United States. National Recruces
Planning Brook.
Committee on Conservation of Cultural Rescrecres.
THE PROTECTION OF
AMERICA'S CULTURAL
HERITAGE
Committee on Conservation
of Cultural Resources
NATIONAL RESOURCES
PLANNING BOARD
Washington, D. C.
1941
JAN 5 12
THE
E
The United States is at war. War may mean bombing of our coastal
cities and other military objectives, with the damage to or destruction of
libraries, museums, art galleries, archives, and historic buildings and
159
monuments. War will certainly mean everywhere emergency activity, with im-
•U567x mediate demands for space, for waste paper, and for haste in all things-
demands which, without forethought on the part of librarians, museum direc-
1941
tors, and archivists throughout the country, may well constitute an even
BUHR
greater peril to our cultural resources than enemy attacks.
UNIV
The immediate and imperative responsibility of those entrusted with
the records, books, paintings, scientific materials, and museum holdings
which constitute our cultural heritage is to insure their protection against
040 these dangers.
A Committee on Conservation of Cultural Resources, representing both
the custodians of cultural, scientific, and historical possessions of the
Federal Government and the principal interested professional organizations,
has been established in Washington. This Committee is charged with formu-
lating plans for the protection of the cultural holdings of the Federal
Government, including those of the Library of Congress, the National Gallery
of Art, The National Archives, and the Smithsonian Institution. It also
has the responsibility of collecting and disseminating to all custodians of
the Nation's cultural resources information that will aid them in protect-
ing the materials entrusted to their care. The Committee is now preparing
a series of detailed studies that will serve as practical handbooks on the
protection of cultural materials of various types. Pending the release of
these studies, this leaflet is being issued to call to your attention the
necessity for immediate planning and to indicate in a general way the nature
of the problems which must be faced.
Plan Now!
It must be emphasized that measures of protection cannot be improvised
on the spur of the moment. When a crisis comes, hasty efforts at protec-
tion that have not been thought out in advance may well expose materials to
greater dangers than those from bombs themselves. Detailed plans to cover
all contingencies must be carefully drawn and every effort must be coor-
dinated with the action of the civil and military defense authorities.
Administrators should keep in touch with State and local defense councils
and the regional administrators for civilian defense.
These Are The Dangers
The hazards to our cultural resources that result from the present
emergency are twofold: (1) Those presented by possible enemy action, such
as aerial bombardment, and (2) those arising from the pressure of emergency
activities. In the latter category are included such menaces as the demand
for waste paper, which may result in the indiscriminate disposal of valuable
documents, the pressure for space, which may interrupt the legimate func-
tioning of an institution, the curtailment of budgets, and the depletion of
staffs. While preservation of cultural resources cannot take precedence over
military needs, needless sacrifice of the Nation's cultural inheritance
should be avoided.
2
UIBRANT
JAN 5 42
The hazards presented by a possible enemy action cannot be considered
too remote to deserve attention. Aerial attack, particularly token bombing,
can probably now be directed against certain points of American territory.
Institutions located in coastal areas, particularly those in proximity to
to such military objectives as air fields, navy yards, large military reser-
vations, arsenals, munitions factories, and shipyards, should take the
sibility of enemy bombing into account and plan accordingly. In making his
estimate of the situation the administrator should seek the advice of the
civilian defense authorities and the United States Army corps area commander.
What Should Be Protected
Logically the first step in the formulation of protective plans is the
establishment of priorities of protection. It can be presumed in most cases
that even the development of special facilities will not make possible ade-
quate protection for the entire holdings of any institution. Some such
categories as the following will probably be helpful as a guide to selection:
1.
2.
Material of such importance that its safety muct be insured at all
costs.
Material of relatively great value, the loss of which would be
serious but not irreparable.
3. Material the loss of which would not be a major handicap.
The responsibility for making the selection belongs to the director and the
experts on his staff. The specific materials to be placed in any one of
the several categories cannot of course be indicated in this leaflet.
Practical considerations of cost will probably limit the quantity that can
be given maximum protection. Questions of use and service will also influ-
ence the judgment of administrators. Many materials of the highest impor-
tance are now in such active demand that evacuation or storage is out of
the question. Since cultural institutions play an important role in the
maintenance of national morale, the least deviation from the normal arrange-
ment of materials and functioning of an institution consistent with safety
is desirable.
Protecting Materials Where They Are
Protective measures may include protection in place, storage on the
premises, or evacuation to emergency storage. The advantages and dis-
advantages of each of these alternatives should be considered carefully.
A survey of the premises, preferably by a qualified engineer or architect,
should be undertaken immediately if the institution is located in a danger
Although no adequate protection against direct hits can be devised
for most structures, much can be done to guard against the effects of
blast and of fragments resulting from bombs bursting nearby and against
fire bombs. General instructions on these points are now available from
your local defense council.
zone.
