For preservation experts at historical societies and museums across the country, a lack of hired professionals and low staff numbers are a way of life in a field that is often overlooked by state budgets.
A national survey released this week shed light on this dire situation by finding that millions of artifacts across the country are slowly disintegrating because of improper storage techniques - something experts blame on a lack of funding.
The survey, sponsored by the Heritage Preservation and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, assessed conditions at 3,370 museums, libraries and archives. It found that 190 million objects needed conservation treatment, and most lacked environmental controls such as adjusting room temperatures.
Karen Svehla, preservation manager for University Libraries, said a tight budget forces her staff to try repairing as many pieces as possible on site.
Svehla said her six-member, full-time staff and various student employees are able to extend the shelf lives of worn-down maps and fragile books.
She said sensitive books are placed in microclimate boxes, which are labeled as climate sensitive and available to library patrons. Maps are covered with two layers of lamination known as encapsulation.
Debra Long, head of object conservation at the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center at the Nebraska State Historical Society, said people in preservation fields are used to small budgets and the survey's findings were nothing new.
Long said people in city, state and federal government often find it easy not to fund conservation programs because they think cultural heritage, symbolized through artifacts, require little money for maintenance.
She said recent budget cuts have hurt her staff numbers.
``The Nebraska State Historical Society lost 15 positions out of 80 or 90, all of which were related to preservation,'' Long said.
Long said she was surprised when the survey found that most institutions failed to follow basic housekeeping and emergency preparedness steps.
Long listed some basic rules as: Always place artifacts at least 4 inches above the ground, protect collection objects from dust and water, avoid touching objects with hands, use boxes to move objects without touching them and don't touch metal objects with bare hands.
She said faulty storage could be attributed to lack of funding for hiring qualified staff.
``People do things to damage (the) collection, not because they want to,'' Long said, ``but because they don't have enough funds.''
Svehla said her staff is often kept busy rebinding books. They use a heated air gun to remove tape from books, and she discouraged students from taping books.
She offered some tips to students on book preservation: Don't use any form of tape, avoid water damage, keep books away from pets, don't use metal paper clips or anything metal such as bookmarks and don't tear pages from books.
Svehla strongly discouraged students from doing their own repairs on books and advises them to call the preservation team if they have any questions.
``The less money we spend on preserving, the more money we have to spend on a more diverse collection,'' she said.
