2009 Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions
Institution: The Fiske Genealogy Library, Seattle, Washington
1. Project Narrative
A. What activity (or activities) would the grant support?
The grant will fund a general preservation assessment of collections held by the Fiske Genealogy
Foundation Library and related materials held by the Pioneer Association of Washington, the
Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington, and Chapter #1 (Seattle) of the Daughters of the
Pioneers of Washington. All collections are housed in Pioneer Hall, a historic structure near the
shore of Lake Washington in Seattle. The assessment will be conducted by Virgilia Rawnsley, a
private preservation consultant.
B. What are the content and size of the humanities collections that are the focus of the
project?
The Fiske Genealogy Foundation collects materials to assist family historians. The Fiske
Genealogy Library collection includes approximately 12,500 books, 7600 of which have been
catalogued in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) WorldCat system. The library
maintains a card file of 500,000 names of persons in New England and the middle-Atlantic states
appearing in sources prior to 1850 and cited in local resources in Seattle. Approximately 4% of
the collection is unique. These items include unpublished family history notebooks and
collections of personal papers. Much of the Fiske collection is rare or out-of-print; about 30% of
the Fiske collection can be found in fewer than 12 WorldCat libraries. The original focus of the
collection was New England and the Middle Atlantic States, but over the past ten years it has
extended to materials documenting life in the Southern States, the Upper Midwest, the
Mississippi Valley, and Oregon/Washington Territories prior to statehood. The library also has
materials relating to the people of Eastern Canada and Western Europe.
Since 1992 the Fiske Genealogical has been housed in the lower level of the Pioneer Association
Hall. The Pioneer Association of the State of Washington was initially formed in 1883 as a
society for people who migrated to Washington Territory prior to statehood. The Pioneer
Association collection includes a group about 250 pioneer portraits, including oil paintings,
photographs, and a large charcoal drawing. Their complete membership application records and
meeting minutes are also housed on site. The application records include the name of the settler,
where the person was born, and the date and location of their arrival in the Pacific Northwest.
Some applications also include more details about the person and their particular journey west.
The Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington was formed in 1911 as an association of women
descended from people who had moved to Washington Territory prior to 1870. Pioneer Hall
houses the records of this organization and those of the Seattle Chapter. In the 1930s the
Daughters purchased 65 boxes of archival materials and books from the state library that relate to
the early settlement of the region. This includes the McArdle scrapbooks, which were fully
indexed by their creator and have proved valuable for genealogical research. They also possess
approximately 200 books dating back to the late 1700s and early 1800s on the topic of early
American history. The Daughters' membership application process requires a family history
essay from all applicants. These essays are on file in the building in their original format, along
with ephemera and a collection of clothing and household items. The records of closed chapters
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of the Daughters from other parts of the state are also available at this location. The Fiske
Library manages the Daughters of the Pioneers' archival collections.
C. How are these humanities collections used?
The first priority of the Fiske Genealogical Library is to assist family history researchers. To this
end, the library recently became one of the first genealogical libraries to join OCLC. Some of the
volunteers have been certified in the creation of OCLC records and 7600 completed entries may
now be found in the WorldCat databases. Cataloging continues at this time. The Fiske Library
also permits their materials to be accessed through inter-library loan.
Education is an important part of the Fiske Library mission. The library hosts weekly seminars to
teach researchers how best to use the collection and also how to gain access to internet resources.
Fridays are reserved for access by local genealogical and historical groups, and a newsletter is
published quarterly and distributed through the internet. Fiske volunteers frequently give lectures
and workshops at historical societies throughout the region. Reference services are provided in
person and via e-mail. All of these services are provided to the public by the library's core group
of dedicated volunteers.
The collection has potential for use in other kinds of historical research. In the past, the
Daughters of the Pioneers sponsored scholarships for history research. One of the scholarship
recipients was Richard White, noted American historian and author, who went on to receive a
MacArthur Foundation Award. White's original master's thesis, as well as those of other
scholarship recipients, is on file in the Daughters' collection. Pacific Northwest historian
Lorraine McConaghy of the Museum of History and Industry has also drawn from the collection
for research purposes. The Fiske Library's recent partnership with OCLC may increase the use of
Fiske Library collections for all kinds of researchers.
