protecting archives

Topic Outline

• Relationship among: PRESERVATION, CONSERVATION, AND RESTORATION

• Archival HazardsTemperature and Relative HumidityAbuse and MishandlingAcidityLightPollutionFire and Water

Biological Agents

• Developing a PRESERVATION PLAN

• Emergency Planning

• Storing Media MaterialsPaper RecordsPhotographic PrintsPhotographic Negatives, Slides &

TransparenciesPhotograph AlbumsMotion Picture Film

Cellulose Nitrate FilmBound VolumesParchment, Vellum and SealsNewspapersWorks of Art and Framed MaterialsAudio and Video RecordingsMicroformsArtefacts

Protecting archives from harm and ensuring they are available for use as long as possible are essential

archival responsibilities.

What are the risks to archival materials? And what are the

actions that can be taken to assess or respond to those risks?

TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY

What are the risks?

What can be done?

• Ensuring good ventilation throughout the building

• Storing materials away from outside walls to encourage air circulation

• Keeping records out of the basements or attics

ABUSE AND MISHANDLING

What are the risks?

Putting excessive pressure on bindings

Writing on documents

Touching photographs with

bare fingers

Tearing or folding pages

Handling documents with wet or dirty hands

Eating or drinking near archives

What can be done?

Storage areas must be off limits to the

public.

Researchers must not be allowed to access unprocessed

archives.

• Housekeeping is effective in establishing a stable and secure physical environment.

• All archival storage areas must be inspected at least once a month (but

weekly if possible)

ACIDITY

The quality of being acid or ‘sour’

• Neutral – 7.0

• Increasing Alkalinity – above 7.0

• Increasing acidity – below 7.0

The scale is LOGARITHMIC!

pH of 5 = 10X more acidic than pH of 6

pH of 4 = 100X more acidic than pH of 6

What are the risks?ACIDS can be introduced into paper during

MANUFACTURING.

WOOD PULP FIBREHigh level of acidic

chemicals lignin & hemicelluloses

ACIDS can also be present in the INKS

used on paper.

IRON GALL INKIron salt &

tannin – causing records to deteriorate

What are the risks?

ACIDS can also MIGRATE from one substance

to another.

Acidic file folders, staples, metal

fasteners, glue or other acidic

documents with acidic ink.

What can be done?

LIGHT•Light speeds up OXIDATION – causes rust

•Breaks down chemical bonds – causes ink to fade

Generates heat and radiation – increase deterioration

What are the risks?

What can be done?

a. Reducing overall light levels (lux units), removing UV lighting

b. Store archival materials in boxes or containers to reduce exposure to light

c. Use of blinders or filters

d. Replacing fluorescent with incandescent lights

e. Refrain photocopying and Scanning

POLLUTION

What are the risks?EXTERNAL POLLUTANTS

Gases, chemicals & toxins from

factories, automobiles or

trucks.

INTERNAL POLLUTANTS

Photocopiers, cleaning supplies, paints, untreated wood, plastics, adhesives and

even tap water.

What can be done?

Install systems that filter out polluted air particles

Untreated wood shelving can be sealed with an interior latex paint

Regularly dusting and cleaning

FIRE AND WATER

What are the risks?

Fire is a devastating threat to archives, not just because of the all-consuming losses

brought by the fire itself but also because of the damage caused by the water or

chemicals used to extinguish the flames.

What can be done?

What can be done?

BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

What are the risks?

What can be done?

1. Storing archives in climate-controlled environments

2. Put traps and poison for rodents

3. Drying and vacuuming off the moulds

4. Archival materials can also be fumigated or treated with insecticides

Preservation Assessment

It creates a baseline measurement of the status of the archival

facility and holdings; the exterior and interior of

the building, the storage areas, the care and

handling of materials and the condition of the

archives themselves.

Preservation PolicyIt articulates the

institution’s goals and priorities for

preservation and conservation. It is

important to develop the preservation policy

in keeping with the goals and strategies established in the institution’s core archival policy.

Preservation Management PlanHere, priorities can be

identified and formalized. It not only helps focus the archives’ energies and

resources but can also help convince the institution’s

sponsors that the archival operation is moving ahead

in a deliberate and well-thought out manner.

Emergencies

An emergency is defined as

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