Volume 9, Number 1, Part 2
Apr 1985

Outline of Archival Conservation

A. GENERAL

1. Administration, planning

2. Buildings, equipment

3. Standards; condition surveys

4. Professional associations

5. Regional centers, commercial services

6. Bibliographies, manuals

B. ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS & CONTROL

1. Monitoring the environment

2. Temperature & humidity

3. Air pollutants

4. Light

5. Migration of harmful gases from stored materials

6. Dust

7. Fungi, bacteria, etc.

8. Insects,, rodents

9. Magnetic damage, vibration

C. ROUTINE CARE

1. Storage

2. Housekeeping

3. Routine maintenance of records

4. Handling & use

D. DISASTERS: FIRE, WATER, NATURAL, MAN-MADE

1. Planning

2. Recovery

E. SECURITY

1. Keys, access

2. Classified records

3. Specially protected records

4. Control: Ownership stamp, ID photo or microfilm, list

5. Inspection, inventory, loan records

F. EXHIBITS & LOANS

1. Loan policies, preservation aspects

2. Conditions & precautions

G. PERMANENCE

1. Inherent instability of materials (e.g. low pH)

2. Effect of conditions

3. Testing of storage materials, etc.

H. SELECTION FOR TREATMENT

1. Intrinsic value

2. Available options

3. Cost

4. Condition, use, etc.

I. REPRODUCTION (INFORMATION PRESERVATION)

1. Microfilming

2. Photocopying ("Conservation reprography")

3. Transfer of nitrate film to acetate

4. Duplication of unstable color negatives

5. Other reproduction of visual materials

6. Sound recordings

7. Tapes & discs - See these formats under "Treatment"

J. TREATMENT & SPECIAL PROBLEMS OF STORAGE & REPRODUCTION

1. Paper

a) Decentralized (non-lab) procedures: Cleaning, humidification, flattening, encapsulation

b) Lab procedures: Cleaning, humidification, flattening, encapsulation; washing, deacidification, bleaching, repair, leafcasting, lamination, and special procedures for full conservation

2. Maps, posters
3. Photographs
4. Microfilm
5. Motion pictures
6. Sound recordings
7. Magnetic tapes
B. Video discs
9. Books

K. BIBLIOGRAPHY