Students at the Cooperstown Graduate Program will learn about issues surrounding the preservation of artifacts from the World Trade Center.

As museums around the country grapple with proper acquisition technique, local Museum Studies students will hear from Mark Schaming, director of exhibitions at The New York State Museum, about how the artifacts are being handled and distributed.

"This is a very unusual case study for students," said Gretchen Sorin, director of the Cooperstown Graduate Program. The Oklahoma City bombing presented similar problems, she said. "This is part of the history of our country."

Schaming was invited to speak because students in the program had questions Sorin couldn't answer. Ownership issues have been obscured by the magnitude of events and the number of insurance companies involved in settlements. Ground Zero has become a sacred burial site to many, and it is a crime scene from which objects can't be removed without caution and clearance.

"Everything is covered with a film of toxic chemicals," Sorin said.

Schaming said that over a million tons of material, like beams and aluminum skin, have been taken from Ground Zero to Fresh Kills, a Staten Island landfill. The Port Authority has set aside a number of pieces, he said, from twisted bicycles to beams and mangled street signs. Pieces of a large, fixed sculpture by Alexander Calder are also being sought.

"It's difficult working in an emergency situation," Schaming said. "This is an unprecedented chapter for all of us. How do you tell a story of this magnitude?"

Schaming has held his post at the New York State Museum for fifteen years. The museum's collection is six million artifacts strong. Located in Albany's Empire State Plaza Building, the museum was in the process of installing a "Windows on New York" exhibit, including a fully restored carousel, on September 11. Schaming was in Los Angeles checking up on the carousel's restoration when he heard the news.

"If you remember, day and night, this was the heaviest documented event in history," he said. "So how do you handle it? We're always looking for new ways to tell the story of history."

The lecture on March 7 will be for students only, Sorin said, but will be presented to the public this fall.