Helping to preserve the world's knowledge
Preservation of artefacts and heritage materials is becoming increasingly important in today's environmentally challenged world. Whatever the subject however, from tapestries to books, paintings to stained glass, or antiques to film stock, prevention of decay and deterioration is playing an important role in the delicate art of caring for our treasures.No organisation is more aware of these problems than the British Library. They assume responsibility for every publication produced in the UK and Ireland. They house over 150 million items, including 8 million stamps, 310,000 book manuscripts, 4 million maps, 260,000 journal titles and 60 million patents. Much of this is preserved for the benefit of future generations on microfilm.
The Library's Collection Care experts wanted to minimise the risk of damage to these priceless collections and maximise their lifespan, so they came to Vindon Scientific for help with storage facilities.
Controlled conditions
As technology improves, secure storage is being increasingly used for the preservation of historical artefacts of all kinds. This is because environmental controls are so important in safeguarding them. Temperature, relative humidity and light exposure, not to mention pests and pollutants, can all play a part in the degredation of materials. In general, the lower the temperature, the better it is for storing microfilm. High humidity encourages mould growth and insect infestations, and any fluctuations in humidity can also be damaging. Vindon will ensure that the collection is housed in rooms offering stable conditions at 5ºC and 35% relative humidity.
Patrick Jackson, Vindon's Business Development Director, says of this prestigious contract, "It was London's Tate Gallery that inspired us with this venture. They purchased one of our walk-in rooms to store film canisters and we realised that, with our experience of secure storage in the pharmaceutical industries, we could expand our services to include the heritage sector." He adds, "The British Library was particularly impressed with the facilities at our new premises which includes comprehensive bar coding and labelling systems capable of identifying and immediately locating over 200,000 items."
Safe and secure
Vindon has strict security measures in place. They adopt standard validation procedures and constant state-of-the-art monitoring systems with back-up power generation to make sure that nothing is left to chance.
So whether it's preserving the sails on Nelson's HMS Victory, storing all the Beatles manuscripts, or simply protecting a treasured photograph of your great-great-grandmother, Vindon has the technology, the facilities and the know-how to ensure they'll still be there for all to admire in 500 year's time.
