The Growth and Future of Conservation at the University of Washington Libraries

Abstract

In 2012, the University of Washington Libraries in Seattle, WA began a project grow and expand existing conservation capacities beyond the tiny basement facility that had existed for over 40 years, and have those five years undergone a period of rapid growth and change. Sparked by an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation award to establish a Senior Conservator position, the UW Libraries completed a new 4,000 square foot hybrid conservation facility in April 2016, expanded our educational outreach with the addition of two internships, and successfully raised funds to endow a Senior Conservator position.
In 2017, we received a new Mellon award to support deeper collaborations and shared conservation services between the University of Washington Libraries and the UW campus art museum, the Henry Art Gallery. Since then we have hired a jointly appointed Photograph and Paper Conservator to conserve collections at both the Henry and the Libraries. This presentation will share what we learned throughout this process (from lab design to fundraising) and describe some of the challenges and successes we encountered along the way.
Click on Video link on the right to view presentation.