A protective enclosure is the innermost layer of protection surrounding an item (see the 6 layers of protection diagram in blog #3). When well made, of stable archival materials, and designed to properly fit the item, a protective enclosure helps to protect against many of the “agents of deterioration” (see blog #4). Continue reading
As one of a group of volunteers, I’m missing our Monday get togethers and am really looking forward to when we can all get back together. But have we been allowed to be idle? OH NO!
That slave driver cum school ma, (so called volunteer coordinator) has continued to organise us! (Can’t she give us a break?). A long respite from ‘you’ve not used the right Archives format’; ’that shouldn’t be a capital letter’; ‘ there shouldn’t be a gap in the item reference’ etc etc ad infinitum… And what has she made us do? Continue reading
First – know your enemy! Then Avoid, Block, Detect, Respond, Treat.
As we know from Coronavirus, our enemies are not always easy to see! But the fantastic people at the Canadian Conservation Institute have done a major piece of work helping us to understand what they might be. They have come up with a list of 10 “agents of deterioration” that threaten heritage objects. Taking time to think systematically about the risks these agents pose allows us to determine how best to minimise damage. Continue reading
In our Collection Care blog #2, we addressed the question: why care for the collection? Now it’s time to consider ‘how’. Continue reading
Three weeks into ‘Lockdown’ and I’ve been thinking about how this experience might be affecting people living with dementia who are still at home, and the people who are sharing their house or flat with them. Dementia affects everyone differently, but there are some things which are likely to be especially challenging for people in this situation. I’ve tried to acknowledge this and to think of ideas which might help. Continue reading
The first thing to do is think about why you want to preserve your collection. It may be obvious to you, but it is good to write it down so that you are clear about what you are doing – see it as a personal mission statement if you like!
If you are looking after a collection for a group or organisation or perhaps other members of your family, it is important to leave information for them, so that people know what you have saved and why. Continue reading
It could be a small or large collection of letters, photographs, documents, computer (digital) files or other records that have meaning for you. Maybe you have been keeping them safe so that they can be shared and passed on to future generations. Your treasured documents provide a visceral link from the past to the future. They carry a thread of emotional connection down the generations and across the wider community. They can show who we are and how we live, relate, work and play. Continue reading
Gloucestershire Archives 