Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cultural Collections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
County museum reports HVAC leak that damaged textiles; Historical Society funds a contract registrar to address backlog
Summary
The Hencirrelli County Historical Museum reported a Nov. 17 HVAC leak affecting permanent storage (textiles and sewing machines). Collections staff are assessing damage; the Historical Society approved funding for a contract registrar to address a 40-year backlog.
The Hencirrelli County Historical Museum reported to the Riley County Commission on Dec. 15 that an HVAC leak on Nov. 17 affected museum permanent storage and caused water damage to a section containing textiles and sewing machines.
Catherine, speaking for the museum, said the leak likely occurred over a weekend and that emergency vendor response mitigated further damage; collections staff cleared affected items into temporary storage, laid them out to dry, and are conducting assessments. She said some items may need deaccessioning because of damage, but most can be conserved with minor work. "We do know that some things are going to need to be deaccessioned as they've been damaged beyond use," she said.
Catherine also said the Historical Society approved a contract registrar position (privately funded by the Historical Society, not by the county) to help process an estimated 40-year backlog of donations and objects; the position will help with documentation, photography and return-to-donor processes. The museum is scheduling a holiday open house and plans additional community programming in early 2026.
