CHG recipient case study

1. The Agony and the Ecstasy
BERRIMA DISTRICT HISTORICAL & FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY AND
THE CHG PROGRAM

2. STAGE ONE:
SIGNIFICANCE
ASSESSMENT

3. SIGNIFICANCE ASSESSMENT:
Archivist Linda Emery will conduct the significance assessment
based on her already extensive knowledge of the collections
and prepare the report as an ‘in kind’ contribution to the
project.
This report will inform the consultant engaged to undertake the
Preservation Needs Assessment.

4. As a member of the Society for more than 20 years and archivist
for five years, Linda Emery knows the collection of archival
material well and has unrestricted access to it. This knowledge
and access has enabled her to identify the particular collections
within the large volume of paper-based material that could be
considered for national significance. The complete collection of
the BDH&FHS is very large. The targeted collections were
thoroughly examined, with approximately 10% of the balance of
the collection sampled.

11. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
Short term
·Increase accessibility to the German Internment Camp Collection through internet access to
photographs.
·Clean and rehouse the Badgery Papers
Medium Term
·Strengthen the Collections Policy
·Develop training programs for volunteers
Long Term
·Weed the collection of material that does not fit the Collections Policy for the organisation
·Ongoing pursuit of grant funding for preservation, storage and collection development needs.

12. STAGE TWO:
PRESERVATION NEEDS
ASSESSMENT

13. 6.3.1 Stoddart Photograph Album
The Assessment included a detailed inspection of the Stoddart Photograph Album.
The album is currently housed in a polyethylene plastic bag. The following
preservation issues were documented:
·Many pages are repaired with poor quality pressure sensitive adhesive tape.
·Pages are brittle and are at risk of detaching from the album.
·The silver gelatin photographs are silvering slightly, probably due to a reversion of
the developing processes and poor storage over many years.
·Some pages are torn.
·Some photographs are loose or coming loose from their page mountings.
·The album binding is stable but the spine is missing.
To ensure good long term preservation the album and its contents the following
treatments are required:
·Digitise images and restrict the access to the original album.
·Repair the spine.
·Remove pressure sensitive adhesive tapes.
·Repair pages.
·Interleave pages with non buffered tissue paper.
·House in tailor made preservation storage box.