The Conservation Lab: Ensuring Access to MIT's Collections

Long dedicated to sustaining access to MIT's circulating collections, Preservation Services integrates centuries old bookbinding methods with the latest conservation science and techniques. In 2002, with the generous support of E. Martin (1944) and Ethel Wunsch and an anonymous donor, the MIT Libraries were able to add an important new activity to Preservation Services — the conservation of rare books. With a complete renovation and expansion of space in the basement of Hayden Library, the E. Martin (1944) and Ethel Wunsch Conservation Laboratory was created. The space increased in size from 1740 to 2660 square feet and now allows for the conservation of the Institutes' rarest books, manuscript collections, and archival records.

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Take a virtual tour of the E. Martin (1944) and Ethel Wunsch Conservation Laboratory