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The New England Document Conservation Center was founded in 1973 in response to growing alarm about the monumental scope of the paper deterioration problem facing collection-holding institutions in New England. Documents and artifacts needed conservation treatment in historical societies, college and university libraries, public libraries, and town and state archives, but there was no facility within the region that could provide appropriate services. A cooperative approach to the problem was seen as the most effective solution. In the early 1970s, the six state libraries in New England, operating under the Interstate Library Compact, agreed to cooperate to create a shared conservation facility that would meet the needs of all nonprofit groups in New England. George Cunha founded the Center with start-up funds from the Council on Library Resources, the New England Library Board, the Kresge Foundation, and other donors.
In 1980, the New England Document Conservation Center was incorporated as the Northeast Document Conservation Center to reflect its expanded region, and today the Center welcomes clients from across the United States. The Center specializes in treating all paper-based collections materials, including books, maps, photographs, scrapbooks, architectural drawings, globes, works of art on paper, and materials such as wallpaper, parchment, and papyrus. NEDCC has developed high quality digital imaging services which include digitization of collection materials such as books, maps, documents, works of art, photographs, film, slides and transparencies, and X-Ray film. In 2014, funded by a National Leadership grant from IMLS, the Center added audio preservation to its list of services, offering a digital reformatting service for early audio recordings on grooved media using IRENE, a system developed by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in collaboration with the Library of Congress. In 2017, funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Audio Preservation Services expanded to include magnetic and digital audio tape with a high-touch, high-quality digital transfer service for unique and at-risk collections.
Highlights and Achievements
1973 |
The Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) awards a two-year matching grant to the New England Interstate Library Compact to establish the New England Document Conservation Center. |
1973 |
Founded by George Cunha, the New England Document Conservation Center is housed for a short time on his property in Topsfield, Massachusetts, then moves to the Merrimack Valley Textile Museum’s facility in North Andover, Massachusetts. |
1976 |
NEDCC moves to Abbot Hall on the campus of Phillips Academy in Andover, MA. |
1978 |
Ann Russell is appointed Executive Director. |
1978 |
NEDCC’s preservation microfilming service is introduced. |
1980 |
The NEW ENGLAND Document Conservation Center is incorporated as the NORTHEAST Document Conservation Center. |
1980 |
The Field Service Office, establishing the Preservation Services department, is created to provide training and expertise, supported by a 3-year grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
1983 |
Photograph duplication is introduced as a new service. |
1986 |
A “Basic Preservation Packet” of 20 technical leaflets is released, providing a foundation for the Preservation Leaflets. |
1988 |
NEDCC developed a pilot disaster planning and recovery project for four NY regional library councils. |
1990 |
NEDCC relocated to the renovated mill building at 100 Brickstone Square in Andover, MA. |
1994 |
NEDCC founder George Cunha dies and a memorial fund is established. |
1994 |
NEDCC hosts visitors from the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, for training and consultation. |
1995 |
The first School for Scanning: A Conference on Digitization, Microfilm, and Preservation is presented at the JFK Library, Boston, setting the foundation for Digital Directions. |
1996 |
NEDCC's Eastern European exchange program begins. |
1996 |
NEDCC's website goes live. |
1998 |
NEDCC presents the “International Conference on Preservation of Paper and Photographs” at the National Archives of Cuba. |
2000 |
NEDCC presents a workshop on managing preservation in Cape Town, South Africa. |
2001 |
NEDCC offers Preservation 101: The Free Online Introduction to Preservation. |
2003 |
NEDCC receives a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to develop dPlan: The Online Disaster Planning Tool. |
2004 |
NEDCC receives an IMLS grant to produce the Preservation Education Curriculum for graduate schools of library and information science. |
2004 |
dPlan: The Online Disaster Planning Tool launch announced |
2004 |
First Eastern European Photograph Conservation institute (2004-2008) |
2005 |
NEDCC’s Field Services offers Hurricane Katrina recovery support through workshops in Louisiana |
2005 |
NEDCC’s new Digital Services announced |
2005 |
First Persistence of Memory: Stewardship of Digital Assets conference presented in Tucson, AZ |
2006 |
NEDCC collaborates with VT Museum and Gallery Alliance to present disaster preparedness workshops for ME, NH and VT, funded by the NEH. |
2006 |
NEDCC received an IMLS grant for “Lessons Learned: A New Model for Statewide Disaster Planning” later to become COSTEP, Coordinated Statewide Emergency Preparedness |
2008 |
Executive Director Ann Russell retires. |
2009 |
John Ott serves as Interim Executive Director. |
2009 |
Bill Veillette is appointed Executive Director. |
2009 |
NEDCC offers new X-Ray scanning service. |
2010 |
The Trust for Mutual Understanding (TMU) funds the first Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship. |
2010 |
First Tectonics of Digital Curation conference, MIT Cambridge, MA |
2011 |
NEDCC staff members travel to the Hemingway Museum at Finca Vigía, Cuba, to offer training and consultation on the conservation of the Museum’s paper, book, and photographic collections |
2011 |
A new oversize Imaging Studio is announced. |
2011 |
NEDCC hosts Darya Smirnova, paper conservator at the State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia, as the second Eastern European Photograph Conservation Intern, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding |
2011 |
Deb Wender, Director of Book Conservation retires and Mary Patrick Bogan was appointed the new director. |
2012 |
NEDCC expands digital imaging service for color and black and white film. |
2012 |
NEDCC hosts Lidija Pajevik, project manager at the Macedonian Center for Photography in Skopje, Macedonia, for the Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding |
2013 |
NEDCC is awarded an IMLS National Leadership Grant to develop a new service for converting rare and historic audio formats to digital format using the IRENE/3D technology. |
2013 |
Walter Newman retires after a 30-year career in conservation. |
2013 |
Michael Lee returns to NEDCC as Director of Paper Conservation. |
2013 |
NEDCC celebrates its 40th Anniversary by releasing a refreshed and redesigned website. |
2013 |
NEDCC hosts Balázs Zoltán Tóth of the Hungarian Museum of Photography for the Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding. |
2014 |
Jessica Bitely is appointed Director of Preservation Services. |
2014 |
NEDCC signs a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nishio Conservation Studio in Washington D.C., defining a business agreement to partner in a common pursuit to conserve Asian artwork in the U.S., and to train conservators in the specialty. |
2014 |
NEDCC hosts Martina Bagatin, paper conservator at the Central Laboratory for Conservation and Restoration at the Croatian State Archives, for the Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding |
2015 |
NEDCC launches the new IRENE Audio Preservation Service. |
2015 |
Terrance D'Ambrosio joins the staff as Director of Imaging Services. |
2015 |
NEDCC hosts Anna Seweryn, a paper and photograph conservator at the National Archives, Krakow, Poland and at the National Digital Archives in Warsaw, for the Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding |
2017 |
Funded by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, NEDCC expands its Audio Preservation Services to include the digitization of magnetic and digital audio tape. Bryce Roe joins the staff as Manager of Audio Preservation Services. |
2017 |
Ann Marie Willer joins the staff as Director of Preservation Services. |
2017 |
NEDCC hosts Anna Aseeva from the ROSPHOTO State Russian Museum and Exhibition Centre in Saint Petersburg, for the Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding. |
2018 |
Bexx Caswell-Olson joins the staff as Director of Book Conservation. |
2018 |
NEDCC hosts Kristaps Latvis, a paper and photograph conservator at the Museum of History of Riga and Navigation in Latvia, for the Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding. |
2019 |
Bryce Roe is named Director of Audio Preservation Services |
2019 |
Croatian State Archives hosts NEDCC Professional Development Symposium on Photograph Conservation. |
2022 |
NEDCC hosts Barbara Líznerová, a photograph conservator at the Institute of Art History, Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, for the Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding |
2022 |
The updated dPlan℠ | ArtsReady℠ launches—an online tool for disaster preparedness and response that is designed with arts and cultural organizations in mind. In 2017, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation awarded funding to combine and upgrade NEDCC's dPlan with South Arts' ArtsReady, creating an online preparedness tool serving a wider audience of cultural heritage and arts organizations. |
2022 |
The “Ready – Or Not” Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness project launches. Funded by the State of California, the three-year initiative assesses emergency preparedness at California organizations that care for cultural and historic resources. |
2022 |
This Old House (S21 E5) travels to the Franklin Pierce Homestead in Hillsboro, New Hampshire. The historic site built in 1804 has 200-year-old block-printed wallpaper manufactured by hand in France. The host talks with senior paper conservators Luana Maekawa and Suzanne Martin Gramly working to restore the scenic wallpaper, which is an edition of “Les Vues d’Italie,” made by Joseph Dufour and Co., Paris in the 1810s and 20s and shipped to New Hampshire in 1824. |
2023 |
NEDCC hosts Elvina Karosienė, a paper restorer at the Šiauliai “Aušros” Museum in Lithuania, for the Eastern European Photograph Conservation Internship, funded by the Trust for Mutual Understanding |
2024 |
NEH awards funding for Preservation Services and Audio Preservation. The first grant of $350,000 will enhance Preservation Services' training programs, resources, and assessments. The second grant of $350,000 will support Audio Preservation in developing software and workflows for reformatting audio recordings on DAT tapes. These grants advance our commitment to education, training, and research in cultural preservation. View NEH's press release here. |
2024 |
The implementation phase of the HBCU Radio Preservation Project begins. This collaborative initiative between WYSO Archives and the NEDCC promotes preservation efforts at HBCU radio stations to safeguard audio collections and bolster resilience by connecting and supporting the institution’s radio and archives staff. Learn more. |