The guide is aimed at individuals and organisations seeking ‘the Library’s’ advice about their collection,
This guide offers some tips and resources to assist you to preserve your collection. Whether it's a single item, such an on old newspaper, or a photo album, or boxes of personal papers or a larger community archive- there are steps you can take to organise and preserve the material.
If you require specific advice about your collection, we recommend you contact the relevant professional organisation, such as the Australian Society of Archivists or Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material. You can also contact the Library for conservation advice via Ask a librarian.
Some example of the Library's archival packaging.
The Library's conservation experts have produced a series of information guides to help you care for and conserve your books, newspapers, artworks, paper documents and photographs. These downloadable PDFs cover topics from pests and mould to storage and framing.
Caring for photographs (pdf,47.06 KB)Caring for works on paper (pdf,46.78 KB)Dealing with mould (pdf,53.24 KB)Dealing with pests (pdf,51.62 KB)Caring for family history documents (pdf,45.64 KB)Framing artworks on paper (pdf,43.9 KB)Packing and storing books (pdf,41.81 KB)Storing newspapers (pdf,42.2 KB)The libraries Collection Care team have written a series of fascinating blogs describing in detail the steps taken to preserve the State Collection.
The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material is the professional organisation for conservators in Australia.
The AICCM directory lists over 80 members in private practice. You can use it to find an expert in your region.
