{"id":1553,"date":"2020-05-25T08:30:05","date_gmt":"2020-05-25T08:30:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/?p=1553"},"modified":"2020-05-19T08:38:26","modified_gmt":"2020-05-19T08:38:26","slug":"preserving-archives-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/2020\/05\/25\/preserving-archives-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Preserving Archives: Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the second of our Preserving Archives blog, we\u2019re following on from our tips on handling, packaging and storing Great Aunt Bessy\u2019s birth certificate and now we\u2019re going to talk about digitising, displaying and repairing your precious archives.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Digitising<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Thinking about digitising some of your archive is a great idea.\u00a0 It means you can share documents with the family line in New Zealand, prevent over-handling of very fragile items, and can display photographs without the risk of them fading.\u00a0 You can employ a company to digitise your archive (DHC, for example, can provide this service for a reasonable fee) or you can digitise them yourself.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tip 1.<\/strong> It is important to handle your documents carefully and never use an automatic feed scanner.\u00a0 Flat-bed scanners are suitable for photographs and paper but be careful not to crush documents or crease them if they do not fit on the bed.\u00a0 Books should never be placed on a scanner as it can break the spine.\u00a0 Support the open book and use a camera from overhead.<\/p>\n

Tip 2.<\/strong> Make sure you add the correct metadata \u2013 this is all the information your grand-niece Myrtle would want to see in 50 years from now; where, who, when<\/p>\n

Tip 3.<\/strong> Back up your images.\u00a0 When you leave your laptop on the train, you\u2019ll be glad there\u2019s a hard drive with all your photos on at home.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Displaying<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, it is the sad truth that all light; daylight, lightbulbs and UV-free bulbs, at any level, will all irreversibly damage your archives.\u00a0 However, we can\u2019t keep our archives locked in a darkened room forever, we want to see and enjoy them.\u00a0 Whilst sporadic ventures into the light won\u2019t damage your archives too much, framing and hanging them on a south-facing wall opposite a window will mean your precious documents won\u2019t survive very long.<\/p>\n

Tip 1.<\/strong> Display a copy.\u00a0 Having spent time carefully digitising your favourite archives, it makes sense to have them printed out and displayed around your house.\u00a0 And when these images fade, you have the digitised image from which to print another copy (and the original safely stored to digitise again when you lose your laptop and have forgotten to back it up!)<\/p>\n

Tip 2.<\/strong>\u00a0 If you absolutely must display an original, invest in \u2018Conservation\u2019 or \u2018Museum\u2019 grade framing.\u00a0 This will include archival, acid-free mountboard and UV filtering glass or acrylic.\u00a0 Avoid sunlight and fluorescent lighting as they contain higher levels of UV light.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Repairing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many fragile or lightly torn documents can be supported with good packaging and do not require repairing.\u00a0 We cannot stress enough the damage you can potentially do to your archives by carrying out your own repairs \u2013 remember the Spanish Jesus painting?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u2018Repairing\u2019 documents with sticky tape or by laminating them can cause irreversible damage.\u00a0 Tape and laminating pouches deteriorate \u2013 the adhesive will discolour and the plastic will shrink and warp.\u00a0 Adhesives can also cause inks to bleed.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t do it \u2013 future generations won\u2019t thank you for it!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Tip 1.<\/strong> Support fragile documents with archival folders or polyester sleeves<\/p>\n

Tip 2.<\/strong> Most Conservators will provide a free treatment proposal so you can find out what work might be required to stabilise your damaged archive and have time to think about your options.\u00a0 They can also provide you with advice about packaging and digitisation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

We hope this has given you some inspiration to have a go at preserving your own family archive, and if you have any queries, the team at DHC will do their best to help!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the second of our Preserving Archives blog, we\u2019re following on from our tips on handling, packaging and storing Great Aunt Bessy\u2019s birth certificate and now we\u2019re going to talk about digitising, displaying and repairing your precious archives.   Digitising Thinking about digitising some of your archive is a great idea.\u00a0 It means you can… Read more Preserving Archives: Part 2<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1892,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[31],"tags":[82,9,12,109,172],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1553"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1892"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1553"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1553\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1558,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1553\/revisions\/1558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1553"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1553"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk\/dorset-history-centre-blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1553"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}