Center for Brooklyn History catalogs thousands of strange artifacts for first time

"They're photographing a bronze souvenir bell, barely the size of a plum, cast from the remains of the original bell that once hung in Brooklyn Borough Hall and was destroyed in a fire in 1895. It's one of more than 11,000 objects in the Center for Brooklyn History's collection of art and artifacts at the Brooklyn Public Library, now being carefully catalogued, photographed and digitized for public access."

"Some of the items are expected: Civil War medals, early 20th-century menus or porcelain from Greenpoint's Union Porcelain Works. Others verge on the uncanny: glassy eyes in a wax mannequin, or a ceramic pen holder shaped like the Williamsburgh Savings Bank. Other objects are deeply personal: In the Center's "AIDS Brooklyn" collection is a portable sharps container from someone suffering in the crisis, along with a teddy bear with the face of someone who died from the virus, donated by their family."

"Everything from a crumbling feather boa used in a bygone West Indian Day Parade to a set of rusty Navy Yard machinist tools is documented individually. The work of archiving is methodical and not glamorous. Staffers wheel in wooden pallets shipped down from BPL's off-site storage facility in Blauvelt, Rockland County. Each item is examined, measured precisely, and logged in a database. A collapsible lightbox, ring light and an iPhone serve as the photography setup."

Archivists, researchers and librarians in a Bushwick warehouse are photographing a bronze souvenir bell cast from the remains of the Brooklyn Borough Hall bell destroyed in an 1895 fire. The Center for Brooklyn History houses over 11,000 objects that are being catalogued, photographed and digitized for public access. Holdings include Civil War medals, early 20th-century menus, porcelain, uncanny items such as wax mannequin eyes and a ceramic pen holder shaped like the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, and intimate artifacts from the "AIDS Brooklyn" collection. Staff retrieve pallets from off-site storage, examine and measure each item, log details in a database, and photograph objects using a collapsible lightbox, ring light and an iPhone. Regular inventory review prevents loss and record inconsistencies.

Read at Gothamist