Help in a Disaster
Emergency Preparedness and Response
How to Safely Stabilize, Salvage, and Recover Collections in a Water EmergencyThe Conservation Program in the History of Medicine Division (HMD) at NLM maintains books, manuscripts, and prints and photographs in a condition that allows access for research and exhibition, while assuring their preservation for future users.
The Conservation Program provides assessments, stabilization and treatment of collections, and protective housing and storage for rare materials. The conservation staff engage in new research and contribute to the field by publishing, offering presentations and tours, and working collaboratively with other institutions. For some projects, the program may host student interns and volunteers and educate staff members who work with fragile documents.
The Program also works collaboratively with the Exhibition Program on display and lending of original material for exhibition with and other HMD and NLM staff on the preparation and handling of material for digital scanning, copying, and photography
Preservation at NLM
The Conservation Program works in collaboration with the Preservation and Collection Management Section of the National Library of Medicine, which supports the physical needs of the general and history of medicine collections including space planning, environmental monitoring, disaster prevention and recovery, and more. Learn more about the The Collection and Preservation Policy of the NLM.
