of the site, an examination of the collection,
and interviews with relevant staff, including those responsible for
collection care, the physical plant and building maintenance, and
security.  A report that provides observations and recommendations
to serve as a guide in the development of a comprehensive
preservation plan for the paper-based collections is submitted to
the participating institution.


CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION

To be considered for participation in the Conservation Center's
Subsidized Survey Program, your institution must have a humanities
collection available to the public.  Preference is given to
institutions that conform to the following criteria:

  - Institutions with collections that are either unique or of
    significant value to the study and understanding of the
    humanities

  - Institutions that can make a commitment to developing and
    implementing a long-range preservation plan and that have an
    individual staff member or volunteer willing to assume
    responsibility for preservation activities

  - Institutions in the Mid-Atlantic region

APPLICATION PROCESS

To apply for participation in the Subsidized Survey Program, please
contact the Conservation Center for an application form.  Send
three (3) copies of the completed application form to the
Conservation Center.  Please include one copy of the following with
your application: proof of tax exempt status; most recent annual
financial statement; staff list; list of board members; written
policy statements; and other relevant information such as
brochures, survey summaries, etc.  In the application narrative
section you will be asked to discuss briefly:

  -  educational and research significance or uniqueness of the
     collection
  -  previous collection care practices
  -  major preservation problems and concerns for the collection
  -  reasons that a preservation overview survey is appropriate at
     this time

To request an application form or additional information, please
contact:

Ms. Virgilia Rawnsley
Director of Preservation Services
Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts
264 South 23rd Street
Philadelphia, PA  19103
Tel: (215) 545-0613
Fax: (215) 735-9313
EMail: [log in to unmask]


Created by Congress in 1965, the National Endowment for the
Humanities is an independent agency that supports education,
research, preservation projects and public programs in the
humanities.

CCAHA, established in 1977, is a non-profit regional conservation
laboratory serving other non-profit cultural, educational, and
research institutions as well as private individuals and
organizations that are located principally in the Mid-Atlantic
region.  The Center specializes in the treatment of works of art
and historic artifacts on paper, such as prints, maps, posters,
historic wallpaper, photographs, rare books, scrapbooks,
manuscripts, and related materials, such as parchment and papyrus.
It also offers on-site consultation services; educational programs
and seminars; and internships, fellowships, and apprenticeships.

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