Preservation Workshop

A Preservation Workshop presented by Cynthia Harris was held Saturday, August 15 at Prairie Museum of Art & History. The free hands-on workshop was sponsored by Solomon Valley - Hwy 24 - Heritage Alliance and funded by the Kansas Humanities Council.

(Click photos to enlarge)

 Cynthia works in Manhattan, Kansas at Kansas State University Hale Library in the Department of Special Collections/University Archives where she processes manuscript collections to be used by researchers.
Visit Cynthia's website at:  www.cynharris.com
On the website, click on the "About" tab to find out more about the workshops she conducts and how to schedule one for your area. 

The program was aimed at helping to preserve military items from World War II. However, the technology would apply to anyone wishing to preserve family memories and mementos. Those attending were invited to bring items with them for examination and discussion. I also pulled items from the Prairie Museum collections for 'show & tell'. Categories included photos, documents, books, clothing & fabrics, glass, leather, and metals such as brass shell casings.

Cynthia emphasized the importance of cleanliness in the preservation of artifacts. She made several suggestions for cleaning different materials and made recommendations for safe cleaning products.  The next step in preservation is proper storage. She demonstrated several techniques and offered suggestions for purchasing archival supplies.

 Here Cynthia examines and makes recommendations for the preservation of a World War II soldier's government issued personal sewing kit.

 This lady brought in her father's World War II army uniform, photos, and a framed collection of medals, awards, and badges.

 No napping here! Everyone is spellbound listening to Cynthia share her expertise.