Library Of Congress Team Visits Goffs

Senior Photograph Conservator, Adrienne Lundgren, and Carol Johnson, Curator of Photography, both from the Library of Congress, were at Goffs 15-16 November 2007 to review collections in the Mojave Desert Archives. While both women are experts in the photographic arena, they were equipped to survey all aspects of the collections. The purpose of the survey was to evaluate the importance of the collections and to provide advice on preservation measures needed to take proper care of those collections.

Shannon Raborn, Director for the Las Vegas office of U.S. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) joined us. Senator Reid has served as an honorary member of the Board of Directors of the MDHCA. He has a special interest in our work, as he was raised in Searchlight, Nevada. He is author of the popular book, Searchlight: The Camp That Didn't Fail. We had the pleasure of providing him with oral history, photographic, and other assistance while he was doing research for his book.

The product of this survey will be a report, certified by the Library of Congress, on the importance and condition of the collections. That report, in turn, can be used as an authority in applying for preservation grants. The report will also provide details of some types of infrastructure that should be incorporated into the new Library/Depot.