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What’s the Easiest Way to Lose a Collection?

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That question seems counter-intuitive, doesn’t it? In fact, most people who come to Anderson Archival are looking for the exact opposite—the easiest and best way to preserve their collection for the long haul. But if most collection-owners really want to preserve their collections, keep them safe, and make them available to share, why do so many collections get lost in the chaos of daily life?

Because the easiest way to lose a collection is to do nothing.

Too many collectors end up doing nothing for a lot of reasons. Let’s take a look at some of them.

I Just Discovered My Collection

It’s hard to preserve a collection you don’t even know about! But that means now is the perfect time to act.

It’s been who knows how long since your documents, photos, and books have been properly cared for, and worse, you don’t have any way to know how they were handled (or mishandled!) before they came to you.  It’s time to review the collection for items that need to be conserved and organize essential items for digitization.

My Collection Is Huge and Varied: I Have No Idea How to Start “Doing Something”

This is probably the reason we hear most frequently from clients. The sentiment is often followed by another: “Help!”

Here are a few avenues to consider:

  • Work with a conservator or consultant for initial review. This archival expert can advise on organization, storage, items that need special care and handling, and the next steps to take.
  • Take a DIY approach. Sit down with family or other decision-makers to determine how you’d prefer to organize the collection, such as by date, person, type of media, or any combination of factors. Also determine what pieces are worth keeping, preserving, and digitizing.
  • Triage, divide, and conquer. Send damaged and fragile pieces to a conservator, and reserve essential items for digitization. While that is being done, sort, store, and come up with a plan for processing the rest in due time.

Especially with large collections, this process can take a long time. We’d be lying to suggest otherwise! But while all of these pieces come together and you slowly gain understanding of your collection, you are certainly not doing nothing.

Every step taken to care for a collection is a step away from losing it.

My Collection Is in Great Condition: I’m Not Worried

Isn’t it tempting to believe how your collection looks now is how it will look forever? That all of the information, images, and memories will always be there when you need them for reference or comfort?

Just ask the librarians at Alexandria, the docents of Brazil’s Museo Nacional, or countless other stewards who will give the same warning: what’s here today could be gone in a flash tomorrow. Fire, flood, vandalism, or simple carelessness can all result in a ruined collection or one that is simply just not what it used to be.

The best time to take steps towards preservation and digitization is when a collection is in great condition. That way you can rest easy knowing that how your collection looks now really is how it will look forever.

My Collection Is Too Frequently Used to Care For: I Can’t Do Anything

Having a collection of high public or private interest is a blessing, but in the field of preservation it’s also a curse! There are essentially two options for a busy collection, and weighing these options is going to be something that you, your patrons, and other decision-makers must grapple with.

Option One: The collection remains in circulation and active use. With each use, it sustains a little more wear and damage until information is lost. With no master digital copy to refer back to, the lost information (a line of text, a chunk of a page, or an entire volume) is gone forever. Poof.

Option Two: Pieces of the collection are rotated out of circulation for conservation repairs and digitization. Patrons may be frustrated when they find that something they want is temporarily unavailable, but once processed, the pieces can be returned to circulation. If they sustain damage again, they go back into the conservation rotation. If they become lost or too damaged for repair, the information they contained is accessible via its digital counterpart. They can also be put into storage, and researchers all around the world can access the digital versions, saving the originals from additional stress. The options for access are many, and the originals remain intact for posterity. No poof.

In this option, doing something will very likely cause some friction, and cost time and money. The end result of a collection that can stand the test of time, however, is well worth it.

My Collection Is Stored Safely: I’m Done!

That’s great, but, unfortunately, preservation isn’t a set it and forget it project. If you’ve already had the collection reviewed by a conservator, know it is in archival-safe storage, and have a master digital copy, you can check off a lot of boxes. But the truth is, you’re never fully done “doing something” for your collection.

Preservation professionals recommend regular reviews of your collection even when all signs point to good conditions and a safe collection.

  • Check for signs of new wear from climate fluctuation, pests, or dust accumulation.
  • Make sure storage containers remain in good condition.
  • Keep an eye on conditions in the surrounding environment. Even the best archival-safe box won’t do much against a major fire or flood.

I Have Digital Copies, So the Information Is Saved: I’m Done!

Having digital copies offers collectors a great sense of relief that no matter what happens to the physical collection, the information is safe and sound. But doing nothing more than having a digital copy can lead to tragedy later on.

Technology is constantly changing, and what was working fine ten or twenty years ago might not even turn on now. Hard dives can fail, external storage can sustain damage, and some file types may not work on modern computers. Don’t let your digital collection turn into an inaccessible paperweight. Pay as much attention to digital damage as you would physical damage.

