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The archives at Michigan Tech are in good condition following the Father’s Day flood.
Michigan Tech News reports that the archives in the basement of the J. Robert Van Pelt and Opie Library “weathered the storm”.
Michigan Tech archivists have been working with other history keepers who were not as fortunate.
Michigan Tech Archivist Lindsay Hiltunen says their team has been busy providing consultation and clean-up assistance for historical collections impacted by the flood.
Hiltunen and archivist Emily Riippa went onsite for consultation at the Houghton County Historical Society Museum in Lake Linden and the Houghton County Courthouse to help preserve historical records that were wet or otherwise affected by the flood.
Riippa was offsite for two days to assess the contents of the historical society’s archives storage area and selected items for priority removal to a safer storage area.
She also inventoried bound newspaper volumes and helped to determine preservation priorities.
Their efforts saved a lot of important historical artifacts that otherwise would have been lost.
Hiltunen was recently awarded the 2018 Historical Society of Michigan Charles Follo Award, an honor made sweeter because her late grandfather, Michigan Tech history teacher David Halkola, won the same award in 1986.
Learn more about Hiltunen’s legacy, and her team’s efforts to help assess historical collections impacted by the Father’s Day 2018 flood, on Michigan Tech News.
