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Preserve library and archive materials
Preserving and caring for the collections in museums, libraries and archives encompasses everything from packaging and creating the right atmospheric conditions through to commissioning running repairs or full conservation and preventing theft, vandalism and damage
often in historic buildings that weren't designed with the sustainable preservation of materials in mind.
We need to make sure that the material in our care is accessible to people who want to see it. For example, there's been a huge increase in the numbers of people visiting archives in the light of family history programmes on television, says Alison Walker of the National Preservation Office at the British Library.
It's essential that the material is there for them to use and enjoy and also that we advise them on how to care for the very significant documents that they keep at home. The preservation of our culture is something that everyone can be involved in. - Read the full article
Getting Started
Preservation is about our overall behaviour and attitude towards the objects in our care. It incorporates elements of a number of different sections of Collections Link. The main focus of information in this section is on library and archive collections, but it is equally relevant to the many museums which hold books and paper records.
The following entry-level resources from the National Preservation Office are designed to introduce collections managers to the main principles of Preservation.
- Basic preservation guidelines for library and archive collections (NPO)
- Building blocks for a preservation policy (NPO)
- Glossary of terms commonly used in library preservation (NPO)
Care guidelines
- Cleaning books and documents (NPO)
- The prevention and treatment of mould outbreaks in collections (NPO)
- Good handling principles and practice for library and archive materials (NPO)
- Packing and moving library and archive collections (NPO)
- Photocopying library and archive materials (NPO)
- Guidamce for exhibiting archive and library materials (NPO)
Environment and storage
- Managing the library and archive environment (NPO)
- Managing the preservation of library and archive collections .... (NPO)
(Managing the preservation of library and archive collections in historic buildings) - Specifying library and archive storage (NPO)
Specific collection needs
- Preservation of photographic material (NPO)
- Understanding and caring for bookbindings (NPO)
- Caring for CDs and DVDs (NPO)
The Public Records Office of Northern Ireland
(PRONI) produces a series called Preservation of Records that is useful for anyone working with archives. The disaster plan can be downloaded and adapted to suit the needs of your own collection.- Code of practice for staff handling records (PRONI)
- Code of practice for the manual cleaning of records (PRONI)
- Guidance for the public consultation of PRONI records (PRONI)
- Preservation policy (PRONI)
- Disaster plan template (PRONI)
An introduction to archive collections
The link below leads to a series of pages specially commissioned for Collections Link to provide an introduction to what archives are, and how they are cared for and made accessible. It includes a section on the management of archives collections in museums.
Further resources
- Care and conservation of books (Icon)
- Carie and conservation of documents and archivea (Icon)
- The Accreditation Resource Directory on Collections Link contains resources which are useful whether or not you are applying for accreditation. Go to section 4.5 Minimising Risk of Damage for resources relevant to this subject
- Find out more about collections care.
© All material on Collections Link, copyright MDA and other National Organisations 2006, all rights reserved.
