transformation of researcher Myriam Waisberg Izacson indevelopment of Valparaíso's architectural heritage

The case of the University of Valparaíso's Faculty of Architecture collection, onits cataloging and librarypreservation

Abstract

Libraries, archives, and documentation centers are threatened by a massive problem of deterioration and loss of their collections. While professional conservation treatment is costly for most of these Information Units, adequate preventive care of collections, including appropriate storage, handling, and security, is not an unattainable goal. In this context, the Valparaíso Architectural History Archive, Myriam Waisberg Fund, is a valuable collection of documentary material on the city’s architectural heritage, under the care of the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Valparaíso. It consists of monographic studies, planimetric and photographic collections, research, lectures, correspondence, and other documents, compiled over more than 40 years by architect and researcher Myriam Waisberg Izacson.

The collection was donated by the architect’s family to the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Valparaíso in 2005, following her death. It was officially created as an archive in 2012 and was coordinated by Cecilia Jiménez, who was Waisberg’s assistant for many years, until 2023.

This manuscript describes the cataloging process following its donation to the University.