Don’t panic! Dealing with wet records Elizabeth Hadlow Senior Conservator Records Manager’s...
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Transcript of Don’t panic! Dealing with wet records Elizabeth Hadlow Senior Conservator Records Manager’s...
Don’t panic! Dealing with wet records
Elizabeth HadlowSenior Conservator
Records Manager’s Forum24 July 2007
Introduction
• Resources• Equipment• Training• Planning for Salvage• Handling wet records
Resources - planning• State Records Website
– Standard on Disaster Management of Records http://www.records.nsw.gov.au/publicsector/rk/disaster/diplancom.htm
• National Archives Website– Disaster Preparedness Manual
http://www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/preservation/disaster/intro.html
Resources – planning and salvage
• AMOL website– Be Prepared- Guidelines for Small Museums for writing a
disaster preparedness plan http://sector.amol.org.au/publications_archive/collections_management/be_prepared
• AMOL website– reCollections – Managing collections
http://archive.amol.org.au/recollections/ • NAA website
– Archives Advice 28 http://www.naa.gov.au/recordkeeping/rkpubs/advices/advice28.html
Resources – advice
• State Records NSW– Senior Conservator– Senior Archivist Transfer and Custody– Salvage of archives
• State Library of NSW– Conservation section– Salvage of books
• National Archives of Australia– Conservation section– Salvage of archives
• Large Museums and Art Galleries– Conservation section– Specialist advice on specific materials, e.g. metals, organic objects,
textiles
When is it a disaster?
• Size doesn’t matter
• What is your ability to deal with it?
Equipment – disaster binContents:
•Buckets
•Mops
•Plastic sheet
•Blotting paper
•Dust masks
•Washing line and pegs
•etc
Equipment – Disaster store
Larger stores of materials
Resources – Training
• De Dramatising Disasters– www.records.nsw.gov.au training calendar– 20-21 September 2007– State Library of NSW– 2 days 9.30am-4.30pm– $520– Limited spaces
What are we trying to prevent?• Mould growth• Ink bleeding• Coated papers sticking• Books swelling• Bindings failing• Photographs blocking• Emulsions detaching
What should I do with wet records?
• How wet are my records?– Sodden– Damp– Mix
• Air Drying– Laying out flat– Pegging up– Air circulation– Keeping humidity down
• Freezing– What can I freeze?– When do I freeze?
Preparing for salvage
• Separate different materials where you can
• Know your collection• Know the correct
salvage response for different materials
Handling wet records
Summary
• Training is very important• Pre-planning avoids delays and mistakes• Players must understand your requirements• Get to know what resources you can call on