In 2022, the Berrien County Historical Association is facing its biggest renovation to date - the BCHA archive and collection vaults. Our museum is home to tens of thousands of pieces of Berrien County's past and yet years of mismanagement and lack of care has created serious issues that are impacting our artifacts and our ability to preserve the area's history. In order to properly perseve our current collections and allow for continued growth in the future, it is time for our staff and volunteers to organize, rehome, and completely upgrade our two vaults. By doing so we're able to achieve the following goals:
- Rehouse hundreds of artifacts for their safety and preservation, including textiles, glassware, tools, and more
- Create a new organization system that allows staff to easily find artifacts or archival pieces for research and exhibition
- Allow for our collections software to be updated with better accuracy
- Create usable space for continued growth, allowing the BCHA to close gaps in our collections
- Purchase much needed preservation materials such as a deep freezer chest for nitrate film storage
The cost of this project is estimated to be approximately $20,000. To help us achieve this goal faster, The Upton Foundation has set a 10 for 10 challenge for the BCHA. For every dollar we raise, the Upton Foundation will match 1:1 up to $10,000. This means your donation goes farther and has a greater impact on this project! With this money, the BCHA will be able to do the following:
- Purchase new stationary and mobile storage shelves that allow for better use of the space (see here for sample shelving styles)
- Purchase new humitiy and temperature control systems to ensure the best environment for our vaults
- Purchase a new deep freezer chest to safely store nitrate films in our collections, reducing risk of fire by 90%
- Purchase a new hanging system for our blanket and quilt collection
- Purchase new shelves to safely store furniture
- Purchase new boxes for collections storage, with special focus on textiles and glassware to ensure their safety and minimize damage exposure
- Purchase new paint to seal walls and floors, caulk to seal windows, and new UV blockers to cover the windows
- Purchase a second copy of PastPerfect so staff and volunteers can work side-by-side to update our collections database
The BCHA will also use funds for materials needed to achive these projects, such as painting supplies.
When you give today, you're helping us save yesterday's story for tomorrow's history lovers!
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