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{
Storing Materials In Your Present Building
Because they afford the best lateral protection, basement rooms are
ordinarily preferred for storage, but advice on this point should also be
obtained from experts. In the selection of storage facilities on the
premises or for evacuation, care must be exercised in guarding against
such dangers as excessive humidity, extreme temperatures, poor ventilation,
and insect pests.
Ideal conditions of storage for most materials require
a constant relative humidity of between 45 and 55 percent. A high relative
humidity is especially dangerous for paper records. A temperature of from
65° to 70° is desirable. Each administrator should determine any special
requirements for his materials.
Evacuation
Evacuation is an extreme measure. It may not have to be undertaken
for any institutions for months; it may not have to be undertaken at all.
But it takes careful planning and extensive preparation. If your deposi-
tory is located within 150 miles of either coast or near important military
objectives, you should make your plans now. These are among the things you
will need to do now:
1.
Survey your holdings and decide what you will want to move if you
This will be necessary before you can plan for space, transpor-
tation, or containers.
have to.
2. Pick your place to move. It should be away from the coast, away
from military objectives, fireproof, free from vermin, free from undesire-
able atmospheric, temperature, and humidity conditions, and as near your
present location as safety will permit. Don't select a building that is
subject to later requisition by military or civilian authorities. Obtain
an option or a lease now.
3. Order your containers now. They may be very difficult to obtain
a few months from now. Some suggestions concerning these are given below.
4.
Estimate your transportation needs and make plans for transpor-
tation now. Count on the railroads and highways being crowded. Plan
your route so that it will not cross important bridges where traffic
bottlenecks may develop. Allow for the possible requisition of trucks by
military authorities in a crisis.
5. Make arrangements for members of your own staff to pack the
materials, go with them, unpack them, and stay with them. Valuable cul-
tural materials should never be left without competent care.
6. If danger seems at all close, pack your materials not in current
use well in advance of any probable evacuation date. Remember, packing
takes time.
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7.
Do not evacuate your holdings until there is a concrete military
menace or until you have been warned by the military authorities. Even
the best-planned evacuation will probably damage your holdings to some
extent, and any evacuation or storage results in withdrawing the materials
from use.
8.
If your institution is remote from any danger zone, cooperate to
the limit of your abilities with more exposed institutions that may wish
to store materials with you for the period of danger.
Some Practical Problems
The removal of materials to storage on the premises or to safer
depositories will probably require the use of special containers. For
paper records and books, card-board boxes tightly packed should prove
satisfactory. Museum materials and art objects present special problems
that cannot be considered here. Regardless of the type of container
decided upon, the following suggestions should be borne in mind:
1.
A few standard sizes will be less expensive and more convenient
than numerous special sizes.
2.
Containers ordinarily should be small enough to be handled by
one man when packed.
3. For convenience in storing and transporting, containers having
protruding handles, locks, or hinges should not be used.
In preparing materials for storage, it is important that descrip-
tive list of the material be drawn up and that each container be tagged
or marked to indicate its contents. The safety of one set of packing
lists should be insured.
Where to Go For Help
1. The WPA. The Historical Records Survey Projects of the Work
Projects Administration have supervisors and workers trained in handling
library and archival materials. They are authorized to make surveys for
emergency storage space, to provide clerical assistance in making lists
of materials to be evacuated or stored, and to help in other ways. Other
projects may be able to assist as sell. Contact the State Work Projects
Administrator.
2. The State Defense Council. The Council coordinates all civilian
defense activities in the State. All plans for evacuation or other unusual
protection should be cleared with the Council.
3. Your State Committee on Conservation of Cultural Resources. Every
State has been urged to establish a committee of interested persons to
devise plans for the protection of its cultural resources.
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UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 03802 3126
The
4. The National Committee on Conservation of Cultural Resources.
Committee will be glad to provide or obtain information on any matters con-
nected with the protection of cultural, scientific, or historical materials,
or to help in any other way possible. Address the Executive Secretary,
Committee on Conservation of Cultural Resources, The National Archives,
Washington, D. C.
SUMMARY
1. Survey your holdings now to determine what may require special
protection.
2.
Obtain expert advice as to the degree of protection afforded by
your present building.
3. Make any necessary evacuation plans and preparations now.
4. Be vigilant against any damage to cultural resources of your
state through emergency activities.
5.
Do not store holdings in your own building or elsewhere without
careful planning and adequate protection against deterioration or other
injury.
6. Cooperate with other institutions in your field.
77. Stay in contact with the State Defense Council and your State
Committee on Cultural Resources; ask the State Work Projects Administrator
for assistance from the Historical Records Survey when needed; feel free
to call on this Committee for advice or help at any time.
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