preservation programs - national archives and records administration
TRANSCRIPT
Did You Know?• TheNationalArchiveshasarchivesfacilities,Federalre-
cords centers, and Presidential libraries in 44 facilities
acrossthecountryfromWashington,DC,toAnchorage,
AK,andfromWaltham,MA,toCollegeStation,TX.
• TheNationalArchivespermanentholdingsgroweach
yearandincludeover• 4millioncubicfeetofpaper,photographs, maps,audio,video,art,andfilmrecords• 150terabytesofelectronicrecords• 550,000artifacts
• Wehost an annualPreservationConference that ex-
plores topics ranging fromdigitizingrecords tocon-
servationtreatmenttocollectionspreservationinthis
timeofclimatechangeandeconomictransition.
• We participate actively in developing national and
international standards, working with the American
NationalStandardsInstitute(ANSI),theInternational
OrganizationforStandardization(ISO),andothers.
• PreservationProgramsoffersfellowships,internships,
andvolunteeropportunitiesinconservation,holdings
care,andpreservationscience.
• NARAisarecipientoftheprestigiousHeritagePres-
ervation/American Institute forConservationAward
forOutstandingCommitmenttothePreservationand
CareofCollections.
Cover image detail: Sail drawing of the USS Constitution (19-4-43)
Preservation ProgramsNationalArchivesandRecordsAdministration
8601AdelphiRoad,Room2800
CollegePark,Maryland20740-6001•301-837-0633
[email protected],pleasevisit:
www.archives.gov/preservation/
NationalArchivesPreservation
PreservationattheNationalArchiveshttp://preservearchives.tumblr.com/
FollowusonTwitter:PreservationatNARA@archivespres
PRESERVATION PROGRAMSThe goal of Preservation Programs is to ensure that the
recordsofourgovernmentareappropriatelypreservedso
theywillbeavailableforuse.Weworkwithstaffacrossthe
NationalArchives(NARA)tosupportandfurtherpreser-
vation.You’ll find Preservation Programs staff at work—
preparinghistoricdocumentsfordisplay,rescuingburned
militaryrecords,preservingelectronicrecords,advisingon
designof storage and exhibition spaces, or protecting re-
cordsinemergencies.Weserveasaresourceandofferguid-
anceonthewiderangeofmediainNARA’sholdings—from
paperandelectronicrecordstoartifactsandspecialmedia.
Prevention Is Our PriorityPreservation Programs develops and applies preventive
strategies to avoid damage to records.We know that the
earlier preservationmeasures are implemented, themore
cost-effectiveoureffortswillbe.Westriveto
• Monitorandtrackrisksthreateningrecordsinallformats
• Prioritizeandimplementpreservationactions
• Specifyandmonitorenvironmentalconditionsin
storage,processing,andexhibitspaces
• Specifyandevaluatestablehousingstoholdand
protectrecords
•Provideproceduresandoffertrainingonwaystohan-
dlerecordsandpreventdamage
•Developpoliciestominimizethreatsto
records,fromfoodanddrinktopests
andpollutants
•EnsureNARAfacilitiesare
preparedforrecordsemer-
gencies
•Applycutting-edge
technologyandprocesses
thatdelivercost-effective
preservation
preservation programs
Safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government
Meet Preservation Programs FourunitsworktogetherinPreservationPrograms:Con-
servation,ElectronicRecordsPreservation,NationalPres-
ervationPrograms,andSt.LouisPreservation.
ConservationCaringfortheConstitution,theDeclarationofIndepen-
dence,andotherfoundingdocumentsisjustoneaspect
ofConservation’swork.Wepreserverecordsthatcometo
theNationalArchivesinmanyformats:looseandbound
textualdocuments,photographs,posters,artwork,archi-
tecturaldrawings,andprintedandhand-drawnmaps.We
assesstheconditionoftherecordsandidentifytheircom-
position,andwestabilizeandtreatdocumentstoprepare
themfordigitization,exhibition,andusebyresearchers.
Wemake custom housings for large or fragile records,
andweteachholdingsmaintenanceandrecordshandling
procedures. Conservation staffmonitors environmental
conditions in our facilities, and conservation scientists
conductpreservationresearchandevaluateproductsused
forstorageandexhibition.Theconservator-on-callteam
providesspeedyguidanceonemergencyresponseforall
NARAfacilities.
Electronic Records PreservationTheElectronicRecordsPreservationstaffconductstech-
nical analysis of electronic data structures and formats
andprovidesfirst-timepreservationofelectronicrecords
ontoarchivalmedia.Weoperateandmaintainthearchi-
val preservation system that includes network-attached
storage,harddrives,softwareapplications,anddatabases.
Weconductannualholdingsmaintenanceworkforsev-
eralthousandmagnetictapesandopticalmedia,andmi-
grateelectronicrecordsontonewandstablearchivalme-
dia.We provide reference reproductions to researchers.
Wereviewassociatedmetadataforaccessionedelectronic
recordsanddeveloparchivalinformationpackagesforin-
gestintoNARA’sElectronicRecordsArchives.
National Preservation ProgramsOurresponsibilitiesinPreservationProgramsconnectuswith
colleagues in our archives facilities, Federal records centers,
andthePresidentiallibraries.Togetherweidentifytheneeds
ofNARArecordsbyconductingpreservationreviewsatthese
facilities.Weestablishpreservationpriorities,developcost-
effectivestrategies,implementprogramsandpoliciestopro-
tectrecords,andmonitorourprogress.OurworkonNARA’s
newHoldingsManagement System enables trackingof
records locations andpreservationneeds andactions.We
workwithallNARAfacilitiestoensurereadinessintheevent
ofarecordsemergency.Wearehelpingbuildstrategicalli-
ancesforemergencypreparednesswithotherFederalagen-
cies.Ourcommunicationsinitiativeisbringingpreservation
informationtobroaderaudiencesthroughnewmedia.
St. Louis PreservationPreservationstaffattheNationalArchivesatSt.Louiscares
formilitaryandcivilianrecordsattheNationalPersonnel
Records Center.We assess condition for each request for
burnedrecordsfromthe6.5millionthatsurvived
the 1973 fire. We remove mold, humidify
andflattentherecords,andmendthemas
needed. Ourreformattingstaffdigitizes
ormicrofilmsrecordstomakethemmore
accessibleandprotectstheoriginalsfrom
excessivehandlinganddamage.Weplanto
makeevenmorepersonnelrecordsavail-
ableaswebegintoscananddigitally
enhanceimagesofburnedandother
records.