Preservation

Definition

Preservation refers to the act of maintaining, protecting, and conserving objects, artifacts, or information in their original or desired state. It is a crucial aspect of collections management, ensuring the long-term survival and accessibility of cultural and historical resources.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Preservation is essential for maintaining the integrity and authenticity of collections, allowing for their continued study, exhibition, and appreciation.
2. Proper preservation techniques, such as environmental control, pest management, and appropriate storage, can significantly extend the lifespan of collection items.
3. Digitization and digital preservation are increasingly important strategies for safeguarding fragile or at-risk materials by creating accessible surrogates.
4. Preservation decisions often involve balancing the needs of the collection with available resources, such as funding, staffing, and facilities.
5. Ongoing monitoring and assessment of collection conditions are crucial for identifying and addressing preservation issues in a timely manner.

Review Questions

• Explain the importance of preservation in the context of collections management.
  • Preservation is a fundamental aspect of collections management, as it ensures the long-term survival and accessibility of cultural and historical resources. By maintaining the integrity and authenticity of collection items, preservation allows for their continued study, exhibition, and appreciation by researchers, scholars, and the general public. Effective preservation techniques, such as environmental control, pest management, and appropriate storage, can significantly extend the lifespan of collection materials, making them available for future generations.
• Describe the role of digitization and digital preservation in the context of preservation.
  • Digitization and digital preservation have become increasingly important strategies for safeguarding fragile or at-risk materials in collections. By creating digital surrogates, these techniques allow for the preservation of the intellectual and informational content of collection items, even if the original physical objects are too fragile or damaged to handle. Digital preservation, which involves the active management and storage of digital files, ensures that the digital representations remain accessible and usable over time, complementing traditional preservation methods and expanding the ways in which collections can be accessed and studied.
• Analyze the factors that influence preservation decision-making in collections management.
  • Preservation decision-making in collections management involves carefully balancing the needs of the collection with available resources, such as funding, staffing, and facilities. Curators and collections managers must consider factors like the condition and significance of the collection items, the risks of deterioration, and the potential impact of preservation actions on the objects. They must also weigh the costs and benefits of various preservation strategies, taking into account long-term sustainability and the potential for future access and use. Ongoing monitoring and assessment of collection conditions are crucial for identifying and addressing preservation issues in a timely manner, ensuring the continued care and safeguarding of the collection.

Related terms

Conservation: The active process of stabilizing and treating objects to prevent further deterioration, often involving specialized techniques and materials.

Curation: The selection, organization, and management of collections, including the decisions and actions taken to preserve and interpret the objects.

Preventive Conservation: The measures taken to minimize the rate of deterioration and damage to collections, such as controlling environmental conditions, handling procedures, and storage methods.