Lesson in Archives Course: Bachelor of Library and Information Science

1. PROTECTING ARCHIVES
Jehn Marie A. Simon BLIS-3
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2. 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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3.  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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4.  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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5. Understanding and Responding to
archival hazards
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6. 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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7. 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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8. 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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9. 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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10.  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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11. 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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12.  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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13. 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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14.  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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15.  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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16. 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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17.  acid can be naturally on the paper, the ink being
used and the cardboard boxes used to store the
items.
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18. 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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19.  encapsulation- enclosing a document
within a sheet of polyester and sealing the
edges to keep the item in place.
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20. 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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21. 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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22.  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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23. POLLUTION
 what is the risks?
 external pollutants:
 gases
Chemicals
 toxics from factories, automobiles and trucks
 internal pollutants:
 found inside the building
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24.  photocopier
 cleaning supplies
 paints
 untreated woods
 plastics
Adhesives
Tap water
 the particles that make up pollution is
abrasive or acidic
 abrasive: irritating
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25. 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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26.  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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27.  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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28. 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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29. 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 29

30.  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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31. BIOLOGICAL AGENTS
 what is the risks?
 mold
 insects
 and rodents can all damage archives
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32. 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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33.  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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34. DEVELOPING A PRESERVATION PLAN
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35. 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) 35

36.  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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37. 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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38.  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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39. 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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40. 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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41.  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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42. 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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43.  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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44. 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 44

45.  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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46.  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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47. STORING MEDIA MATERIALS
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48. 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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49.  Vellum and seals
 Newspapers
 Work of art and framed items
 Audio recordings
 Microforms
 Artefacts
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50. 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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51. 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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52.  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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53.  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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54.  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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55. 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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56.  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
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