Providing sustainable preservation environments

How can we best provide a sustainable preservation environment?

Projects

Projects will soon be underway to understand the issues surrounding the impact of climate change on local environments in The National Archives, and archival collections globally. Existing models such as life-cycle costing, risk assessment and predictive modelling protocols will be applied to evaluate and define sustainable energy solutions and to optimise current preservation practices.

Climate mapping

A climate mapping exercise has been carried out in all storage areas. The results will be used to develop The National Archives´ environmental monitoring programme as well as to improve the hardware and the Building Management System.

IDAP 150: A comparative study of two groups of parchment records

This project, undertaken by the conservation research section aims to provide a comparative analysis of two groups of parchment records stored in two contrasting microclimates for a period of approximately 150 years. Using IDAP (Improved Damage Assessment of Parchment) protocols, this project considers whether there is a correlation between local microenvironments on the deterioration of historic parchment records. Results thus far indicate no significant difference between the two groups, although this interpretation may have to be revised when results from further fibre assessment have been interpreted.