-----Original Message-----The September 17th date for the "A History of Encasements: Technology Preserving
From: Catherine Graham [mailto:cathyg@nist.gov]
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2001 3:20 PM
To: sfox@archivists.org
Cc: howard.harary@nist.gov; kerra.johnson@nist.gov
Subject: A History of Encasements: Technology Preserving the Charters of Fredom" Symposium
the Charters of Freedom" symposium at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology is fast approaching. We hope to see you there! Details -- including an
online registration form -- are available at
http://www.mel.nist.gov/charters_seminar/index.htm. Sign up now for this exciting
event!To give you a small taste of what's in store, read the following item adapted from the
June 26, 2001, issue of NIST UPDATE
(http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/update/upd010626.htm):Millions of Americans consider three documents-the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the
Declaration of Independence-tangible, irreplaceable works of political genius and national
patriotism. This Constitution Day, Sept. 17, 2001, NIST will host a scientific conference
celebrating its current role in preserving these "Charters of Freedom" for future generations.
The conference will be held at NIST headquarters in Gaithersburg, Md.The NIST-built encasement for the Bill of Rights will be formally transferred to the National
Archives and Records Administration during the conference's opening ceremony. The
handover completes a two-year project to make nine state-of-the-art encasements that will
secure the Charters against all types of environmental assault including light, oxygen and
humidity. The Charters will be moved to their new "homes" while away from public display
between July 5, 2001, and sometime in 2003.Conference speakers will describe the current Charters encasements-built by NIST in the
1950s-and present data on their performance. They will then discuss the design, manufacture
and initial performance of the new NIST cases that embody the best manufacturing and
preservation technology have to offer. Cutaway models of the two case sizes manufactured
will be on display.Detailed design and production information on the new Charters encasements, historical
background on the documents and their 1950s preservation, visuals and more are available at
www.nist.gov/charters.