Materials and Chemicals

Materials and chemicals are sometimes used in the preservation and conservation of archives.

A damaged document from 1791 with information hidden by the folded corner at the time this image was made!

We follow strict guidelines if we use chemicals

On the rare occasions we use them, it is in very small amounts usually 50 ml or less at a time. We only use chemicals after considering and ruling out a range of other care options.

We want our documents to survive for hundreds of years into the future, and sometimes that does require chemical intervention. We comply with Health and Safety and Environmental regulations and closely monitor overall use. Conservation treatments for archives these days are designed to use fewer and less harmful chemicals.

Damaged Document — A damaged but stable document

Interventive conservation treatments are just one aspect of Collections Care, and we employ accredited conservators to carry out a range of tasks to preserve the documents.

We look after hundreds of thousands of irreplaceable items

We hold records on parchments and papers, in books, maps, photographs, film, files and other materials too.

We provide the best conditions for their long-term preservation

We manage their storage environment carefully and use protective archive quality enclosures so that things are protected from future damage and deterioration. We make the most of highly insulative building design and low-energy technology for maintaining both temperature and humidity at optimum levels for long term preservation.

Conservation treatments are considered for items that come to us in poor condition. We assess collections and identify unstable items where there is a high risk of future damage.

Where an item is damaged but stable, we accept the damage as a part of its history. We do not repair everything that is damaged. If something is unstable or un-useable then we may consider treating it to make it accessible and reduce the risk of new damage occurring.

A document that has not been repaired – it is fragile and needs to be handled with care, however it is still useable

The things we expect to be used most often, so at greater risk of damage, will be considered for treatment. Any intervention is minimal.

A lot of items, that we do not expect to be in high demand are given an individual protective enclosure and just flagged as ‘Fragile’ with a notice asking people to ‘Handle with Care’. They will survive quite happily protected in this way.

We make digital copies of items and collections that are popular so that people can see what they need remotely and do not need to handle the originals. If damage means that some information is hidden and we can’t get a good image, then we will make some light or temporary repairs, just enough to make everything visible while it is being digitised.

We look at overall risk and the greater good

When we focus on collection wide preservation and conservation solutions and prioritise items at highest risk of future damage for treatment, we reduce our use of resources. We aim for lower impact solutions and minimal intervention rather than time consuming and costly individual item restoration. This way we can stabilise and protect more using fewer materials and chemicals.

Expect to see damaged items in our collections!

A lot of damage will be preserved and protected in our collections. Natural ‘patina’ and damage is also a part of the bigger picture. It reminds us of the passage of time, the age of the item and the reality of what we are looking at – the true original thing.

Damaged Seal — A seal that has been repaired, putting the broken pieces back and protecting the vulnerable edge. This was done without the use of harmful chemicals.

These days, we try to avoid restoration where original elements are replaced and new materials introduced. The overall historical integrity of an item is affected if it is ‘restored’ and loses the direct material evidence. And many more materials and chemicals are used up in the process.

Our aim as conservators is to preserve as much of the original item as possible - all the pieces of it – even if damaged, with the minimum of intervention. It shows us directly how it was made, used and cared for and connects us to all the people whose hands it passed through before.

We aim to preserve the intangible

As well as tangible, physical properties, there are intangible things that you may not even be conscious of, or don’t really notice, that help confirm the genuine nature of an item. We want to keep these too.

If you have ever looked at an original document, known it as authentic and felt the connection, the realisation of the truth of what it is saying, the people or the times it links you to, and felt the emotion, the hairs stand on the back of your neck, or the tingle down your spine – then you will know the real value of preserving all that makes it what it is.

Register that has not been restored — A register that has not been restored preserving all the evidence of its age and use.

If you want to learn more about how to preserve documents, please click: Caring for your collection