Page 44 - TCA-booklet-silver-jubilee-book

COLLECTIONS
CARE
N ARCHIVIST’S JOB entails
many laborious and meticulous
A processes which require a fine eye
for details and the following of good archival
practices. At TCA, these skills have been honed
over the last two-and-a half decades.
Each item poses its own challenges — paper
and cloth are fragile and change colour with
age; metal tarnishes; photographs fade; fungus,
termites and silver fish can attack films, books
and other artefacts. TCA seeks solutions for all
such problems.
The Records that are collected are scrutinised and
those of archival value segregated for long term
preservation. Preservation and conservation of
Records require specialised knowledge and skills.
While TCA carries out these processes in-house
The original blueprint of Bombay House, the Tata headquarters situated in Mumbai, signed by
George Wittet, has been restored by TCA. $
it also partners with experts in the different areas
of the conservation process.
Careful handling and storage conditions are
essential for the longevity of the Records. Paper,
photographic and audio-visual Records degrade
over time and frequent handling speeds up this
process. Physical holdings can only be accessed
by one person at a time while digitisation makes
these Collections available to people worldwide.
Maintaining this digital continuity is one of the
major challenges faced by TCA.
While preservation and conservation is
important, archival security is an integral
component of Archival Management. TCA
has also invested in the latest infrastructure
technologies to safeguard the Archives from risks
posed by fire, water, climate and other disasters.