Archives deserve better safeguarding

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/06/2018 (2815 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It sometimes takes appreciation from afar to make us look with fresh eyes at a gem some of us take for granted. Such is the case with the former Carnegie Library.

The building at 380 William Ave. was listed recently by the National Trust for Canada as one of 10 historic sites most “endangered” in 2018, due to neglect or lack of funding.

It was cited as “one of those iconic buildings in the city… waiting for some kind of revival.”

It’s unsurprising Winnipeg has a warm historical attachment to the building.

Generations of readers enjoyed it as a hub of literary enlightenment and socialization between its opening in 1905 — with the support of a donation from American philanthropist Andrew Carnegie — and its closure as a library in 1995, when it became the site of the official city archives.

Perhaps even more important than the fate of the building, however, is the fate of its contents.

Archived material was removed from the building after a downpour in 2013 caused roof damage. Some records were ruined by water, but most of the precious material was rescued and removed by archivists who feared further moisture damage.

Currently, the city’s archives are distributed among two smaller locations: the Corporate Records Centre at 311 Ross Ave. and leased space in an industrial area at 50 Myrtle St., a site accurately denigrated as a “metal shed.”

The initial understanding was that moving the archives was a temporary solution in an emergency. Unfortunately, five years later, the archives remain stranded at sites that are a national embarrassment by the professional standards of archivists trying to protect fragile material from as early as the 19th century.

The archives are officially valued at $4 million but are priceless to Winnipeg as an irreplaceable memory keeper.

The Association for Manitoba Archives has called on the City of Winnipeg to return to its original plan, which was to renovate Carnegie Library to be a suitable home for the archives.

The archivists note it would be a fitting time to restore the Carnegie Library as the province prepares for two upcoming historic landmarks, the 150th anniversary of Manitoba in 2020 and the 150th anniversary of Winnipeg in 2023.

That would be an ideal and overdue solution, except that no one seems to know how much it would cost. There hasn’t been a clear public estimate of the price tag to restore the former Carnegie Library into a suitable archives.

How badly was the interior damaged in the rain storms and has it been neglected in the five subsequent years? The City of Winnipeg has the keys to the building and has been accused of being less than forthcoming with details about the interior condition.

Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg, said questions about the building’s interior, such as whether mould continues to grow, don’t garner a “straight answer” from the city. Her questions are reasonable; the city’s stonewalling is not.

The city should commission a report that gives a full account of the building’s condition and the work required to complete its transformation into a state-of-the art archives facility.

With a cost estimate in hand, the next step is a decision on whether the building remains a financially prudent choice to house the city’s archives. If it isn’t, the city should, with haste, find a more suitable site where the archives can be reunited. The place should meet the professional standards of archivists so the material is secure and it should be a pleasant spot for the public to visit for research purposes.

As beautiful as it is, as beloved as it is by many people, the former Carnegie Library is bricks and mortar.

The more important matter is avoiding civic dementia. The archives chronicle Winnipeg’s rich history and culture — and should be safeguarded for future generations.