Preservation (library and archive)

Set of activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record or object / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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In library and archival science, preservation is a set of preventive conservation activities aimed at prolonging the life of a record, book, or object while making as few changes as possible. Preservation activities vary widely and may include monitoring the condition of items, maintaining the temperature and humidity in collection storage areas, writing a plan in case of emergencies, digitizing items, writing relevant metadata, and increasing accessibility. Preservation, in this definition, is practiced in a library or an archive by a librarian, archivist, or other professional when they perceive a record is in need of maintenance.

1951PreservationOfDeclarationOfIndependenceByNBS.jpg
National Bureau of Standards preserving the U.S. Declaration of Independence in 1951

Preservation should be distinguished from interventive conservation and restoration, which refers to the treatment and repair of individual items to slow the process of decay, or restore them to a usable state.[1] Preventive conservation is occasionally used interchangeably with preservation, particularly outside the professional literature.[2]