Conserving the media to ensure a clear image for digitising.
As we work concurrently across multiple large scale and time pressured projects, we take a pragmatic approach to conservation treatment. We apply treatments en-masse, conserving only when the text or image area of a document is unreadable or to ensure safe access for handling and imaging.
We undertake condition assessment surveys to inform the planning and scope of our projects, including resource allocation and costs to our publishing partners, and uncover access and condition issues within the identified record series. If issues are found, conservation treatment is applied to ensure each document’s condition is stable for handling and imaging.
Examples of access and condition issues that we come across:
Access issues
- Metal fastenings that restrict access, including, staples, pins, and other metal fastenings.
- Tight bindings causing loss of text and restrict access.
- Pages that have stuck together.
- Gummed or Pressure sensitive tape that is obscuring text.
- Creases and folds obscuring the image or text area.
- Folded and rolled items, such as very stiff folded parchment or large rolled maps and plans.
- Sealed items, such as letters. How the item has been sealed informs our decision making on what treatment to use.
- Hazards, such as historic mould or pigments that contain metals which may be harmful. Risk assessments guide us on how to handle and access these collections.
Condition issues
- Large tears that have damaged the media.
- Issues with the stability of the media, such as iron gall ink damage, and friable and delicate pigments.
- Burnt pages, mould damaged papers, and acidic and brittle pages.
- Degradation and loss to seals.
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- Inaccessible text due to tight binding.
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- Flattening is required for safe imaging.
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- Degraded iron gall ink which has burnt through the paper.
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- Tears and folded edges obscure the text.
You can read more about our treatment approach to conservation for imaging in our blogs:
- Letters Unread: Opening closed letters in the Prize Papers project
- Lost in the gutter: Mitigating text loss for digitisation projects
- Introduction to conservation for digitisation
- The removal and/or care of pressure-sensitive tape from paper
- Letters of Note: Preparing the Prize Papers for digitisation
- Preparing a highly fragmented book for digitisation