Much like having another set of eyes to help proofread one’s written work, the Historical Society of Haddonfield will soon have the Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia give guidance on how the society can best preserve its artifacts.
This help comes as a result of the Historical Society of Haddonfield being accepted to a stewardship program run by the CCAHA and funded by the William Penn Foundation, through which the center works to help various non-profit historical institutions in the Philadelphia area with preservation needs.
The CCAHA is one of the largest non-profit regional conservation facilities in the country, and specializes in the treatment of historical paper, photographs and books.
According to Carol W. Smith, president of the Historical Society of Haddonfield, being accepted to the competitive stewardship program is a tremendous opportunity for the society.
“Grants and programs such as this give you an ability to get an outside perspective and look at what you’re doing and how to set priorities for preservation work and how to set it moving forward,” Smith said.
Smith said acceptance to the 12-month program would allow the historical society to work with CCAHA preservation experts, who will come on site and walk through the society’s museum and archival collection and offer preservation assessments.
“They’ll basically help us set priorities for how to really better care for our artifacts,” Smith said. “We know we’re doing a good job, but we also know technology keeps changing and there are new ways to perhaps do some things in a better way. It’s a way to hopefully make our great practices best practices.”
Another aspect of the program will allow staff and volunteers from the historical society to attend training programs from the CCAHA that teach information regarding collection care.
“Programs run the gamut from how to build supports for artifacts that you might want to put on display, to something I’ve actually signed myself up for, which is a class on the legal issues of collection management, and others are more basic, covering things such as pest issues or mold remediation,” Smith said.
Overall, Smith said the society was “absolutely delighted” to be chosen for the stewardship program and to have the opportunity to get assistance from experienced professionals in the field of historical preservation.
“It’s always nice to have an outside, objective look at your organization,” Smith said. “You can get so caught up in the details whenever you’re directly involved, but this helps you step back and get a better overview.”
Founded in 1914, the Historical Society of Haddonfield collects and preserves artifacts, documents, photographs and other materials that tell the history of Haddonfield and surrounding areas in South Jersey.
Those looking for more information about the CCAHA or Historical Society of Haddonfield can visit www.ccaha.org and www.haddonfieldhistory.org.
