The San Diego Air & Space Museum’s Library & Archives recently received a generous grant from the Parker Foundation to purchase archival boxes to rehouse our periodical collection. This is crucial for the preservation of the Library’s collection and to uphold the Museum’s mission statement to preserve artifacts of air and space history.

Our periodical collection is unique in that it encompasses rare publications from the earliest days of aviation to the current developments in space exploration. Ourearliest titles, such as the Aero Club of America Bulletin, Aircraft Journal, and the French Guerre Aerienne, document the history and evolution of aviation across the world in the early decades of the twentieth century. Our holdings also include a very large collection of industry periodicals which document the history of commercial aviation and manufacturing in the United States with some of special interest to San Diego.

The current room used for storing the periodicals is not ideal because it susceptible to flooding during the winter months and occasional leaks. While our detailed emergency preparedness plan for our collection covers preventative measures and recovery procedures, over time the collection has been exposed to potential environmental threats. Furthermore, as preservation standards have changed over time, our periodical storage boxes are no longer sufficient for long term storage or the highest archival quality protection.

We are eager to get started replacing the periodical boxes because we are planning an exciting move to a newly renovated collection storage space. This will provide proper air circulation, improved lighting, improved shelving, and greater control over air quality. Preparing for the collection move by housing the periodicals in proper storage will prepare us to optimize the new configuration, protect the material, save cost on supplies, and will ensure a seamless transfer.

Thank you very much to the Parker Foundation for choosing us for this grant.