Page 45 - TCA-booklet-silver-jubilee-book

THE ART OF PRESERVATION
AND CONSERVATION

To protect its Records, TCA follows good
housekeeping practices.

Records face many threats, including
dampness, weather, insects, damaging
fasteners or acid from the paper or containers.
Dust, pins, damaging fasteners are removed
and acidic storage materials like boxes and file
folders are replaced with materials of known
archival quality.

The greatest threat to the Records is from
natural degeneration. They are housed in a
dust-free environment in climate-controlled
repositories to ensure consistent temperature
and humidity. Since frequent handling of
Records increases the danger of damage, only
digitised versions are used for dissemination.

Each Record is different and so the
conservation, restoration and preservation
treatment followed varies. Before any
conservation procedures are carried out, the
Records are either scanned or photographed
as a precautionary measure.

As is the practice worldwide, TCA only uses
reversible methods for conservation. This
means that processes can be undone at
a future date with no harm to the Record.
Documents undergo the process of ink fixation,
followed by deacidification. Thereafter, they
are lined using acid-free materials. The type of
lining varies depending on the document, while
most are given a double-sided lining of acid-
free Japanese tissue paper, others are only
given guiding around the edges with a backing
using appropriate material.

Although the TCA staff has been trained in
conservation, the services of independent
conservators and specialists from
professional organisations like the Indian
National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage
(INTACH) are also consulted.

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