Items from the Pioneer Association and Daughters of the Pioneers collections are occasionally
lent to other organizations for exhibits. The Log House Museum in West Seattle displayed some
pictures and artifacts from the Pioneer Association for about six months in 2001, and a museum
in Bellingham borrowed a remarkable oil portrait of Anne Moran Crow. The collection is on
display for the public two days per month in Pioneer Hall. Pioneer Hall is listed with the Federal
Register of Historic Buildings.
D. What is the nature and mission of your institution?
The Fiske Genealogical Library was founded by Seattle historian Arthur Fiske in order to
support his work as a genealogist. In 1992 the Fiske Genealogical Foundation was organized to
care for his collection and continue his work. The goals of the foundation are:


to provide on-going education in genealogical research techniques.
to build a library of genealogical materials not readily available, especially for those
townships east of the Mississippi River.
The Fiske Genealogy Library is located on the lower level of Pioneer Hall, which is owned by
the Pioneer Association of Washington. The upper floors of the building house collections of
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records, portraits, books, and household items belonging to the Pioneer Association, the State
Association of Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington, and the Seattle Chapter of the
Daughters of the Pioneers. These collections complement the mission of the Fiske Library
because they document the activities of immigrants to the Oregon and Washington Territories
and the early development of Washington cities and towns. Parts of these collections are
managed by the Fiske Library. Because of the close relationship between these four
organizations a general preservation assessment should include those parts of the Pioneer
Associations' collections which are managed or accessed by the Fiske Library volunteers.
The Fiske Genealogical Foundation is a non-profit organization with 501(c)3 status. It owns and
operates the genealogy research collections. The partner organizations for this project are state
and local historical societies. All are housed within Pioneer Hall, a historic building erected in
1910 on the shores of Lake Washington. The Fiske Genealogy Library is not related to the other
Fiske Libraries in North America.
Amount of operating budget in the most recently completed fiscal year: $20,000
Number of paid staff: 0
Number of volunteers: 35, including a seven-member volunteer board of directors.
Membership: 300-400 individual patrons annually
Number of days or hours per year the institution is open: Over 225 days per year.
E. Has your institution ever had preservation or conservation assessment in the past?
No. A Museology student from the University of Washington has worked with the clothing
collection belonging to the Daughters of the Pioneers, but a general assessment of the research
collections by an experienced professional has never been attempted.
F. What is the importance of this project to the institution?
In the past few years the Fiske Library has made great progress in providing public access to
their collection. Volunteers work tirelessly to index CDs and notebooks, create finding aids for
archival collections, and build catalogue records for OCLC WorldCat. The outreach and
education efforts are also impressive, especially considering that the library is entirely staffed by
volunteers. However, none of the volunteers have a background in library preservation and
conservation. The increase in access to materials also means increased wear and tear on the
collection. A general preservation assessment would be valuable to help the board prioritize
preservation activities.
Because the Fiske Library is beginning to assume more oversight duties in regard to the Pioneer
collections that are housed in the same building, it is necessary for a general preservation
assessment to include the collections of these partner organizations. The current condition of the
collections may be described as stable but vulnerable. Everything is housed in a historic building
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with minimal environmental control. The age of the building and lakeside location may increase
vulnerability to fire and flood.
Many of the books used in the collection were published between 1850 and 1950. Though an
assessment has not been performed on these materials, it is likely that many were printed on
acidic paper and may become brittle. Wooden shelving is used throughout the facility and may
be a source of acid migration. The older antique books are currently held in glass display cases
apart from the general collection, but exposed to general lighting conditions. It is not clear
whether the library's scarce resources should be allocated for boxes or other storage, restoration,
or other interventions and which of these books should be prioritized.
