What does the process of completing this project show you about the range of
coursework and other humanities-oriented experiences you have had at UNE?

This project utilized a variety of skills and knowledge that I have amassed over time while at
UNE through both coursework and experiences. My history courses provided the research
and methodical skills needed to conduct my preliminary research on conservation of
archival materials. Through these courses, I was required to interpret and compare both
primary and secondary sources to form arguments and make connections. This proved to
be beneficial for this project as I was able to call upon this skill to locate reliable
information regarding conservation techniques.

While these courses taught me a lot and provided me with important contextual
knowledge, I found myself incorporating concepts and ideas that I had learned through
firsthand experiences. This included an internship at the university’s archives and the
Education Department at the Strawbery Banke Museum, an honors project, and volunteer
experience with the Biddeford Cultural and Heritage Center. Through these experiences, I
found it easier to consider how others around me will interact with my project in a real
world setting. I learned that my main goal is to make history engaging and accessible
whether it be students in a classroom, a researcher in the archives, or a visitor in the
museum.

Why did you choose this project?
During my spring internship in the university’s archives and special collections department
I researched the Westbrook History College Collection. Particularly, I focused on the
scrapbooks of students and faculty that attended Westbrook Seminary and Junior College
during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As I researched this material, I
realized how scrapbooks are an incredibly important historical source as they provide a
personal perspective of the time in which they were created. However, it was also apparent
that due to their composition they were incredibly vulnerable. In April, I attended a lecture
titled, “Historic Scrapbooks in Libraries and Archives– the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly,”
held at Syracuse University where conservation and preservation expert Jennifer Hain Teper
discussed the challenges associated with the conservation of scrapbooks.
After this lecture, I began noticing issues within our own scrapbooks and began considering
how we could incorporate what I had learned into our own archival practices. However,
there were several logistical challenges with this. Firstly, I was unsure when I would ever get
the chance to complete this project. I was at the end of my internship and my focus on the
archives when I was to return in the fall was to complete my honors project. Another major
issue was that the university did not have a conservation lab, meaning that all the high
technology and extreme solutions such as complete digitalization and encapsulation were
unrealistic. When considering the project I wanted to revise or expand on, I knew exactly
what I had in mind.

What changes in your knowledge, skills, approaches, interests, and/or processes do
your project suggest to you?
The project of conserving scrapbooks challenged me to be mindful of the accessibility of a
source. Much of my experience is working in museum education settings, where I learned
the value that primary sources can add to a museum visitor experience. Working with a
scrapbook in such poor condition, I had to put myself in the perspective of research or
visitors that would be viewing the source. This required me to think critically about how to
balance usability and preservation to make sure that the resource still displayed the
components of the original scrapbook. This provides a more authentic experience for the
research and preserves the way that the original creator wanted to tell the story of their
experience. Additionally, I had to research various conservation techniques and similar
projects to prepare my conservation report.

Which aspects of the project best illustrate those changes?
The aspects of this project that illustrate the considerations and changes are the
conservation methods we chose to apply to the scrapbook. Cathleen and I worked together
to decide what pages or items were stable enough to be handled or maneuvered. For these
items, we created “window flaps” that allowed for viewers to interact with materials that
were layered or consisted of multiple pages. Pages that were in poor condition, typically
filled with layered newspaper clippings were placed in a single sleeve to decrease the
amount of accessibility in hopes of limiting the amount of handling in the item. I will
elaborate on this process further in my conservation report, which consists of suggestions
and plans for conservation.