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CONSERVATION METHODS |
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he
conservation of archives is necessary to preserve the past: the
archives are the souvenirs of our history. The creators and former
keepers of the archives, however, were not aware of the historical
value of these papers for future generations. The poor condition
of many documents make the preservation of archives a very time
consuming, expensive and difficult job.
The conservation activities can
be divided into different types of work. Each activity needs a different
kind of expertise. The preservation model looks like a pyramid.

I. Preventive conservation
The basic activity of the preservation
pyramid. It comprises policy making, including training, attitude,
professional thinking and acting of all personnel. It is crucial
to develop training programmes for all professions.
II. Passive conservation
Nearly at the bottom of the preservation
pyramid. It stands for good house keeping, air purification, air
conditioning, depot hygiene and depot monitoring of insects and
moulds; all measures that benefits the whole collection. An important
element of passive conservation is the assessment of the physical
condition of the collection. Various scientific instruments have
been developed to get a reliable impression of the type of damage
and the level of deterioration. Examples of these instruments are
the Damage Guide and the Universal Procedure for Archival Assessment,
developed by the Dutch State Archives Service together with the
Netherlands Institute of Applied Scientific Research TNO. (link
Schadeatlas ...??? en UPAA ...???).
Ink corrosion
[Jakarta]
(click to enlarge) |
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III. Active conservation
Much higher in the pyramid. It includes
re-wrapping and re-boxing of the objects, cleaning objects, mass-deacidification
and disinfecting. Most of these elements can be done by employees
who are not conservators. It is essential is that these kind of
co-workers are properly trained.
IV. Restoration
The top of the pyramid. It is the
most expensive and time-consuming part of conservation. At the same
time it is less productive compared to the other mentioned activities.
The top of the preservation pyramid is the domain of well-trained
conservators. Conservator's assistants, however, can do part of
the job.
Damage caused by moisture
[Colombo]
click to enlarge) |
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The importance of conservation
A big part of the archives of the Dutch
East India Company suffers from severe damage like iron gall ink
corrosion, mechanical damage, moisture and infestation due to the
physical nature of the objects, which are made of organic materials.
The kind and level of damage differs in every country. Tropical
circumstances like a high temperature and a high humidity have an
accelerating effect on the decay of the archives.
Damage caused by moisture and
insects
[Chennai]
(click to enlarge) |
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Exchange of knowledge and experience
All archival institutions have there
own conservation experts and face their own specific problems in
the field of preservation. The consultation and collaboration of
these experts may give answers to many problems. Workshops are useful
instruments to benefit from each others' knowledge and skills. Another
good instrument is training on the job. This can be applied to all
levels of archival employees.
Training
The schooling of high educated specialists
as well as the training of non-specialist personnel are vital for
the preservation of the archives. Everyone, scholar, archivist or
depot co-worker, must be aware of the consequences of unprofessional
handling of the archives. Of course the different kinds of employees
need different levels of training. But at all levels staff members
must be aware that they are not handling some papers, but that they
are handling the history of their country and its inhabitants.
Damage caused by insects
[Cape Town]
(click to enlarge) |
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Microfilming
Another way of preservation of archives
is microfilming. Microfilm is an excellent solution to preserve
the written, drawn or printed information inside the objects. The
information about the object itself (paper, ink, parchment, leather
etc.) however can only be studied if one keeps the original object.
Unfortunately in some cases microfilming may turn out to be the
only solution to preserve the archives in the long run. Especially
in those cases it is essential to use high quality standards for
the films, the recording and the handling during the microfilming.
The use of low quality microfilms means the loss of information
and the destruction of the archives as well.
Acidification and moist
[The Hague]
click to enlarge) |
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Before microfilming, sometimes conservation
treatments have to be carried out due to the physical condition
of the object. If the object is in a very poor condition it has
to be reinforced before microfilming can start. On the other hand,
when a specific restoration technique leads to less readability
of the documents, one should consider careful microfilming before
restoration.
Related internet links
Resources
for Conservation Professionals
Survey
of internet links concerning conservation
Ink
Corrosion Website
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