As a Visiting Project Conservator at the Conservation Unit of UIUC Library, I was responsible for the conservation and preservation of the Gwendolyn Brooks Papers Collection in the Rare Book and Manuscript Library.  

Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) was an American poet and educator. She is well known as the first Black person to win a Pulitzer Prize for her book “Annie Allen” in 1950. She also served as the Poet Laureate of Illinois and the United States. Brooks was passionate about poetry and poetry education and wrote about Black folks and the issues that affected them in advocacy. She was always eager to encourage poetry writing amongst young people and adults, trying to convince everyone that anyone can write poems. The Brooks Collection, acquired by UIUC Library in 2013, consists of a wide array of mid-twentieth-century manuscript materials, including her writing drafts, correspondence, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, posters, honorary degrees, awards, realia, and so much more. Brooks’ creative process and her influences in her time are quite evident in this collection.

My goal for this project was to ensure the long-term preservation of Gwendolyn Brooks Papers by respecting Brooks’ originality, yet reducing the risks and damages, hoping to extend her lifelong passion for the education of poetry through her collection. Working with this large-scale collection for a limited time, I strategized my approach by prioritizing treatments and rehousing for frequently used and high-risk items, such as scrapbooks, albums, newspapers, writings, and other moldy materials. The work was generally divided into three categories: rehousing, medium-rare treatments, and special collection treatments. Special collection items received photographic and written documentation and more in-depth conservation treatments, whereas medium-rare items were usually documented and treated in batches with minimal treatment. Rehousing was applied to any collection materials that needed protection in storage and use, which were mostly brittle newspapers, oversized awards and medals, spiral notebooks, and any damaged items that were not being treated at the moment.

Learn more about the digitization process of the Gwendolyn Brooks Papers here, published during the Preservation Week of 2022. The digitized collection can be accessed here.

This project was the Save America’s Treasures (SAT) Grant Project funded by the Institute of Library and Museum Services (IMLS) and UIUC.