Preservation

One of the fundamental responsibilities of any historical records repository is to ensure that the records in its collections are available in their original format for as long as possible.  Ensuring your records are well preserved involves more than stabilizing your environment and storing your records in preservation quality containers. A robust preservation program also includes a system for securing your records from theft, a disaster response plan and procedures for handling records.

While the complexity and cost of preserving records can be intimidating, focusing your efforts on many low-cost incremental improvements will noticeably impact the condition of the records in your care.  Consistent small improvements in your preservation program will not only benefit the records in your care but will increase your credibility in the eyes of donors and your governing body.   In many cases grant funds can support the expenses involved in improving your preservation program.  In particular grants from the New York State Library, the National Endowment for the Humanities and Heritage Preservation support preservation projects. 

Whatever actions you choose to undertake should be part of an overall preservation management plan that coordinates environmental monitoring and management, storage conditions, security planning, and disaster planning.   

In this section you will assess the following: