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Read what people are saying about NEDCC. . .

NEDCC Virtual Consultations during the covid-19 Epidemic

I had the pleasure of meeting Tahe in person last fall at the New England Museum Association conference.  When our collections management staff began working remotely back in March, Tahe reached out with free resources and training that would be useful to me and my team. She also offered to set up a zoom chat to discuss any conservation needs my museum might have. Her informal, approachable demeanor encouraged me to think about future conservation projects that we would like to accomplish, which was a treat when I had spent so much time just thinking about the here and now in the midst of the pandemic. I am thankful to have such a knowledgeable conservator, as well as a personable and caring individual in my digital Rolodex. Thank you! 

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My virtual meeting with Tahe Zalal was an incredible opportunity. The meeting was completely customized to address the preservation needs of the rare book collection at my institution. For example, Tahe used her expertise on paper conservation to suggest methods for treating books with foxed pages and preserving a collection of donated books made with rapidly deteriorating wood pulp paper. I  especially appreciated Tahe’s  encouraging spirit. During these unprecedented times when I am unable to access the collections on a daily basis, Tahe and the NEDCC gave me a chance to develop professionally, connect with a colleague, and feel good about my work as curator of rare books. 

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COVID-19 has reminded us how critical collections care is, especially at a time when staff are working from home. We wanted to take this opportunity to act as the best stewards of our collection and assess where we stand with collections care. We are a small history museum housed in a ca. 1721 house with no HVAC. Like many small museums, our collections care is a mixed bag. Some of our rarer items have been conserved and properly housed by NEDCC in the past, but we want to ensure all our collections receive the attention and care they deserve.

By having a virtual conversation with Tahe, we were able to discuss some of our pressing concerns and hear more about the assessment program and a path forward. We also shared a few photos of objects we were concerned about and discussed potential solutions. The silver lining of COVID-19 is that it is permitting us time to slow down and look at our operations through a different lens. Even without the public in our buildings, we have a duty to provide the best level of care to our collections and buildings-- and we are grateful to NEDCC and Tahe for providing us with an opportunity to do so during this unprecedented time. 

NEDCC WEBSITE RESOURCES - Used Worldwide

I just want to send you all a big THANK YOU for all the preservation information you have collected & presented in such an excellent way on your website. Every visit is pure joy! From the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your hard work! Greetings from Sweden!

I am a Master of Library and Information Studies student at UBC in Vancouver, BC and have found the NEDCC site an incredibly useful source for a preservation class!

NEDCC’s Preservation Workshops and Webinars

I run the archives department of a mid-sized Catholic diocese. Upper management is discussing renovations and moving, but have not included me in any of the discussions. This course will allow me to (1) better advocate for our collections, (2) educate management on the risks of moving/renovation, and (3) prove my concerns are not mine alone but shared by all archives and libraries in similar situations.
— Moving and Renovating: Collection Concerns Webinar participant

Working in a small institution, webinars like these are invaluable for my professional development, and the future of our organization. We have very little in terms of staff resources and budget, and we do not have a dedicated grant writer, so opportunities such as these are necessary in order to gain additional funding for preservation and other projects.
— Writing Your NEH Preservation Assistance Grant Free Webinar participant

The information gleaned from the webinar was transmitted to both the Coordinator of Research and Instruction Services as well as our Digital Services Librarian and will be extremely useful not only in the routine aspects of my role as Archivist and Curator of Special Collections, but specifically in terms of a proposed grant-funded project building a digital collection of local history materials. Copyright is a maddeningly gray area in so many aspects, so that each additional training I can receive helps to shed a bit more light on the matter.

— Copyright for Digital Projects Webinar participant

After taking this workshop, I will be able to properly identify my institution’s collection of prints. I will be able to teach other members of my staff to appreciate the processes behind making prints. Our library has a number of books containing prints that no one was able to identify.
— Identification and Care of Prints Workshop participant

Because the webinar has no travel, hotel, or other expenses, it was more economical than to attend a seminar in person. The quality of information given and of the presentation is high, and it allows the exchange of ideas between professionals.
— Care and Handling of Photographs Webinar participant

This webinar will help to preserve our photo collection by giving us the information we need in order to do it correctly, which in the long run will save time and money. I will immediately start to identify our “problem” photos and take steps to better preserve them, and then will start placing the rest of our collection in the proper containers for storage. I will also study cold storage options to see if that’s something we can pursue.
— Care and Handling of Photographs Webinar participant

Book and Paper Conservation

We were overcome, amazed, and thrilled with how the scrapbook turned out. The Northeast Document Conservation Center certainly performs magic. Not only is the conservation work you achieved excellent, but in every meeting and communication you all were pleasant and efficient to do business with. We felt you were bending over backwards to help us. Thank you!
— Conservation Client

I'm so very glad we connected in person. I am totally awed at what has happened to the family album!  It was good to connect with long lost relatives of a younger generation, and great that the album can help to fill in some blanks in our genealogy.
— Conservation Client

Thank you so much for the beautiful work done on our church record book. When we delivered it to the Pastor, he was so touched and in awe of the final product. You made everything so easy for us! Thanks you for your kindness and patience. It has been a wonderful pleasure to work with you.
— Conservation Client

I received the charcoal drawing today. The drawing is beautiful, your work superb! Thank you so much for your efforts and more importantly, your care.— Conservation Client

Digital Imaging

Our nautical charts, digital files, and prints arrived safe and sound. Thank you all so much for all of your wonderful work - including packing for safe transport! We will be sure to give you credit in any exhibits, publications, or web offerings we develop. It was a real pleasure working with NEDCC on what, for us, was such a big project. 
— Conservation and Digital Imaging Client

It was so interesting to replace our old, inhouse-produced flatbed scanner photos with the new NEDCC professional-quality photos today, such a change in tonal quality. Like magic the old image morphed into the new one as I replaced each in the public viewing software, quite dramatic! And to make things even better, a new patron just ordered the first four photos for publication in a forthcoming book.  
— Conservation and Digital Imaging Client

Just a note to thank you and all the others at NEDCC involved in the imaging and replication of my map of the Ammunition Train’s route in Europe during World War I. The replica’s quality is stunning; the digital images will allow me to share the map’s information with other researchers and descendants. More importantly, both the replica and the digital files make it more likely that the map and the story it represents will survive the coming years as a lasting reminder of the role my grandfather and others in the unit played in The Great War. From the outset, I’ve been delighted with the professionalism and helpfulness of everyone I’ve encountered at NEDCC, and consider myself fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with you.
— Digital Imaging Client


Collection-Level Surveys


Many thanks for the quality time we had with Michael Lee on June 23rd at NEDCC during our consultation. Our charitable organization feels the weight of responsibility for our historic, but humble, documents and our conversation with you has headed us in the correct direction. Work to be done! But now we know what to do!

Thanks so much for coming to see our collection. We have accomplished a great deal, the end is sight, we trust that we are pointed in the right direction. Especially since the funding for this phase of our work is in now in place. The guidance that you gave us at the beginning of the project was indispensable. It continues to be the basis and the "bible" for our work. And the material from your recent workshop helped us to take a fresh look at best practices. At the same time we have discovered many treasures in our collection in the course of working on the collection. We increasingly rejoice in sharing them with the greater community.