How Do American History Savers Work with Museums and Libraries?

American History Savers play a crucial role in ensuring that museums and libraries across the United States preserve, digitize, and protect historical records and artifacts. These preservation experts collaborate with institutions to prevent the loss of valuable cultural heritage due to time, deterioration, or disaster. From conserving rare books in local libraries to stabilizing fragile exhibits in national museums, American History Savers museums are essential to safeguarding the nation’s story.

Preserving America’s Heritage

Museums and libraries serve as the custodians of American history, housing artifacts, manuscripts, photographs, and memorabilia that reflect the country’s evolution. However, these collections are vulnerable to aging, environmental conditions, mishandling, and technological obsolescence. American History Savers step in with professional expertise to assess risks, implement preservation strategies, and ensure these institutions can maintain and share their collections for future generations. Their partnerships go beyond physical preservation they also guide digitization, cataloging, and metadata organization so that materials can be accessed and researched worldwide.

American History Savers Assess

The first step American History Savers take when working with a museum or library is a comprehensive collection assessment. This includes evaluating the condition of materials such as books, journals, tapes, photographs, textiles, and digital files. The assessment helps identify items most at risk of decay or damage and forms the basis of a custom preservation plan.Museums benefit from these assessments because American History Savers provide guidance on environmental controls like humidity and temperature, pest management, lighting, and handling protocols. For libraries, assessments often focus on paper preservation, binding stabilization, and long-term storage solutions.

Implementing Preservation Best Practices

After assessment, American History Savers implement preservation best practices aligned with national and international standards. For example, acid-free folders, UV filtering glass, controlled environments, and archival-quality boxes are introduced. In museums, this often extends to exhibit design that balances public viewing with artifact safety. Library historical services include rebinding fragile books, restoring torn pages, and placing rare volumes in protective casings. In both settings, American History Savers also educate staff on how to manage and maintain collections correctly, fostering a culture of ongoing care.

Digitization and Metadata Management

One of the most transformative services offered by American History Savers is digitization. Museums and libraries often hold irreplaceable materials that are inaccessible to the public due to their fragility. Digitizing documents, photos, and videos not only protects the originals but also increases public access and research potential. American History Savers use high resolution scanners and cataloging software to create digital archives that follow strict metadata protocols. These protocols allow future researchers to search, locate, and cite materials accurately. In libraries, this includes digitizing local newspapers, oral histories, and out-of-print books. For museums, it often includes 3D scanning of objects and interactive online exhibits.

Disaster Planning and Recovery

Floods, fires, mold, and even cybersecurity threats can devastate historical collections. American History Savers help institutions prepare by developing disaster response and recovery plans tailored to their specific needs. These include guidance on how to store materials safely, respond quickly in emergencies, and recover damaged collections.For example, a library with a flood prone basement archive may receive help relocating materials or installing moisture detection systems. A museum might get assistance preparing emergency kits and training staff in object evacuation procedures. These proactive measures are vital for reducing loss when disasters strike.

Training Museum and Library

Empowering staff through education is a core part of American History Savers’ mission. They offer workshops, webinars, and in-person training focused on collections care, digital preservation, and archival organization. Training allows museum curators and librarians to apply best practices consistently, minimizing reliance on outside help for routine care.Workshops often cover how to handle old books, frame historical documents correctly, or use metadata standards like dublin core or mods. This level of support builds internal capacity and ensures that preservation efforts remain sustainable over time.

Supporting Community History Projects

American History Savers often collaborate with smaller, community run museums and libraries that lack the resources of large institutions. These local centers frequently hold historically significant materials tied to regional culture, minority communities, or unique events. Through consulting and hands on support, American History Savers ensure these collections are not left behind.They assist with setting up digital archives, applying for preservation grants, and building volunteer teams to help with cataloging. In doing so, they make it possible for small organizations to safeguard their part of American heritage effectively.

Ethical Stewardship and Cultural Sensitivity

A key value upheld by American History Savers is ethical stewardship. working with museums and libraries, they prioritize respectful handling of materials related to Indigenous peoples, minority groups, and sensitive historical subjects. They follow best practices for community engagement, informed consent, and culturally responsive archiving. This ensures that preservation work not only protects physical items but also honors the stories and voices they represent.

Conclusion

American History Savers are indispensable partners for museums and libraries across the country. By offering expert assessment, hands-on preservation, digitization, training, disaster preparedness, and funding guidance, they ensure that the rich tapestry of America’s history is accessible for future generations. Whether it’s a community library safeguarding handwritten memoirs or a national museum digitizing a centuries-old map collection, American History Savers stand at the forefront of historical preservation.

FAQs

What do American History Savers do for museums?

American History Savers help museums preserve, restore, and digitize historical artifacts. They assess collection conditions, recommend best storage practices, and support exhibit preservation through expert guidance,

How do American History Savers support libraries?

They assist libraries by restoring rare books, digitizing old documents, and implementing archival systems. Their work ensures long-term access and protection of historical materials in public and academic libraries.

Do American History Savers provide digitization services?

Yes, American History Savers offer full digitization services including scanning, metadata creation, and digital archiving for both museums and libraries.