The National Guard Memorial Museum and Library has been awarded a grant to help it assess the preservation of its collection of rare National Guard artifacts.
The museum received a $3,490 grant from the National Institute for Conservation’s 2013 Conservation Assessment Program.
According to Anne Armstrong, the deputy director of the National Guard Educational Foundation, the grant will be used to hire a trained assessor who will look at the collection and how it is currently being stored and preserved.
The assessor will spend several days surveying the entire collection of artifacts in the museum and will then write a report on the condition of the collection. The report will also include suggestions on how to better preserve artifacts in the future.
“The ultimate goal is to better preserve our collection,” says Armstrong. “Some of our collection is very delicate.”
The collection spans almost 400 years and includes artifacts made of wood, metal, paper and plastic. Each material requires a different preservation method.
The museum applied for the grant in November and must hire an assessor to complete the assessment by the end of the year.
Such an assessment will also help the museum move closer to the goal of full accreditation, says Armstrong.
