Eastern Regional Coal Archives
@ Craft Memorial Library
Bluefield, Mercer County, West Virginia
Craft Memorial Library Building in which the Eastern
Regional Coal Archives Exist in a Section of the Top Floor
(Photo retrieved from http://www.coalwoodwestvirginia.com/erca.htm )
Week 7:
22nd, 23rd and 24th of July 2015
22nd: 7.5 hours
23rd: 7.5 hours
24th: 5.0 hours
Week 7 Total Hours: 20.0
This seventh, and second to last week of my archival practicum has brought me back to work at Eastern Regional Coal Archives. I am so happy to be back! This place is such a marvel to have in southern West Virginia. I would love to see it used by more municipalities and as a way to tie all of our region's coal/industrial history together.
I already had a small list of preservation duties that needed to get done from three weeks prior. Two items involved addressing materials within a box of personal Mahood effects that I'd previously gone through, described and arranged in folders and folder boxes. One letter of correspondence had the gummy flap folded inside the envelope and pressed against the letter within. It was World War II vintage, written to Alex Mahood, Jr. from his grandmother in water soluble ink. The other item needing addressed was the scrapbook of Alex Mahood, Sr.'s projects...mostly newspaper clippings, but one photograph, a couple semi-glossy periodical pages and some entire newspapers folded up and stuffed in the back of it. The scrapbook pages appeared to be acidic, so the information needed to be rescued. A third small project involved rearranging some of the folders within the Mahood folder boxes to more logically reflect the subject matter of said boxes.
Eva McGuire, Director and former curator of the archives gave Becky and I a lesson in paper conservation. By using nothing more than water, the universal solvent, we were able to separate pages and pictures that had been glued in books. It was simple and effective and fun! She told us a bit about the process of deacidification, but, unfortunately, we were never able to do that this week. Using a cue tip, and protecting the letter, I carefully painted the glued seam of the envelope with water until it became gelatinous and opened as easy as you please. We were then able to make out the letter, dry everything off and place it back in its folder for future researchers to peruse unencumbered!
The next process that I began this week, and will have to finish next, is the careful separation of pages from Mahood, Sr.'s scrapbook, taking digital images of everything, and photocopying the information on acid-free paper. This is a tedious task, and as Eva put it, newsprint was not meant to last, so the pages can be brittle and/or folded/snagged in different ways. The full sized newspapers were fully opened and pressed for the weekend in order to make them more manageable for copying. The rest of the pages began being separated by a razor blade and multiple format copies made. This is a process which was very difficult for me, yet, I can see how the destruction of the original item can lead to more consistent and sustainable preservation. I was involved in archaeological digs for several years, which is a 'destructive science' in its nature of excavation, so I know the conundrum of destroying, yet creating at the same time.
The final project that was begun this week was getting a collection of over-sized Mahood items into an archival newspaper box (tall, wide, but not too deep). This week, I went through the materials and made a list of them. I will arrange them in the box and print out the list next week. Two items of personal interest to me include: a scrapbook of the Mercer County Courthouse, in Princeton, which includes architectural plans and photographs of the finished product...very beautiful...and reminiscent of the plan views that Mahood, Sr. did while studying architecture in Paris...impeccable symmetry; and, proposed sketches to an addition to the US Steel Gary Headquarters building. The original had been a craftsman style, but the addition he proposed looked as modern as you can get, extremely linear with a sleek glass facing. I don't know if that ever came to fruition, but it would have definitely been a sight to behold...almost like alter-egos of two different eras.
The final project that was begun this week was getting a collection of over-sized Mahood items into an archival newspaper box (tall, wide, but not too deep). This week, I went through the materials and made a list of them. I will arrange them in the box and print out the list next week. Two items of personal interest to me include: a scrapbook of the Mercer County Courthouse, in Princeton, which includes architectural plans and photographs of the finished product...very beautiful...and reminiscent of the plan views that Mahood, Sr. did while studying architecture in Paris...impeccable symmetry; and, proposed sketches to an addition to the US Steel Gary Headquarters building. The original had been a craftsman style, but the addition he proposed looked as modern as you can get, extremely linear with a sleek glass facing. I don't know if that ever came to fruition, but it would have definitely been a sight to behold...almost like alter-egos of two different eras.
For additional informational reading about downtown Bluefield, including all her buildings designed by Mahood, please download the following PDF of the State Historic Preservation Office's Bluefield Historic District Application. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/mercer/87000630.pdf
ERCA Trademark
(Retrived from http://craftmemorial.lib.wv.us/images/archivelogo001.jpg )
