Study says Vermont relics and records are 'at risk'
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By KEVIN O'CONNOR Staff Writer - Published: June 28, 2009
Vermont's memories are fading — not by the passage of time, but because of problematic artifact and archival storage, a new study warns.
One in every five historical societies, museums, libraries, municipal clerks and probate courts surveyed statewide lacks storeroom controls for temperature, humidity or light, while more than 90 percent don't have formal preservation plans.
As a result, the past increasingly is cracking, crumbling or covered by mold — if not stolen and sold to antique dealers for want of proper security in half of all institutions.
"It's pretty startling," says Jacqueline Calder, curator of the Vermont Historical Society. "Vermont's cultural heritage is at risk."
While many people tap attics or basements for safekeeping, the state stores its public records and relics in 300 historical societies and museums, 186 public and 24 academic libraries, 248 municipal offices and 18 probate courts.
But a majority of those organizations can't insure year-round safety through basic means like climate control or security, according to a "Connecting to Collections" study conducted by the Vermont Historical Society, Museum and Gallery Alliance, Department of Libraries, Division for Historic Preservation and State Archives.
Vermont is one of the first states to receive federal money to study the issue after the Institute of Museum and Library Services revealed a larger problem in its recent national report, "A Public Trust at Risk."
Of the nearly 300 Vermont institutions surveyed, only 12 percent report losses due to fire and only 19 percent to vandalism. But an overwhelming majority confirms a more damaging problem: "the insidious day-to-day deterioration that takes place due to poor storage and environmental conditions."
This, the state study says, includes "improper handling and cramped storage; fading and weakening of materials due to excessive light; mold growth from high humidity and temperatures; and cracking, checking and buckling as a result of short-term dramatic temperature and humidity changes."
More than a quarter of organizations surveyed don't have a written catalog of the content and condition of their collections, while two-thirds don't have a plan on what they'd save first in case of fire or flood.
"In the event of an emergency," the report says, "precious time, resources and valuable collections may be lost as staff scramble haphazardly to preserve and save what they can, instead of following a plan that strives to ensure the best care for collections."
Even a helping hand sometimes can hurt. The Waterbury Historical Society lost much of its Civil War collection when a volunteer stole artifacts and sold them to antique dealers. When the society recovered some of its documents, it couldn't prove ownership because it didn't have catalog records.
"We've lost some incredible things because of lack of security," the society's Brian Lindner says.
What to do? Waterbury has locked its collection in a vault. But most organizations require something they don't have: money.
Although Vermont has a few large depositories (the Shelburne Museum has 150,000 objects in 39 exhibition buildings), most are small volunteer facilities (the Brattleboro Historical Society boasts a room in the attic of its town Municipal Center). Half of all institutions surveyed run on less than $25,000 a year, while one-third have budgets less than $5,000 a year.
And while public libraries often store historical books, almost 70 percent don't consider it their mission to preserve them.
"We are not funded to take care of historical collections," one librarian said in the survey, "and hardly have the funds to do our day-to-day business."
To help, a national coalition of institutions is trying to develop a local grant program.
"Federal funds need to be getting down to the grass roots to address questions of collections care," says David Donath, president of Vermont's Woodstock Foundation and chairman of the American Association for State and Local History.
Although Vermont historical societies welcome money, they're also calling for grant-writing assistance, as almost 90 percent surveyed are run by volunteers.
"As funders continue to increase their requirements, request more information on their applications and only provide for online filing," the study says, "Vermont's many volunteer or part-time staffed institutions find the process frustrating, overwhelming, and exclusionary."
In the meantime, the report suggests institutions draft a simple emergency plan, noting more than two-thirds don't have one and consider it their greatest need.
"Most Vermont institutions have a good sense of what they need in order to take care of their collections, but lack the staff, money and expertise to do so," the study says. "Finding the most popular and affordable type of educational assistance for institutions will be key to collections care in Vermont."
kevin.oconnor@rutlandherald.com
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