Conservation for imaging

Small rectangular fragments of paper are sitting on foam pads on a conservators bench. They are being re-joined together using see-through conservation-grade Japanese tissue to reconstruct the original letters.

Reconstructing letters from brittle fragments with Japanese tissue to ensure their accessibility for digitisation.

Our team supports the mass digitisation programme of The National Archives’ collections, enabling access to our collections online. We deliver this support through a range of activities, which include: advice and guidance, handling training and support, condition assessments, collection surveys, and conservation treatments. By employing these various activities throughout the life cycle of the digitisation workflow, we enable access to the collections whilst ensuring safe imaging processes.

To find out more about the commercial digitisation and licensing services we offer at The National Archives, go to our digitisation and licensing pages.

Discover our Conservation for Imaging team’s approach to treatment to support our mass digitisation programme.

Learn more about conservation for our digitisation projects and our publishing partners.