Preservation

The National Archive of the Velocity Interoperability Network is required to keep the records in its care permanently and in a condition that allows them to be read. Preservation is therefore the Archive's first duty: a record that has been lost or has decayed cannot be catalogued, exhibited or consulted. This page describes how records are conserved from the moment they are identified for transfer, and the responsibilities the Archive carries in doing so.

How records are conserved. Every record that enters the Archive passes through the stages below. The order is fixed; the time each stage takes depends on the condition and quantity of the material.

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   Step 1: Appraisal and transfer

   Each department identifies the records of permanent value that it creates, and agrees with the Archive a transfer schedule stating what is to be transferred and when. Records of only temporary value are not accessioned; the Archive advises departments on how long they should be kept.

2. 2

   Step 2: Accession

   On arrival, each transfer is checked item by item against the list that accompanies it. The transfer is given an accession number, entered in the accession register and assigned to a record series in the catalogue. Discrepancies are resolved with the transferring department before the records leave the receiving area.

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   Step 3: Condition survey

   Every item is examined and its condition recorded. Tears, staining, mould, brittle paper, metal fasteners, adhesive tape and acidic enclosures are all noted, and the survey sets the order in which items are treated. Items at risk of further deterioration are treated first.

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   Step 4: Cleaning and stabilisation

   Loose dirt is removed from surfaces, metal fasteners and adhesive tape are taken off, folded and rolled documents are relaxed and flattened, and tears are repaired with conservation-grade paper and reversible adhesive. No treatment is applied that cannot later be undone, and every treatment is recorded against the item.

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   Step 5: Rehousing

   Records are placed in acid-free folders and boxes of the correct size. Oversize items such as maps are stored flat in plan chests, and photographic material is placed in inert enclosures. The original order of the records is preserved throughout.

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   Step 6: Digitisation

   Records are imaged to a master standard, and the master files are preserved alongside the originals. Smaller access copies are derived from the masters for supply to readers and for publication on this site, so that the originals need be handled as little as possible.

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   Step 7: Storage

   Treated and rehoused records are moved to strongrooms in which temperature and relative humidity are controlled and recorded, separated from working areas and from any source of water or heat. Each box is shelved by its reference and its location is recorded in the catalogue.

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   Step 8: Inspection

   The strongrooms are inspected regularly, the environmental readings are reviewed and a sample of boxes is opened and checked. Any deterioration found is reported, the item is returned for treatment and the record of the item is updated.

Born-digital records. Most of the records of the Network were created in digital form: the notices of the Official Register, the published standards and the press releases of the departments were never printed before their transfer. The Archive treats such records with the same care as paper. Each file is checked on arrival against the checksum supplied by the transferring department, converted where necessary to an open and documented format, stored in two copies in separate locations and checked at fixed intervals for any change to its content. The original file is retained alongside any converted version.

Storage conditions. The Archive maintains the following conditions for each class of material. Readings are recorded continuously and reviewed at each inspection.

Preservation responsibilities. The Archive's preservation work falls into the seven areas below.

Storage environment

Maintaining the temperature, relative humidity, light levels and air quality in the strongrooms within the ranges set for each material, and recording them continuously.

Conservation treatment

Cleaning, repairing and rehousing records that have suffered damage, using only reversible methods and materials of archival quality, and documenting every treatment.

Digital preservation

Keeping born-digital records and digitised masters in open, documented formats; holding at least two copies in separate locations; checking the integrity of every file at fixed intervals; and migrating formats before they become obsolete.

Transfer standards

Advising the departments of the Network on the management of their current records, and setting the standards for lists, formats and metadata that accompany each transfer to the Archive.

Disaster preparedness

Maintaining a salvage plan for the strongrooms, a priority list of the records to be recovered first and the supplies needed to stabilise wet or damaged material, and rehearsing the plan with staff.

Access copies

Producing digitised and printed surrogates so that readers may consult the content of a record without handling the original, and supplying those copies on request.

Documentation

Recording the provenance, condition, treatment and location of every item so that its history in the Archive can be traced, and publishing the summary of each series in the catalogue.

Departments preparing records for transfer, and readers who wish to know the condition of a particular record before requesting it, may write to contact@archive.gov.vin. The records held by the Archive are listed in the Catalogue; how to request them is explained under Visiting and Access.