  • Routinely access your digital collection to check for file corruption.
  • Check that all file types stored continue to work on modern computers. Update any that are at risk.
  • Make backups on a variety of mediums. A single flash drive doesn’t cut it.
  • Don’t leave all the copies in the same place. A fire can destroy computers as easily as books.
  • Transfer files to new storage as the existing devices become obsolete.

 

It can be easy to fall into the do-nothing trap, and sometimes you just don’t know where to begin. Have you been doing nothing with your collection? It’s time to start doing something! Give Anderson Archival a call and let’s talk about getting started.

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Historical collections need preservation plans

More Than Digital: Building a Preservation Plan

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There are so many things to consider when choosing to preserve a collection, both in digital and physical format. Though the needs of digital preservation are not the same as those of physical preservation, it’s important to keep both sides in mind when building a preservation plan. Neglecting one could reduce quality and access to digital files, while ignoring the other could lead to document deterioration or complete destruction. Whether you’re a private collector or a large organization, having a thought-out preservation plan can increase the quality and longevity of your collection.

What Is a Preservation Plan?

A preservation plan is more than simply choosing where to store your collection or which items should be digitized first. A proper preservation plan should consider everything required to care for and maintain your collection’s physical and digital materials.

Simply having a preservation plan doesn’t mean that all is perfect in your collection.

Short-, medium-, and long-term goals keep your preservation plan evolving with the needs and best practices of the preservation industry.

With a plan as comprehensive as this, where do you even start?

Assessment of Your Preservation Needs

Until you know what you have, you can’t know how to preserve it. What’s called a “preservation needs assessment” is a great way to start building your preservation plan. By analyzing the work you’re already doing to care for and maintain your collection, alongside any problems that might have been overlooked, you can determine which steps you need to take right away and what you can address as time and funding permit to ensure the continued stability and accessibility of your collection.

A preservation needs assessment should include, but is not limited to:

  • A complete overview of the collection, including quantity, type, and condition of materials.
    • Note special requirements needed to house or preserve certain material types. Some materials could be at risk of fire, fading, or deterioration in non-ideal conditions.
    • Note items in need of repair and conservation treatment.
    • Look at how often the collection is used and which items are accessed repeatedly or not at all.
  • A walkthrough of the interior and exterior of any building(s) that stores your collection.
    • Look for cracks in the foundation, mold growth, insect or rodent activity, and any hazardous conditions that could cause manmade damage, such as exposed wiring near flammable materials.
    • Document what protections are in place to regulate the environment, react to emergency situations, or secure the collection against theft and unauthorized use.
  • An assessment of the storage materials housing the collection.
    • Check how many items are stored in acid-free, archival quality boxes or folders.
    • Note any damaged boxes or improper storage methods currently being used, such as items stacked together without any storage medium or oversized items crammed into spaces that are too small to fit them.
    • Document any items in need of immediate rehousing to safer storage materials.
  • An analysis of the care and handling procedures staff and patrons use when accessing the collection.
    • Determine if there are clear and written procedures for people to follow and if those procedures are satisfactory to the care of the collection.
    • Test how well staff are trained in these procedures.
    • See if staff has been trained in emergency response to natural or man-made disasters.
  • An overview of any digital materials in the collection.
    • Note whether these are born digital, digital copies of items physically in the collection, or digital copies of items not physically in the collection.
    • Check the file extensions of all digital items and the staff’s ability to access the information in those file types.
    • Record where the digital collection is located, on what medium it is saved, and how many copies of it exist.
    • Determine if digital materials are being used to prevent overhandling of the physical collection.
    • Note any present or future digitization efforts already in place, or if digitization is a viable option to reduce handling of the collection.

Each preservation needs assessment is different depending on the collection being assessed, but when you’re done, you’ll have the necessary information to create a preservation plan. During this process, carefully consider your priorities for remedying any issues the preservation needs assessment found. Dividing all remediation needs into short-, medium-, or long-term goals can help with prioritization.

  • What can be done immediately and with little to no cost?
  • What can be done in a reasonable time frame or might require adjusting your budget?
  • What must wait until sufficient staff or money is available?
  • What must be done immediately even though it will require putting off more easily completed remediation?

A preservation plan shouldn’t only focus on what needs to be fixed.

It should also include how you plan to continue the care and maintenance of all aspects that don’t need remediation. It should include policies on how to handle, grow, and access your collection. The more you have written down in clear language, the easier it will be to teach everyone using the collection what needs to be done and how to do it the right way. After all, the goal of a preservation plan is to keep your collection safe and in use for all who need it.

Get Help with Your Preservation Plan

Conservators across the country are skilled in performing preservation needs assessments and assisting in remediation of issues. Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)’s course on preservation plans is invaluable if you decide to undertake this process yourself, or conservators are ready to partner with you to make the process easier. If you’re not certain you can afford a conservator, many grants cover preservation needs assessments for collections.

