Setting Up a Conservation Program

Setting up a Conservation Program by Fe Angela M. Verzosa

CONSERVATION
program that deals with the physical or chemical treatment of documents
encompasses three functions:
examination
preservation
restoration

conservation functions
examination - procedure taken to determine the original makeup of an item and extent of its deterioration, alteration, and loss.
preservation - action taken to retard /prevent deterioration or damage by control of their environment and/or treatment to maintain their original state, as far as possible.
restoration - action taken to return a deterio-rated or damaged item to its original form.

Implementing a conservation program
Management Support directive conservation committee conservation policy organizational structure budget
Conservation Facilities
Conservation Staff

administrative order
outlines priorities and goals short-term intermediate long-term
provides a conservation policy statement
designates responsibility for the conservation effort

Conservation Committee
knowledge of nature of collections
knowledge of conservation, or
enthusiasm, interest, willingness to learn conservation skills
formal appointment
authority to gather information, plan the program, review facilities and environment, execute the program

Conservation Policy Statement
must be written
approved by the Conservation Committee
adheres to basic principles in conservation
contains manual of procedures that should serve as helpful guide and training aid
lists specific “do’s and dont’s”

principles in conservation
rule of reversibility - no procedure or treatment should be undertaken that cannot later be undone.
compatibility of problem and solution - the chosen treatment to be applied should not be greater or weaker than the problem. It may be best to do nothing at all if no acceptable treatment solution is compatible to the problem.

more principles ...
rule on restoration - how far reconstruc-tion may be undertaken without losing or diminishing the integrity of the item or document.
documentation - maintaining a complete and accurate record of all treatments. narrative description checklist of work done photographic record (before, during, and after)

Do not use any measure, treatment, or program that:
cannot be reversed if necessary
cannot be used properly
will not last a long time
is harmful to people
changes the physical property of material
dissolves or damages any part of the material

Organizational Structure

Budget
must be a line item in the institutional budget
at least 15-20 % of total budget
expenses should include archival storage materials extermination services subscription to literature on conservation expanded projects such as establishment of conservation laboratory, microfilming, etc.

Conservation Facilities
air conditioning
dehumidifier
fumigation chamber or vacuum fumigators
conservation laboratory
steel shelves (or if wooden, should be painted with acrylic latex)

Conservation Supplies
Japanese papers, matboard
hygrometers, psychrometers
acid-free storage boxes
Mylar polyester sheets
blotter paper
soft brushes and cleaning pads

Conservation Staff
restoration work must be done only by trained personnel
staff training is an ongoing responsibility
training and orientation must be directed toward staff at all levels
the number of staff involved will depend on the size and type of the institution, and on the extent of conservation program

Conservation Guidelines
light control
pest control
temperature and humidity control
handling of materials by staff
handling of materials by users
acidity control

Conservation Guidelines Light control:
store materials away from light
keep lights off or low
install ultraviolet filters
avoid using original items in displays and exhibits
monitor light levels regularly (50 to 150 lux)

Conservation guidelines insects and rodents:
check incoming materials for signs of infestation
separate infested materials for treatment
never eat/drink in storage/research areas
keep archives/library clean and uncluttered
set traps/poison baits to catch rodents
contact services of an exterminator

Conservation Guidelines Acid:
store materials in acid-free containers
remove paper clips, staple wires, pins, string, tape, etc. while processing (use plastic clips, fasteners, etc instead)
use metal shelving at least 4- 5 inches above floor level

Conservation Guidelines handling of materials:
handle materials as little as possible
never use ink
never use any kind of adhesive tape
do not write on any part of the material except to make notations using soft pencil
substitute copies for originals
examine materials after use

handling of materials when in use:
do not leave users unattended
only issue a limited number of docu-ments or folders, or one box at a time
do not allow material to be taken out from reading room
do not allow materials to be rearranged
only staff should take charge of photocopying
examine materials after use

Condition Survey
best means of gathering data needed to evaluate treatment priorities
survey instrument should be as extensive as possible
survey form should be simple to fill out
survey data may include the following:

Collection Location Date of survey Conducted by Box and folder no. Type of material Inclusive dates Format Media Type/Quality of storage containers Condition of collection: general appearance insect damage tears/abrasions harmful means of surface dirt/dust attachment (clips, pins) water/other stains enclosures (flowers, clip- discoloration pings, photos, etc) embrittlement other observations: evidence or mold/mildew __________________ Use of collection: Priority ranking of collection for treatment: _________ Recommended treatment: _____________________

Conservation Treatments
Fumigation
Dry cleaning, washing and bleaching
Deacidification Barrow 2-step method NARS one-step process
Mending, reinforcement, and support using Japanese paper lamination encapsulation

Basic Conservation Procedures
relaxing and flattening documents
removal of paper fasteners (pins, clips)
appropriate means of attachment
surface cleaning of paper records
testing for ink solubility
ph-testing for acidity
mending with Japanese paper

Evaluating conservation services
use of sympathetic materials in restoration
use of high quality supplies
high degree of craft skill
reasonable time to complete work
provision of written report of treatment
provision of security of material
reasonable estimates of cost

Thank you very much .
Let’s all have a nice day.

http://restauro-del-libro.blogspot.com	43
http://restauro-del-libro.blogspot.it	35
http://www.slideshare.net	1
http://restauro-del-libro.blogspot.fr	1
http://restauro-del-libro.blogspot.de	1
http://restauro-del-libro.blogspot.pt	1
http://restauro-del-libro.blogspot.com.es	1
http://restauro-del-libro.blogspot.co.uk	1

Setting Up a Conservation Program

by Fe Angela Verzosa

Accessibility

Categories

Upload Details

Usage Rights

8 Embeds 84

Statistics