Libraries & Archives

Resources Libraries & Archives

The aim of this resource list is to provide heritage staff who have to work in dangerous situations, with electronic information that might assist them in safeguarding their vulnerable heritage.  The resources are presented in English but often other languages can be chosen on the website. Please inform us if any hyperlinks are broken, you would her us and others a lot.

Note that the Resources will be updated from time to time. To follow the changes we suggest you subscribe to RSS Feed.

Important:

The Probative Value of Archival Documents. A Swisspeace essential by Trudy Huskamp Peterson, 2014

Archives for a Peaceful Future. A Swisspeace essential by Sandra Rubli and Briony Jones, 2013

Archives and Dealing with the Past – A Collection of Resources. This collection of resources is compiled by Swiss Peace on an ongoing basis and contains resources in English, French, German and Spanish, while the website selection contains other languages as well.

More:

  • CAMEO: Conservation & Art Materials Encyclopedia Online. CAMEO is a searchable information resource developed by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. It has recently undergone a major transformation to a wiki based platform. As is inherent in wikis, some databases and pages contained within CAMEO are ‘works in progress’. Pages, data, and information will be added and updated on a continuing basis. The MATERIALS database contains chemical, physical, visual, and analytical information on over 10,000 historic and contemporary materials used in the production and conservation of artistic, architectural, archaeological, and anthropological materials.
  • Capture Your Collections 2012 – Small Museum Version. This online course on managing the digitization process is divided into 9 modules , each of which will take between 15 minutes and two hours to complete. It was developed by Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN)
  • CEN – European Committee for Standarization. The Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage provides standards for characterisation of materials, the processes, practice, methodologies and documentation of conservation of tangible cultural heritage to support its preservation, protection and maintenance and to enhance its significance. It includes characterisation of deterioration processes and environmental conditions for cultural heritage and the products and technologies used for the planning and implementation of their conservation, restoration, repair and maintenance.
  • Connecting to Collections. Their goal is to help smaller museums, libraries, archives, and historical societies get answers to collections care questions and quickly locate reliable preservation resources and to help staff members network with their colleagues. This online-community offers different useful services.

In the column Resources the website provides practical links, recordings and discussions:

    • Care for Audio-Visual Materials
    • Care for Books
    • Care for Ceramics and Glass
    • Care for Digital Materials
    • Care for Metal
    • Care for Natural Science Specimens
    • Care for Organic Materials
    • Care for Paintings
    • Care for Paper and Ephemera
    • Care for Plastics
      Care for Photographs
    • Care for Textiles
    • Care for Wood
    • About Collections Care and Management
    • Increasing Support for Collections Care
    • Collections Management
    • Manage the Collections Environment
    • Prepare for and Respond to Emergencies

On the Webinars page you find the many Online Event recordings.
For online questions you can check in at the Meeting Room

Archival papers and products

Other advice on physical preservation

On their webpage Preserving archival volumes they explain about many subjects like: What is a volume?, Binding materials, Deterioration, Handling, Copying, Protective packaging, Storage requirements, Storage environment, Pest control, Labelling…

On their webpage Preserving paper files you will learn many secrets of paper files: What is a file?, Deterioration of paper, Handling, Protective packaging, Storage requirements, Storage equipment, Storage environment, Pest control, Labelling, Copying…

On their webpage Managing records on thermal papers you will find much on copy paper: What is a thermal paper?, Early thermal papers, Modern thermal papers, Preservation problems, Printer recommendations, Preservation recommendations, Warning to recipients of fax documents…

National Archives of Australia also published a few documents on digital documents:

  • Northeast Document Conservation Center. Resources. The NEDCC’s mission is to improve the conservation efforts of libraries, archives, historical organizations, museums, and other repositories. They provide preservation information to museums, libraries, archives, historical organizations, and other cultural institutions. Especially their Preservation Leaflets are well-known:
    • Planning and Prioritizing
    • The Environment
    • Emergency Management
    • Storage and Handling
    • Photographs
    • Reformatting
    • Conservation Procedures

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