The Conservation Lab provides a wide variety of specialized treatments for the William H. Smith Memorial Library’s paper-based collection. Conservators specialize in working with books, maps, manuscripts, graphic works, photographic media and film negatives. Our methods benefit the physical needs of collections, from initial handling and examination, provision of customized housings, general cleaning and stabilization, and comprehensive laboratory treatment. Conservators also work with the IHS Digital Imaging Lab when recommendations for digital conversion of particularly fragile objects are warranted.

In addition to conserving our own collection, we provide outreach services in the form of consultations, site visits, collection assessments and preservation workshops to nonprofit historical societies, museums and special collection libraries through our Historic Document Preservation Program.