Conservation includes research on the content of documents/objects and analysis of the extent of destruction and the disappearance. Knowledge of the physical world, how different materials behave and react to the environment, is an essential foundation for both preventive and reinforcing prevention.
Conservation includes delaying or preventing damage to cultural objects by keeping them in the ideal conditions. Enhancing prevention or repairs involves minimal treatment. All repairs must be retrospective and therefore only materials used that have scientific knowledge and experience.
Repairs of documents include dry cleaning and wet cleaning, glue bands, glue and molds are removed, tears are repaired and specially constructed boxes or folders are created around very sensitive and/or badly damaged documents.
In the first half of the last century, the foundations were laid for an international council of museums, ICOM, followed by the creation of special professional associations of curators, which formulated policies and trends in curatorial practice and published professional guidelines and ethical guidelines, reflecting the fundamental principles that curators around the world work on.
For the record, the Icelandic word for guardian is a combination of two old words, outwards, which means protector in the military, and for guardian, which means keep. It was Kristján Eldjárn who first used this word as a term for the special job of protecting things from the destruction of time.
Tips on conservation
The National Archives of Iceland has in collaboration with the National Museum of Iceland and the National Library of Iceland published a guidebook on the conservation of archival resources. The guidebook is in two volumes and is intended for museum staff, archivists and other staff involved in the preservation of cultural heritage.
Here you can refer to a handbook on the preservation of photographs and film material by Karen Brynjolf Pedersen, Katja Rie Glud and Ulla Kejser in translation by María Karen Sigurðardóttir and Inga Lára Baldvinsdóttir. The handbook is published here on the website with permission from the National Museum of Iceland.
The handbook is intended as a reference material and is intended for museum staff and others who work on the completion of pictures.
It is preferable to leave drawings flat in drawing cabinets and have a reasonable amount of water in the drawers. It is important that folders that are used outside of drawings are acid free and this applies whether it is to drawings that are in use inside institutions or to drawings that are returned to the National Archives.
Drawing folders need to be able to handle the drawings and it is best that they are close to drawings in size. Too large folders can be difficult to use and take up a lot of storage space.
In the case of large drawings, they can also be rolled up and placed in boxes.
If the drawing paper is thin, it must be rolled up on a cylinder. In such cases, first an acid free material must be wrapped around the cylinder (garneke or silk paper) and then the drawing must be rolled up on it.
If large drawings are in pieces, it may be better to keep them in pieces rather than put them in large, uncooked containers. Conservators at the National Archives can advise on such finishing.
If drawing folders are used, avoid keeping too many drawings together.
Silk or other acid-free paper should not be placed between drawings in folders, this makes folders unwieldy to handle and encourages poor accessibility. Acid-free sheets can be used for separation when appropriate and silk paper is only used in exceptional cases, for example in case of water staining, chalk, wax staining and other sensitive materials.
Never use plastics unless they are approved for long-term preservation like Melinex polyester.
Archive collections differ from other museums in that most of the collection is for loan and all the arrangements must be made in such a way that the collection is well handled, while it is also easy for staff to access it and visitors to the museum to review it.
It is essential that drawings can be made of a variety of materials and in different sizes. It can therefore be difficult to create absolute rules for the completion of these drawings and it is recommended that contact be made with the archives of the National Archives before such work is started.
Mould spores float in the atmosphere and require certain conditions to grow.
The mould spores are tiny and cannot be seen with the naked eye.
The moisture level must exceed 60%RH in order for the mould spores to be able to grow.
Mould can only form in 24-48 hours under the right conditions, such as moisture derived from leakage.
In such situations, mould often spreads rapidly.
Like fungi, mould spores can have a negative effect on the health of people who are susceptible to mould.
If mould is detected on the surface of documents, they should be treated as follows:
Dry clean the surface with a soft brush.
Also, you can wet a rag with a mixture of spiritus forte and water and gently press on the surface (the rags must then be disposed of). First, you need to test if the ink in the documents can withstand the mixture.
Work must be done in a well ventilated space or outdoors if the weather permits. Work can also be done in a suitable laboratory cabinet with an outlet or filter.
You should wear gloves, masks and protective glasses during this work and be aware of your well-being.
The mould cleaning should not be done more than four hours a day.
