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Introduction to Archival Preservation: Essential Knowledge

The basics of preservation and archival practices.

Introduction

Archives: Basic Preservation Techniques

 This guide is intended to provide basic archival and preservation techniques for beginners.



photo album          silverfish

 

Essential Definitions:

archives:  records created or received by a person, family, or organization and preserved because of their continuing value.

conservation:  the repair or stabilization of materials through chemical or physical treatment to ensure that they survive in their original form as long as possible.

preservation:  protecting materials by minimizing chemical and physical deterioration and damage to minimize the loss of information and to extend the life of the item.

restoration:  the process of rehabilitating an item to return it as nearly as possible to its original condition.

from:  https://www2.archivists.org/search/saasearch_glossary/

Following logical procedures!  Let us think about...

Planning - I have material I'd like to save.  How much material is there to work with?  Are other people or organizations interested in the material?

Assessing - What exactly do I have?  What damage am I dealing with?  Do I have a timeframe to complete this project?  Is it possible to organize this into groups?  Am I confident in working with what I see?

Handling - Do I have consistent space set aside for working with this material?  Am I prepared to dedicate time to making sure I am careful with the material?  Will I need help working with what I have?

Digitizing - What is the best way to digitize this?  Do I even need to digitize?  Will I discard the originals because I don't have the space or need?  Have I thought of a naming scheme?

Storage - What do I need to obtain to preserve the material properly?  Where will this material ultimately be stored?  Will I or someone else be the caretaker?  Will I have a backup of the digital material?

pH Scale for Paper

Basic chemistry!  Acid versus alkaline or base.  Calcium carbonate is sometimes introduced into paper products to add a buffer to the acid.

old paper

Northeast Document Conservation Center - free resources for learning and caring for archives

National Archives - excellent source for procedures

Preservation Self-Assessment Guide - multiple formats and how to consider preservation

Smithsonian Institute - preservation page

Preservation Glossary

 

Naming Scheme

When scanning items, try to come up with a logical naming system.  It may help when items are being sorted, to establish this based on the subject matter or the container in which they were found.  Dates can also be helpful in naming schemes.

ex. 20070412_NewYorkCityTrip_001.png

or

1955_Edward_Smith_House_001.png


Scanning

Scanning at 300 dpi and saving as a .png or .jpg is fine and standard practice.  Other formats such as .tiff and .pdf/a are also acceptable and used in professional archives.

The Media Center has several Epson scanners to meet your digitizing needs.  The Perfection V series is a flatbed scanner that can also digitize various film negative formats including slides.  The Expression XL 10000 can handle 11"x17" items and the FastFoto 680 can scan stacks of photos quickly.  The Workforce series can quickly scan letter-sized pages with the auto-document feeder.  This scanner is not meant for delicate items, though.  For large format items, we have a Colortrac poster scanner that can scan up to 42" in width, but this scanner has rollers that may damage delicate items.  Any scanner with an automatic pulling feature is not suitable for fragile material.  

About Paper

brittle paper

Materials

This is going to examine two main types of items in the wide array of things that can be given preservation treatment.  Since we are looking at a more personal approach to this topic, theory, facility and advanced planning will not be discussed.  External links are to provide further information and resources when needed.

Environment and Degradation

The environment is considered separate from the actual item because environmental conditions can also effect how material degrades.  
Temperature - too high or too low can accelerate changes.  40-54ºF (4.5-12ºC)
Humidity - too high or too low can be disastrous and can accelerate changes. 30-50% RH is perfect for most items
Light - darkness is key because UVA light is damaging
Pollution - any particulates in the air must be avoided (i.e. smoke, fumes, etc.)
Pests - silverfish, roaches, mice/rats and other creatures can physically damage material.  Isolate items and do not bring containers that may still have active pests inside where you are processing materials as this could lead to contamination.
Mold - high humidity environments can cause mold to form.  Keeping an item dry and cool will limit growth and some can be brushed away.  Once an item has molded, it is considered contaminated and must be kept separate.  

silverfish image


Possible Materials

Remember - acid-free is key and no PVC!

  • Poly bags
  • Unbleached cotton twill/cord/string
  • Small spatula
  • Acid-free tissue paper
  • Acid-free folders
  • Acid-free paper
  • Storage boxes
  • Paper featuring alkaline buffers
  • Mulberry document tape
  • Polyester sheets
  • Distilled water

Dick Blick Website

bug chart

Documents

Handling - clean hands, possible weights to help keep rolled documents flat, clean brush, being aware of damage.

Scanning - if item is delicate, please be aware of what type of scanner you'll use.

Storing - unrolled and flat.  Can be kept in folders or sleeves.  See storage considerations below.

Photographs

Handling - separate and brush front and back, assess damage.  Organize by type and or event/person.  It is okay to gently write in pencil on the back of the photos.  

Scanning/Digitizing - 300 dpi is standard for archival purposes.  Once scanned it is up to you to keep or discard the item.  

Storing - keeping items separate is key but not always feasible.  Store photographs flat and stack horizontally - no not press items down or overfill a box.  Storing in acid-free paper or poly bags is okay to keep collections separated.  Special care regarding light should be considered for prints before 1965.


Working with negatives - identify the type of negative, digitize if able and store in poly (non-pvc) protectors.  

If there are any fasteners such as staples, paperclips or rubber bands, remove them and discard.  Stainless steel staples can be used to replace old steel staples if needed.  Rubber residue and rust damages and stains items.  

Even more links!

Digital Services Librarian

Profile Photo
Johnnie Gray
he/him
Contact:
Trible Library, Media Center, 2317D
757-594-7249
Website

wash your hands

WASH YOUR HANDS!

NO FOOD OR DRINKS!

Other

Other forms of media:

Magnetic Tape - other formats than below, send off

Reel to Reel - send off

Audio Cassette - the media center can help with this conversion

VHS Videocassette- the media center can help with this conversion

8mm/Super 8mm- the media center can possibly help with this conversion

MiniDV/DAC - send off

Vinyl Record - the media center can possibly help with this conversion


Sites we recommend for sending away for digitization:

https://av-workshop.com/ -- highly recommended!

https://kodakdigitizing.com/

From YouTube

Trible Library provides links to other websites to aid in research and is not responsible for the content or privacy policy of those sites.