protecting archives
DESCRIPTION
This presentation shows the different risks and solutions an archivist can do to maintain his archives. It can help both librarians and archivist in caring for their preserved materials.TRANSCRIPT
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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