By Ann Glazer Niren
Guest Columnist
Life at the Filson is busy, with programs, presentations, and donations— oh my! I recently had the pleasure of giving a talk to the women of Hadassah about their collection at the Filson. I think everyone enjoyed the afternoon of education, investigation, and nosh. Hadassah is looking to grow its membership, so if you are interested in joining, please contact them at tinyurl.com/bdm4u52d.
In this month’s column, I will explain how the donation process works, so you will know what to expect hould you decide to offer a collection—from the first phone call or email to putting your materials on the shelf. It often begins like this: Someone contacts me and says, “I don’t know what to do with my family’s (insert special heirloom here).” Or perhaps, “My children don’t want it, but I can’t bring myself to throw these things away!”
Knowing that their family’s treasures will be preserved permanently, in a climate-controlled environment where they will be lovingly cared for, brings some comfort to the person. With that first phone call or email, I get a preliminary sense of the items and some basic family history. We set up an appointment to meet, often in the donor’s home, but occasionally here at the Filson. My goal is to make this process as easy as possible. If the donor lives outside of the Louisville area, then we make plans to ship the materials or for the donor to bring them in. If they bring in the items before they have been officially accepted, then they will need to fill out a Temporary Deposit Form, indicating that we are only holding the item(s) provisionally.
On the day of the visit, I record the item(s) and I often create an abbreviated family tree as well as take photos. I make these appointments as open-ended as possible, so that I can spend as much time as necessary, taking notes and learning about the family. Sometimes, if the potential collection is rather large, I may need two or more visits. I enjoy these sessions immensely, because I get to learn about other local Jewish families. “Connecting the dots” not only helps me understand the relationships, but it also allows me to frame their stories within the appropriate historical context.
Next, I will write a report which I will subsequently present to our Collections Management Committee. There are a few reasons why the curators do not make these decisions independently. I need to have additional insights from my colleagues who know so much more than I do. Also, in my case, as a member of the Jewish community, I am often too close to the situation and need the perspectives of my coworkers.
Ann Glazer Niren, Curator of Jewish Collections at the Filson Historical Society
As I have gained more experience, I have a clearer idea of what kinds of items the committee is likely to accept and what we already possess. It is most helpful to have as detailed a backstory as possible, in addition to information about the various items, which is why we prefer that people do not simply leave things at the front door. If the items are not accepted, it is possible that they do not fit our mission statement, which relates to preserving items from Kentucky and the Ohio Valley. A collection that bears no connection to the area, writ large, will likely not be accepted.
If the items are accepted, then I notify the donor, and I create a Letter of Acknowledgement and a Deed of Gift, the latter of which is a legal document stating that the donor is officially gifting these items to the Filson. The donor signs the Deed of Gift and answers some related questions as to their preferences, and then I pick up their collection. I then organize the items into their respective categories: manuscripts (essentially, paper-based items), photos, books, museum items, and audio-visual items. I make sure that the materials are in good condition; if they are not, they may need repair or conservation, or they may need to be returned. I do “pre-processing,” which means giving back any duplicates, organizing items chronologically or alphabetically, depending upon the circumstances, and making sure that everything fits together. I log all the information into two different databases, tag and box them, and shelve everything. This process usually takes several months, if not longer, from start to finish. Then, another colleague catalogues the collection, eventually making it accessible to any researchers or visitors.
I’m sharing this information with you because sometimes donors think that their items will appear on our website immediately, either as a catalogue listing and/or as a digitized item. Please understand that we do not have the space or staff to digitize all our collections. However, once the item is catalogued, anyone looking for it, either online or in person at the Filson, will be able to locate it in our database.
You may be wondering what happens to these items once they are catalogued. They remain in wait for a researcher to utilize them, they may appear in an exhibit, or they may be featured in one of our print or online magazines. It’s good for the items to be taken out occasionally, but it is not healthy for them to be exposed to direct sunlight for a long time or to be in an uncontrolled temperature environment; that’s part of the reason why they came to the Filson in the first place.
After reading about this acquisition process, if you feel that you have something that would be a good fit for our Jewish Collections, please call me at 502-635-5083, ext. 243 or email me at [email protected]. Please do not throw it out simply because you can’t think of a suitable home. Close to 15 Jewish families or institutions have already had their collection accepted, processed and shelved this year alone at the Filson –wouldn’t you like to be Number 16?
Dr. Ann Glazer Niren is Curator of Jewish Collections at the Filson Historical Society