Once you’re ready to take action, it can help to work with a conservator for physical preservation remediation or a digitization vendor to ensure that digital copies of your collection are captured to archival standards.

 

Do you need help digitizing your collection as part of your preservation plan?

 

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Can the single piece of physical evidence survive to tell the story?

A Tale of Two Explorers

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The more items preserved from a historical period or event, the better our understanding of what happened, how people lived, and what was important at the time. But sometimes a single artifact or document can shed light on unknown or obscured history. Oftentimes these types of artifacts are hidden away in family collections or lost to the elements, but when found, their importance is incalculable. The evidence of two explorers showcase how important a single document can be to illuminate events that would otherwise remain a mystery.

Greenland’s Tragic Expedition

In 1906, Jørgen Brønlund was one of many explorers and scientists braving the hostile terrain of Greenland in order to map this unknown part of the Arctic. Although the mission to map Greenland was a success, Brønlund would never live to see it.

Brønlund’s team, consisting of him, expedition leader Ludvig Mylius-Erichsen, and Niels Peter Høeg Hagen, set out along the coast of Greenland, but a miscalculation about the then-unexplored Danmark Fjord forced them to backtrack and waste precious time. Instead of returning to the expedition’s ship, Mylius-Erichsen believed his team could make it to their original goal of Navy Cliff before summer melted the ice. After enduring a grueling year-long journey, all three perished on the Greenland ice.

The last to die, Brønlund’s remains were found in a cave alone, still in possession of the team’s cartography notes and a diary, which recounted in his own words both the journey and his last days. While the maps helped the expedition’s main purpose, it is the diary that has proved invaluable. Listing dry facts may explain what happened, but to hear the journey in Brønlund’s own voice right up to his death gives life back to the man who wrote it. It paints him as a real person—not merely a historical footnote.

Died the 79 fjord under the hardships of the return journey over the inland ice in November. I reach this place under a waning moon, and could not go on, because of frostbite in the feet and the darkness. The bodies of the others are in the middle of the fjord in front of glacier (about 2-1/2 miles). Hagen died on November 15, Mylius some ten days later.”—Brønlund’s final diary entry, quoted in ArsTechinca

The Mystery on Mt. Everest

There’s an enduring question surrounding Mt. Everest that no one has been able to solve. Who was the first duo to reach the summit, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine or Edmund Hillary and Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay? While Hillary and Tenzing are officially recorded as the first people to stand on the summit of Mt. Everest, the mystery of Mallory and Irvine remains.

In 1924, nearly thirty years before Hillary and Tenzing’s record journey, Mallory and Irvine made their own fateful attempt to reach the summit and never returned. Mallory had several times before attempted to conquer Mt. Everest, without success. On this last journey he was determined to make it, but did he?

Mallory and Irvine were last seen by their support climber, Noel Odell, while he rested at about eight thousand meters up the mountain. According to Odell, the sky around the summit cleared of clouds and he was able to see two black spots climbing and topping the Second Step, one of the most difficult obstacles and mere hours away from the summit. After that, the two climbers were lost from view.

Whether the two reached the summit after Odell saw them is still under speculation, but in 1999 the mystery was reignited when Mallory’s body was finally located. Though there was no proof on the body that Mallory reached the summit, the clues that were there point to the possibility. Among them were Mallory’s detailed plans on how he planned to reach the summit, including an inventory of supplies, and notes on the pressure in the pair’s five oxygen cylinders, one more than he was previously known to have.

Little more than notes and scraps, these writings shed new light on the Mallory expedition and change the probability of Mallory’s success. Many hope that finding Irvine’s body will shed more light on the truth. Until then, the mystery remains.

We are going to sail to the top this time and god with us, or stamp to the top with the wind in our teeth.”—George Mallory in a letter home, quoted in The Wire

Uncover Your Own Revelations

Not all revelations are as dramatic as these two explorers’, and many are found in more hospitable places than the Arctic and frozen mountain tops. A unique family collection may be the only evidence of events or people later generations never knew, such as letters sent during World War II that give new life to deceased family members. Organizational collections can also house artifacts and documents that no one outside of the organization knows about due to limited access.

Digitally preserving these historical materials is the only way to ensure the truth within will survive should the physical object be lost. Once digitized, the audience for a collection can be expanded worldwide.

It is often through improved access that these obscure sources and the revelations within are found. You may not realize the importance of the items in your collection, but someone else may find the only source material that illuminates the history they research—or even reshape it.

 

Do you know what historical gems are in your collection? Beyond damage-free scanning, Anderson Archival takes a detailed inventory of artifacts brought to us for digitization. Searching for a specific topic? Adding detailed metadata to each file makes intuitive discovery a breeze. Would you like to discuss your collection?

 

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