The collections contain many scrapbooks and family history notebooks. Typically, scrapbooks
were made of acid paper and may have unstable adhesives. The condition of the Fiske notebooks
and scrapbooks has not been assessed. In addition, some of the Fiske Library materials are on
CD. Volunteers are currently indexing the CDs and checking their functionality, but the longterm viability of these materials is unknown. Most of the Pioneer Association portrait gallery
hangs framed on the walls of the meeting room. Though the windows are covered and the rooms
are darkened most of the time, the impact of continuous display on the collection is unclear.
Archival record collections are generally kept in metal filing cabinets or plastic binders. Most
records are in commercial folders rather than acid-free or buffered folders. Strategies for making
these records more accessible to the public while also protecting their integrity are of interest to
the Fiske Library.
G. What are the names and qualifications of the consultant(s) and staff involved in the
project?
Virgilia (Jill) Rawnsley, Consultant: Ms. Jill Rawnsley is currently a private preservation
consultant. Previously, she was the Director of Preservation Services for the Conservation Center
for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), Philadelphia, and has been working in the preservation
field since 1989. Jill has a professional history with the Pacific Northwest, conducting
preservation surveys at Western Washington University, Seattle University and Whitman
College, and is a natural choice for working with the Fiske Genealogy Library.
Gary Zimmerman, Board President: Dr. Gary A. Zimmerman has served as President of the
Fiske Genealogy Library since 1998. Gary has also served as a member of the library
cataloguing team, a genealogy and history lecturer, a program speaker for northwest genealogy
societies, and a presenter at the American Library Association 2007 mid-winter conference in
Seattle. Gary was also the director of education at the library before becoming President. In
addition to his service at the Fiske Genealogy Library, Gary is largely involved in the Pioneer
Association of Washington and the Bellevue Rotary Club.
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Kathryn Allahyari
David Brazier
H. What is the plan of work for the project?
Date
April 2009
Activity
Identify need for a preservation assessment
May 2009
Identify professionals, volunteers, and funding
sources to support the assessment
May 2009
Submit application for funding to National
Endowment for the Humanities
January 2010
If funding request is approved, coordinate the
date of preservation assessment
Consultant performs a one-day assessment of
the collection and submits a full report and
recommendations to the Fiske Genealogical
Library
Using the report as a guide, a preservation plan
is developed, outlining immediate and longterm goals
Identify resources for the implementation of
immediate and long-term goals. Resources may
include: volunteer labor, training opportunities,
availability of appropriate professional services,
and funding opportunities
Take steps to implement simple, preventative
preservation measures suggested by the
consultant. Apply for additional funding as
needed to implement high priority measures.
Organize training programs for volunteers
Revisit assessment. Celebrate achievements.
Set new preservation goals
February or
March 2010
April 2010
April 2010
MayDecember
2010
Annually
Responsible party
Fiske Foundation Board of
Directors
Gary Zimmerman with
assistance from University of
Washington librarianship
students
Gary Zimmerman, with
assistance from University of
Washington librarianship
students
Gary Zimmerman
Jill Rawnsley
The Fiske Foundation Board
of Directors
Gary Zimmerman, with
support from the Board of
Directors
Volunteers, under direction of
Gary Zimmerman and board
members
Fiske Board of Directors and
volunteers
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2. Budget
Preservation Assistance Grant Budget
Applicant Organization: The Fiske Genealogical Library
Consultant Fees:
Name of Consultant:
Virgilia Rawnsley
No. of days on project:
Daily rate of compensation:
5.5
Total:
$850
$4,675
Travel:
From/To:
Philadelphia, PA—
Seattle, WA
Total Project Cost:
Total Request:
No. of
persons:
1
Total # days
in Seattle:
2
Subsistence
costs:
$222/per day
Transportation
costs:
$500
Total:
$944
$5,619
Total requested from NEH:
$5,619
3. Appendices
A. Resume of Project Director, Gary Zimmerman
B. Resume of Project Consultant, Virgilia Rawnsley
C. Letter of Commitment from Project Consultant, Virgilia Rawnsley
D. Contact Information for the Pioneer Association of the State of Washington, the State
Association of the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington, Seattle Chapter #1, Daughters of
the Pioneers of the State of Washington