Accessing History: Unmasking the Process of Preservation
Come check out the preservation exhibit opening May 3, 2017 at 4:30pm!
The purpose of this exhibition is to unmask the preservation process and offer a glimpse into how we maintain our collections to ensure that they are available to the public for years to come. Over the course of history, the preservation process has evolved alongside our understanding of records and their role as documentary evidence. Today, preservation takes many factors into account, including proper storage, environmental conditions, and the physicality and materiality of records. We preserve these materials not only for their historical value, but also for their value as primary resources for researchers, including UWM students, staff, and faculty.
This exhibition displays items from four different departments of the library—Special Collections, Archives, Digital Collections, and the American Geographical Society Library—and focuses on the challenges faced by the Libraries in preserving often delicate or unusual materials. Materials from all four departments participating in the exhibition will be on display at the opening for attendees to see up close. There will be a brief gallery talk followed by the opportunity to speak to members of each department and handle special materials!
Under the direction of Max Yela, this exhibition was developed and installed by Special Collections/Archives intern Elizabeth Kamper and Special Collections intern Kalani Adolpho, both graduate students in the UWM School of Information Studies.
