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PROTECTING ARCHIVES

Jehn Marie A. Simon BLIS-3

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WHAT IS PRESERVATION?

Many people equate preservation with

conservation and restoration

PRESERVATION is used to describe the

passive protection of archival materials

in which no physical or chemical

treatment is performed

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CONSERVATION can be defined as the

active protection of archival materials , often

by the use of physical and chemical

treatments in order to resist further

deterioration but without adversely affecting

the integrity of the original.

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RESTORATION involves the repair of an

item, either to return it to its original

appearance or to improve its aesthetic

qualities.

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Understanding and Responding to arch iva l hazards

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TEMPERATURE AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY

temperature: level of heat or cold in a

substance

relative humidity: amount of water vapor in

the air

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WHAT IS THE RISKS?

High in relative humidity promotes the growth of

mold and causes archives to absorb moisture and

swell, deforming their shapes permanently

Low in relative humidity dries archival materials,

leaving them brittle

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The greatest danger is not the levels of

temperature and humidity but excessive

fluctuations(changes)

as the level rise and fall, materials expand,

shrink and expand again

making the bond that hold the material weaken

and be fragile

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

controlling the temperature and the humidity can

markedly increase the life span of archives even

id the levels are not optimal.

should be monitored and documented: daily if

possible.

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temperature in the storage repository should

not drop below 18°c or rise above 20°c

relative humidity should range from 35% to

40% and should not exceed 50%.

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ABUSE AND MISHANDLING

What is the risks?

putting excessive pressure on bindings,

writings on documents

touching photographs with bare hands eating or drinking near any archives

tearing or folding pages and handling

documents with wet or dirty hands

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poor storage and inadequate housekeeping are

also serious threats to the quality of collection

vandalism and theft can cause permanent

damage

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

reference and storage areas should be

supervised, and extra protection should be given

to particularly valuable materials.

the archivist has very right to impose conditions

on the behavior of visitors to the institution.

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the institution can provide space for refreshment

archivists must need to monitor the use of

archives by staff and the public in order to ensure

materials are not damaged and mishandled.

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housekeeping can be extremely effective in stable

and secure physical environment

all archival materials should be inspected at least

once a month to ensure that the records have

been shelved properly and to look for any treats.

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ACIDITY

acidity is the quality of being acid or sour as

supposed to be alkalinity or the quality of being

alkaline or sweet

paper-based textual records are often composed

of materials that are acidic which makes the items

inherently fragile.

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acid can be naturally on the paper, the ink

being used and the cardboard boxes used

to store the items.

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

testing the PH of paper archives or storage containers is one way to determine acid levels.

testing process is time consuming and expensive

mass deacidification- the chemical reduction of acid in large volumes of archives

increasingly archivists are turning to digitalization as a tool for preservation and access.

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encapsulation- enclosing a document

within a sheet of polyester and sealing

the edges to keep the item in place.

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LIGHTS

speeds up oxidation (the combination of oxygen and other elements)

hastening the deterioration of materials such as paper

Breaks down chemical bonds that causes ink to fade

light levels are defied in lux units: 50-100 lux

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

reduce the exposure to light as much as possible

archival materials should be stored in boxes or

containers to reduce the exposure to light,

materials should be keep when not in use

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photocopying generates tremendous exposure

to light ad heat. Scanning can also damage the

materials

make a master copies of frequently requested

items and use those to make additional copies

instead of using the original one.

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POLLUTION

what is the risks?

external pollutants: gasesChemicals

toxics from factories, automobiles and trucks

internal pollutants:

found inside the building

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photocopier cleaning supplies paints untreated woods plasticsAdhesivesTap water

the particles that make up pollution is abrasive or acidic abrasive: irritating

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

install systems that filters out the polluted air

particles

expensive and requires regular

maintenance

not an easy option for many facilities

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storing the archival materials in a box,

containers or cabinets will limit the exposure

to pollutants

untreated wood shelves can be sealed with

a latex paint (not oil base paint)

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photocopier should be located away from the

records storage areas

poor quality holdings such as newspapers

should be kept away from the archival

materials to reduce the effect of pollutants

that can be stored in it.

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FIRE AND WATER

fire is a devastating threat to archives, not

because of all-consuming loses brought by the

fire itself but also because of the damage

caused by the water or chemicals used to

extinguish the flames

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

To reduce the threat of fire and water damage,

hazardous materials such as chemicals, paints

and other flammable substances should ever be

stores near the records

archival materials should be kept at least 15-25

centimeters off the floor, to minimize damage in

the event of the flooding

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materials should not be stored in the attic or

basement, since those areas are the first to be

damaged in fires and floods

fire alarm and portable fire extinguisher should

be installed throughout the facility and should

be tested regularly

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BIOLOGICAL AGENTS

what is the risks? mold insects and rodents can all damage archives

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WHAT CAN BE DONE?

