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The Archivo General de Puerto Rico (AGPR) is part of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP), the Government Agency responsible for researching, preserving, promoting, and disseminating Puerto Rican culture in its diversity and complexity. The Archivo General houses a vast collection of historical documents and items related to Puerto Rican heritage and culture. In 2017, Hurricane Maria devastated the region, causing damage to the roof of the building and eventually leading to problems with the integrity of the ceiling.
Over time, water leaks affected materials on the top floor and introduced high humidity levels to the space. Despite efforts to manage conditions with portable dehumidifiers, the space and contents developed microbial growth putting the collections at risk.
For multiple reasons, the museums and libraries in the area faced challenges in gaining access to funding and specialized services to support them. In 2020, the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) offered to support ICP and introduced them to their existing document restoration vendor, Polygon. The Polygon team flew out, assessed the damage, and got underway with coordinating the resources to process the materials.
After some delays with funding through FEMA, the materials were finally released in 2023. Polygon shipped a 40-foot cargo container containing nearly 2,000 boxes to their Document Recovery Processing Center in Allentown, PA.
“While the time lapse between the hurricane, the leak, and the time we could start was not ideal, we were confident we could still help bring this collection back to a good state,” explained Matt DeCirce, Product Manager-Documents. “Our team is very dedicated to the process and are proud to participate in these important projects.”
The specialized 3-phase recovery process started by normalizing the moisture levels of the paper materials in and it uses sublimation and lysophilization to pull moisture from paper-based materials as vapor. This bypasses the liquid deterioration phase to return the highest quality product with minimal degradation. This resulted in quicker turnaround times and better product quality.
Next, the team manually neutralized any microbes on the archives in a remediation process. Lastly, technicians delicately surface-cleaned each page and recreated the housing with new acid-free folders. Items were placed in archival cases for the long-term preservation of the historic collection. The restoration process took over 6,000 man-hours between September 2023 and March 2024.
After nearly 6 years, the historic documents at the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (ICP) in Puerto Rico were finally cleaned, restored, and returned to the institute for safekeeping. Polygon's expertise was instrumental in the successful restoration of nearly 2,000 boxes of invaluable cultural artifacts. The team salvaged these historical documents through meticulous attention to detail and helped safeguard Puerto Rican history and culture for future generations.
"The restoration of our historical documents was a challenging journey, but Polygon's expertise and interest in helping our institution made it possible," said Hilda Ayala, General Archivist "Their approach and technology were crucial in preserving nearly 2,000 boxes of our cultural heritage. We are grateful for their efforts."
The completion of this project in March 2024 stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and resilience in the face of adversity. The team at Polygon is grateful for the opportunity to have played a role in this undertaking and is proud to have contributed positively to the preservation efforts of the Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña.
Dedicated Partner – Polygon acted as a supportive partner throughout the lengthy and complex process of obtaining and restoring documents, working with multiple parties to ensure the successful completion and preservation of the materials.
Technology and Talent – Polygon's advanced drying technology and skilled technicians carefully handle delicate historical documents using the most advanced processes and equipment, customized for each project.
White-Glove Service – Subject-matter experts and technicians were on-site during packaging, shipping, and delivery to ensure the safe completion of the project and actively communicated with the client throughout the process.
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