The Milton S. Eisenhower Library of The Johns Hopkins University has received a $185,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to strengthen the library's preservation program.
With this added support, the library's preservation resources--presently consisting of a restoration bindery and related offices--will be enlarged through the addition of a qualified paper conservator, and the program of education and technical training will be expanded. This will make possible the improved care of flat-paper materials, such as maps and prints, adding to the Eisenhower Library's book restoration program that has been in existence since 1975.
The training program, which will be supported for a three-year period by the Mellon grant, will enable the Eisenhower Library to conduct workshops and to sponsor consultancies and internships. These special activities will be offered to other libraries in the mid-Atlantic region and to members of the Research Libraries Group.
The workshops will orient library staff members in procedures for accurate identification of binding and preservation problems and in rapid mending techniques. Consultants will be available on a limited basis for specific programs within libraries or groups of libraries.
The program of internships will allow Johns Hopkins to host three librarians or technicians from other institutions each year for three-month periods, during which time they will gain skills and receive intensive training in preservation techniques.
The workshops, consultancies, and internships will be available to libraries at no cost under the terms of the Mellon Foundation grant. It is expected that the workshops and consultancies will begin in the spring of 1982, and that the internship program will be available in the fall of 1982.
Libraries with am interest in education and training in preservation and restoration should contact Ms. Susan K. Martin, director, or Mr. John Dean, collections maintenance officer, Milton S. Eisenhower Library, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21218.
A separate $18,000 Mellon Foundation grant will fund a Newberry project to develop an economical, small scale means of treating water damaged or insect infested books with a commercial freezer. The grant was made with the understanding that once the Newberry can use the freezer to dry water-wet books and exterminate insects, it will share its information with other libraries, archives, and museums.