Preserving Derbyshire’s History
Join Derbyshire Record Office's Conservation Team as they look at what damages archive collections and show how they repair documents.
Storage
Archives need to be stored in a cool and dry environment. Packaging them in archival quality folders and boxes keeps them out of light and beyond the reach of insects and rodents. The boxes also provide a barrier to any water that might get into the store.
A volume lying on a book cushion (2015-08-07) by Derbyshire Record OfficeDerbyshire Record Office
Handling
Archives can easily be damaged through careless handling. Having clean hands, using book cushions and other supports, not eating or drinking near documents, and only using pencils to make notes all help protect the collections.
Light exposure
Light is very damaging to archive collections, especially to photographs. This photo was kept in a frame for thirty years, which meant the centre was exposed to a lot more light than the edges and the colours have faded significantly.
Animals Attack!
Here is an example of how insects can bore their way through documents; rodents will happily do similar damage. Quarantining new material, good building maintenance and housekeeping and identifying which insects are around, are essential for protecting archives.
Stack of mouldy books (2023-07-21) by Derbyshire Record OfficeDerbyshire Record Office
Mould
Mould spores are everywhere in the environment, but will only grow in damp, humid conditions. When mould flourishes it destroys paper and parchment and all the information the records contained is lost.
Dealing with mould
Mould is a health hazard, so wearing appropriate protection is essential when dealing with mouldy material.
Dangerous additions
Additions to documents like self-adhesive tape, staples or paperclips cause a lot of damage. Anything metal will rust over time and self-adhesive tape causes considerable staining. The adhesive can also seep out, sticking pages together, as is the case here.
Conservation
When records are too badly damaged to be handled, our expert conservators repair them. For instance, this grave plan from Stoney Middleton St Martin is in pieces and can't be looked at by researchers.
A conservator cleaning a plan (2023-06-29) by Derbyshire Record OfficeDerbyshire Record Office
Cleaning
Here is one of our conservators cleaning the plan and puzzling all the pieces back together.
Conservation in action. The conservators at Derbyshire Record Office clean and repair many different paper and parchment documents. This requires various processes and techniques, from surface cleaning with a smoke sponge, through dismantling volumes, filling in losses, and strengthening areas with thin tissue.
Available again
Now that the burial plan has been fully repaired it can be looked at by researchers. Another success for the Conservation Team!
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