storing the archives in climate-controlled

environments; keeping relative humidity low, and

inspecting and cleaning storage and reference

regularly

screens should be installed in the doors and

windows to avoid rodents inside the building

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drying damaged records and then vacuum off the mold using a low suction vacuum

dry molds can be cleaned using a soft paintbrush

if moldy archives cannot be salvaged, duplicate either manual or digitally

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DEVELOPING A PRESERVATION PLAN

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CONDUCTING A PRESERVATION SURVEY

the survey will assess conditions such as:

the general condition of the exterior and the

interior of the building

the condition of all the storage facilities

the nature and condition of all archival materials,

in all media(including electronic archives)

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the nature and extent of security systems and

procedures

the nature and level of environmental or other

threats

the existence and nature of emergency

response procedures

the existence and scope of preservation

services and internal or external support

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DRAFTING A PRESERVATION POLICY

a preservation policy articulates the

institution’s goals and priorities for

preservation and conservation

It is important to develop the preservation

policy In keeping with the goal and

strategies of the institution’s core archival

policy;

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all decisions about archival management

from preservation to acquisition to reference

need to work coherently as components of

the plan to achieve the institution’s larger

vision, mission and mandate

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DEVELOPING A PRESERVATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Once a preservation assessment is completed,

priorities can be identified and formalized in a

preservation management plan

without a plan, managers may ask why they

should provide for

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6 GENERAL ACTIONS RECOMMENDED BY CONSERVATION EXPERTS:

establish a regular environment monitoring program

implement and maintain stable environmental controls

develop and maintain an emergency response plan

store archival materials according to the requirements of their particular medium

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maintain a regular and thorough housekeeping

program

identify and treat high-risk materials

items 1,2,4,5- environmental monitoring,

implementing environmental controls, general

storage requirements and housekeeping

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EMERGENCY PLANNING

emergency- any unexpected occurrence requiring immediate action

Example:

losing electrical power in an archival building especially when the staff is in the middle of updating databases or they have transferred irreplaceable photographs to cold storage freezers.

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emergency response plan identifies potential emergencies and categorizes their potential danger to the institution and its holdings

the plan outlines the procedures to follow during and after an emergency to protect people and holdings, restore order and salvage damaged materials.

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ELEMENTS OF A COMPREHENSIVE EMERGENCY PLAN

detailed evacuation procedures including information about emergency meeting points as well as maps and diagram

floor plans for the building, identifying the locations of power and water supplies, drains, emergency exits and other critical areas

full contact information for all the staff who may need to be involved in emergency response, including information about who will be responsible for making decisions and authorizing actions

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contact information for any organizations or suppliers who have agreed to provide emergency support, such as companies that will provide salvage service

identification and location of particularly valuable or fragile items or materials that need to be given high priority during recovery operations

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a list of emergency equipment and materials held in the institution with their locations clearly marked

the archival institution should also maintain insurance to cover loses i the event of an emergency

the insurance cannot replace the lose of archives but can in terms of equipment and supplies

the institution will also want to have a liability insurance, in the event anyone is injured on the premises

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STORING MEDIA MATERIALS

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MAJOR ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE STORAGE OF ARCHIVES IN DIFFERENT MEDIA

document and cartographic records photographic prints and negatives slides and transparencies Photograph albums films: cellulose nitrate film books and other publications parchment

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Vellum and seals Newspapers Work of art and framed items Audio recordings Microforms Artefacts

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PAPER RECORDS

Correspondence Reports Minutes Cartographic Architectural records and textual materials

are often acidic, and as the paper ages, the acidity weakens the fiber

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PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTS

Consists of two layers:

provides the support

holds the images

support layer is usually made of paper but may also be made of glass, metal or other materials;

the image layer is made up of a variety of chemicals

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Black and white photographs are more stable than the color photographs

black and white photographic image consist of silver, embedded in a binder called emulsion layer

color photographic image composed of a number of organic dyes embedded in layers of gelatin

photographic prints can be damaged by ultraviolet light, pollutants and dust

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Color photographs are more sensitive to change in light, temperature and humidity

photographic prints are best stores in total darkness

50 lux is acceptable for exhibitions house them in a stable temperature and

relative humidity temp. :20 degree Celsius r. humidity: 30-35% for black and white

25-30% color photographs

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Oil in fingers will damage the photographic prints should be handled with gloves at all time

should not be folded, bent or attach with paper clips or staples

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PHOTOGRAPHIC NEGATIVES, SLIDES AND TRANSPARENCIES

Like photographic prints, negatives are made up of support layer and an image layer support: polyester, cellulose acetate or

cellulose nitrate film image:

black and white negatives contains silver particles in gelatin

color negatives also contains silver but the particles may have been bleached during development adding acid makes it less stable

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Slides consist of support and layer image

negatives and slides can be damaged by light and heat; chemicals and pollutants; and high temperatures and humidity

negatives should be stores in a place with little exposure to light (20°c)

Photographic negatives should be handled by the edges only with bare fingers