Currently at the Memorial & Museum

Not One Artifact Lost

January 29, 2009

Each of the almost one million items preserved in the Memorial’s Archives is an irreplaceable reminder of a moment in time. Personal effects from survivors, family members and rescue workers are kept side-by-side with primary documents, courtroom files, evidence, images and textiles and artwork sent in support from around the world. All museums have plans for what to do should disaster strike, and the Memorial’s disaster plan was executed flawlessly to save every artifact when a mechanical malfunction led to substantial flooding, not only in the Museum exhibit areas, but directly into the Archives as well.

The Memorial’s Archives staff takes great care in the preservation of each artifact, using several different buffers to protect the artifacts from dust, pests, light, and sometimes, water. Documents and artifacts are kept in acid-free boxes, and although several of the boxes containing these items were in the path of the water, the staff acted quickly so that the water did not penetrate the boxes. Soft textiles are also wrapped in tissue paper before they are boxed to provide an extra layer of protection. More than 370 artifacts and/or boxes of artifacts were affected by the flooding in the Memorial Museum, but thanks to the quick actions of Memorial staff and volunteers, not one artifact was lost. The story of what happened on April 19, 1995, and the incredible support of a nation that followed is here, intact, available to generations to come.

Please join the Memorial for a special reopening celebration, Saturday, February 7.

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