Preserving the Legacy: Why County Archives Need Expert Document Preservation
County archives chronicle the everyday lives and times of our local neighborhoods and capture the pulse of a community.
From centuries-old manuscripts to dog-yeared birth certificates and marriage licenses, from fading land deeds to citizens' death certificates or locally published obituaries—county records reflect the dreams, hopes, and sorrows of residents over time. Maps, blueprints and land records trace the evolution of small communities into thriving metropolises. Books and other publications tell the story of a culturally vibrant society.
These are irreplaceable memories and hold much more value than the paper and ink from which they are made. They are a historical legacy that we must safeguard for future generations, so they have concrete testaments to their roots and cultural history.
But time is an enemy when it comes to paper. Paper can disintegrate by merely sitting in archival areas, destroying irreplaceable information. That's why investing in document preservation expertise is imperative to protect this legacy.
Preserving paper over many decades requires specialized treatment, careful handling, and stringent climate-controlled storage—apart from digitized backup copies.
Investing in expert document preservation is not just about protecting old, crumbling pieces of paper—it's about preserving a valuable heritage and keeping alive the memories of a bygone era—from brave pioneers who founded each community to resilient entrepreneurs who built the very foundation on which our counties stand today.
It is our duty to ensure these symbols of our past are preserved for future generations to learn from and to live by.
Only an experienced records preservation company can mitigate the risk of precious information being lost forever and ensure its longevity.
In this article, we discuss the challenges your county may face in preserving paper archives and how RDS supports you with specialized document preservation techniques.
Challenges faced by county archives
We like to think document archival spaces are safe places to keep valuable records. But that's not necessarily true!
While keeping records under lock and key may safeguard them from theft or frequent handling, storage areas still leave paper documents vulnerable to other factors:
Archival storage areas, especially when they are housed in basements, tend to be damp and dusty and may not be temperature-controlled. Paper can become brittle with temperature fluctuations or warp and become prone to tearing with too much humidity in the air. If there's too much light, ink may fade. If dust or dirt accumulates on the surface of these documents, the ink may become illegible.
Besides, storage areas are prone to pest infestations or mold infections. Fungal growth is a real danger, especially in warm and humid conditions. Insects such as silverfish or moths are attracted to the organic fibers in paper and can leave acidic residues on paper that cause further deterioration.
Sudden or unforeseeable events, such as floods, fires, or storms, can inundate or destroy storage areas and erase a legacy of historical archives.
Accidental damage can occur with a single careless act by an archival custodian—spillage of liquids or unsafe handling. For example, touching fragile papers without gloves can transfer natural acids from human skin onto paper and cause an increase in the acidity of the paper, accelerating its deterioration.
Clearly, safe custody of historical archives proves insufficient in protecting irreplaceable legacy records. You need an experienced team that understands how to preserve old documents.
That's why valuable archives must be in the care of archival experts, with specialized treatment and cutting-edge technological interventions by an experienced document preservation service provider.
Revolution Data Systems specializes in various document preservation techniques, from cleaning and deacidification to repair and reinforcement to safeguard irreplaceable documents.
Understanding historical document preservation services
Let's look at the different techniques we use to restore and preserve county government archives.
Damage reversal
Have some documents in your archives already suffered significant damage? Rest assured that all that information may not be lost—just yet. Our document restoration experts can reverse some of the damage and bring these documents back from the brink to their original condition—or almost!
At RDS, we use advanced techniques to mend tears using archival-quality material. Our experts clear away creases, stitch together torn pieces, remove stains and strengthen the fibers of brittle sheets with specialized treatments. We also have chemical treatments to restore fading ink to its original vibrancy—make it legible, at the very least.
Document deacidification and stabilization
The acidity of paper tends to increase with age. And higher acidity means faster degradation of its fibers. Arresting the degradation by neutralizing the acidity and stabilizing the document from further decay is vital. We use chemical reagents to counteract the acidity, leaving behind an alkaline residue to prevent future damage.
Worried about how to use deacidification on large volumes of documents in your archive? We use specialized equipment to apply deacidification treatments to documents in bulk, making the process more efficient and cost-effective.
Encapsulation and re-binding
Once the documents are cleaned, restored, and stabilized, we use a technique known as Mylar Encapsulation to create a protective shield against dust, humidity, pollutants, and insects.
First, we remove any binding, separating the documents into individual sheets. Each sheet of paper is then sealed between two Mylar (polyester) sheets.
The separated sheets are then re-bound in ways as similar to the original binding as possible. Binding historical records is a delicate task to be executed only by experienced hands with the correct know-how. We add the appropriate finishing touches to the binding to reflect the cultural and contextual vibe of the original.
Tailoring preservation to county archives
Different types of documents in your archive have unique restoration and preservation needs. Besides the physical condition of the documents, you must also understand the historical context in which the document was created and preserve that ethos.
This makes document preservation as much art as it is science.
A one-size-fits-all approach does not work. What is needed is meticulous assessment, skilled analysis, and bespoke treatments using advanced restoration and preservation techniques.
For this reason, you must work with an experienced document preservation services provider.
Choosing the right document preservation partner
Revolution Data Systems plays an important role in preserving county and national archives and safeguarding our rich informational legacies. In fact, we play a dual role—preserving heritage paper records and digitizing the information to make it secure, accessible, and electronically available.
We have fine-tuned document preservation techniques to restore and protect historical and legacy records for the future and prevent a potential loss of valuable information.
We're not merely a service provider but a dedicated guardian you can rely on to preserve and protect the rich legacy of public archives.
Connect with us, and we'll be happy to assess the unique preservation needs of your county archives and leverage cutting-edge techniques to safeguard your irreplaceable archives.