Meet and Greet! IVDM visits the San Diego County Archive

~ Kristin O'Lear, Curatorial Research Fellow

The staff here at IVDM has been on the go-go-go! This past week I was fortunate enough to be invited to a behind-the-scenes tour of the new San Diego County Archives before they open to public on Monday February 3, 2020.


Here at IVDM we understand just how important a facility designed for preservation is! About to undergo our own renovation of collection spaces here at the Museum, the sneak-peek of the new archives facility was an opportunity for me to meet and network with other institutions in the greater San Diego area. This allowed for me as acting curator to learn about collection management policies utilized at other institutions and steps they have taken to ensure the preservation of their collections for future research and use. 
 

From a collections perspective, the building is a Curator's dream! The space dedicated to archival material is roughly 5000 square feet and built with the intention to grow as San Diego County (SDC) grows, setting aside space for approximately 50 years of SDC records in addition to the archival collection that is currently being housed off-site!  The building also provides a spacious reading room that allows multiple researchers to utilize the space at one time.








Although IVDM is a smaller institution and our collection needs differ than those of SDC, the preview of the new archives facility reinforces our commitment to the highest standard of care for our collections. As a curator, it makes me more conscious of IVDM's needs as a smaller museum to make sure we take the best possible care to preserve our history!

Stay tuned for future posts as we begin our renovation project in March! We can't wait to show you what we have in store(age)!