Cleveland Public Library Receives Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections
The Cleveland Public Library has been selected to receive the 2007 Award for Outstanding Commitment to the Preservation and Care of Collections. This annual award is presented jointly by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) and Heritage Preservation.
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Cleveland Public Library poster before and after treatment by the Intermuseum Conservation Association. |
The Cleveland Public Library is the first public library to receive this prestigious national award since its inception in 1999. Previous recipients have included art museums, historic sites, research libraries, and archives.
“All too often, public libraries with circulating collections feel forced to choose between basic public services and care of unique research collections,” said Lawrence L. Reger, President of Heritage Preservation. “The Cleveland Public Library is exemplary in its support of an extensive preservation program in the midst of all its other responsibilities.”
Basic care of the valuable books, maps, photographs and manuscripts in the Library’s collections is the responsibility of the Preservation Department, which was founded in 1988. Ann Olszewski, Preservation Manager, and her staff of five provide basic care for materials and maps that have been identified by the Library’s staff as needing preservation action. Creation of boxes, enclosures, and appropriate shelving is the kind of preventive conservation that is essential to extending the life of a collection.
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Cleveland Public Library photograph before and after treatment by the Northeast Document Conservation Center. |
When a rare book, artwork, or historic photograph requires conservation treatment, or the condition of a special collection must be assessed, the Library reaches out to professional conservators at the Intermuseum Conservation Association and the Northeast Document Conservation Center. “The cooperation between the Cleveland Public Library and conservators is a model for institutions that do not have professional conservation expertise on staff,” said Eryl Wentworth, Executive Director of AIC. “Whether the endangered object was a New Deal Mural, a baseball history scrapbook, or an architectural rendering, the Cleveland Public Library has sought out top professionals to provide conservation treatment.”
Access to conservation expertise is often a problem for public libraries. According to the Heritage Health Index, the 2005 survey of conditions of collections nationwide, only 10 percent of public libraries have dedicated paid staff for conservation and preservation. Only 3 percent of public libraries make use of external providers. The Cleveland Public Library is exemplary in making resources available to support six preservation staff positions as well as the use of consulting conservators.
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Color lithograph of the proposed Cleveland City Hall (1898), owned by the Cleveland Public Library and treated by the Intermuseum Conservation Association. |
In addition to its extensive collections of books, photographs, and other materials on paper, the Cleveland Public Library also holds many distinguished works of art. These include New Deal murals, plaster friezes, and paintings and sculpture in the Main Library and in branches throughout the city. Caring for art, in addition to the core collections, is a special challenge for the library staff.
The Award was presented on October 18 at a meeting of the Library’s Board. In honor of the occasion, the Board met at the Library’s Lakeshore Facility, home of the Preservation Department. The meeting included a special preservation tour and demonstration.
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