2025 Poster Session

This presentation will explore the collaborative effort between the Smithsonian Institution (SI) and the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) in preparing the Folk-Legacy Records Collection for digitization. Folk-Legacy Records was a folk recording label founded in 1961 by Sandy and Caroline Paton and Lee Haggerty. Active for nearly 50 years, the label released over 140 albums of traditional music. Their archive spans 205 cubic feet and consists of a wide range of materials, including research notes, business records, film and photographs, and recordings on open-reel tapes, cassettes, and CDs. Smithsonian Folkways Recordings received the collection in 2019. Prior to its acquisition, it had been stored primarily in the Patons' home recording studio in Northwest Connecticut, where it was subject to a wide variety of environmental conditions. Faced with contamination from pests, mold, and debris, the project required a two-pronged approach: collaboration between SI and NEDCC, and interdepartmental teamwork at NEDCC, involving audio and imaging specialists.

We’ll discuss the initial condition assessment, NEDCC’s proposal process, and the development of a remediation plan. The dialogue between NEDCC and SI throughout the project was essential to tailoring the preservation strategy to SI's needs and the needs of the collection materials. Work at NEDCC was performed primarily by two departments: the Audio Department oversaw the remediation of the open-reel tapes and cassettes, while the Imaging Department dealt with the papers, photos and film, and electronic media. Along with returning the collection in a state where it could be safely integrated into the Smithsonian Institution, NEDCC delivered a folder-level inventory detailing the contents of each container. 

This presentation will reflect on both the strategies used to remediate the collection, and the strategies that NEDCC used to ensure a final product that consistently reflected the wide variety of materials within the collection.  Finally, we’ll reflect on the lessons learned from this vendor partnership and offer strategies for institutions seeking to engage with specialized vendors for large-scale archival preservation, particularly for non-emergency disaster recovery services.