Yesterday a group from the PPL headed to the Holiday Inn by the Bay for the Greater Portland Business Expo hosted by Portland Regional Chamber. Our goal was to promote business resources available at the library.
Upon learning that exhibitors were encouraged to be creative with their displays, we thought…YES! A monetary theme was decided upon; our table was covered in jewels, gold chains, tops hats and boas to represent all of the bling business owners could attain by saving money utilizing free resources provided by the library. Of course, there was a photo booth to capture photos of conference goers in said bling.
We hoped all of the fun would draw people to our booth so we could then discuss the library’s resources and sign them up for library cards. As it turns out, people were equally excited about the library’s resources (to learn more click here ), obtaining a library card and the chance to wear a mustache and funny glasses while having their picture taken. People were genuinely interested to learn ways they can research business issues using library services right from their desktop. The library website provides access to online business directories, investment research, country reports, industry reports, demographics, SWOT analysis, online full-text business magazines, newspapers and trade journals, the list goes on…
On May 09, Matt Wickenheiser of the Bangor Daily News, wrote a great blog, “Exchanging business cards for library cards at the Portland Biz Expo” about business resources provided by the PPL.
A heartfelt thank you to the Portland Regional Chamber for hosting the event, to Matt Wickenheiser for the great press, to the folks who visited the PPL booth and were excited to learn more about the library and to all of the PPL staff who contributed in making this event such a success.
Please contact the library ANYTIME to learn more about how we can help your business succeed!
Like our Facebook page to check out all of the fun pictures!
A major component in the work of bringing history out to our patrons is the conservation of archival materials. “Archival” can be of any vintage- old or new- providing the content demonstrates a documentation of the life and activity of a subject, and for us it is Portland history.
The pictures below describe how a print from a volume of the Portland Harbor Commissioners’ reports from 1855 has recently been restored and encapsulated here in the Portland Room of the Library. Considering the time and accuracy of this print, knowing both the dates of the Civil War and especially the year of the Great Fire (1866), this landscape provides remarkable detail about the city.
The print, as we found it folded into the book’s flyleaf, had been damaged over the years- and being on thin and acidic paper it required extensive repair. This intricate landscape is now restored, encapsulated, and can be viewed !
The first stages for conserving this document included cleaning, flattening (with weights and light ironing), and consolidation (repairing the numerous torn surfaces and breaks in the paper).
Here is a closer view of one of the breaks in the paper, along with some information about the publisher- at 53 Exchange Street. The street we associate today with the Old Port District had been Portland’s “printers’ row,” filled with publishers, bookbinders, stationers, paper companies, and newspaper offices.
Using paperweights, the creases and tears are repaired on the verso (back) side of the document, thus concealing the latticework of handmade acid-free paper tissue needed to reinforce the print.
For repairs such as these, we use Kozo tissue and a mixture of PVA and methylcellulose adhesives. The archival requirements for permanence (nonacidic materials) and strength (long-fibered alkaline papers) are met.
With careful restoring, the torn edges can be brought back together as closely as possible by matching the tear with the repair. It is also an opportunity to really study the artifact. Notice the fine city of Portland seal in the image at right.
After all the repairs were fully dry, the print was placed under weight overnight. In this image, the print rests on a sheet of Permalife 80lb paper cut to the exact size of the print. The alkaline substrate will act as a buffer to raise the pH of the print itself- as well as provide some strength during future handling of the item within its mylar enclosure.
At last, the print is encapsulated between two sheets of archival mylar, while supported by the Permalife paper base. The mylar sheets are attached along the outer margins, beyond the perimeter of the print, so that no adhesive is touching the document. As well, each of the corners has a cut air vent so that the print can “breathe.”
Come visit historic gems such as the 1855 Portland landscape, here in the Portland Room. We repair approximately 100 books, maps, and documents per year. We’re also happy to answer your preservation and conservation questions.
Processing and preserving our archival collections is a constant discovery. Here is one of countless occasions at which artifacts bring us to an enhanced appreciation of what we see around us. (After reading through this entry, you might enjoy simply scrolling back up and down again- to notice similarites and changes to this historic Old Port building on Commercial Street.
Here is 175 – 181 Commercial Street, as it appeared circa 1910. Guptill was in the ship stores business, as you can detect by the wares in the windows and on the sidewalk. Just to the right hand side- out of the picture- would be Moulton Street. This original photograph is an albumen contact print.
Fast-forward to 1972, as the Guptill Building appears again. This time the image is from our in-process Portland Press Herald Still-Film Negative Collection. The building was among the initial renovation projects that transformed the waterfront district into the popular Old Port Exchange. Here is the caption from the Evening Express of May 20, 1972: “Old Building Sold – Charlton Smith, second from left, president of Greater Portland Landmarks, hands the deed for the Guptill Building at Commercial and Moulton Streets, background, to Franklin L. Brooks, treasurer of the Ralph D. Brooks and Sons insurance agency. George W. Crockett, left, realtor for the sale; D.W. Christopherson, second right, architect for the renovation; and Ralph D. Brooks Jr., president of the firm, look on.”
Here is the same storefront as seen in the ca.1910 photograph, but this time it was taken this morning- on January 10, 2012. Moulton Street is at right.
Once more, the Guptill Building- and a full view- taken on January 10, 2012. Recognize the place now?
