Collection care policy

Once records have been selected as archives - records worthy of permanent preservation - the Norfolk Record Office (NRO) seeks to ensure that these documents survive and remain accessible for hundreds of years. To ensure this is the case it seeks to preserve the archives it holds through:

Minimising the risk of immediate loss
Reducing risk to documents when they are in use
Conserving damaged documents
Storing documents in conditions suitable for their preservation
How it achieves much of this will be through compliance with BS 4971:2017 Conservation and Care of Archive and Library Collections and BS EN 16893-2018: Conservation of Cultural Heritage. Where appropriate it will also comply with ISO 18911, 18918, 18934 for imaging materials. It will also seek to apply good practice as recommended by the Image Permanence Institute and the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives.

Minimising the risk of immediate loss

Documents will be stored in strongrooms meeting the standards above. In particular, they will meet its provisions that strongrooms are:

Capable of withstanding a fire from outside for four hours
Minimise the risks of internal fire
Are secure and protected by monitored intruder alarms with non-staff access supervised
An emergency response plan will be in place providing information on appropriate responses to different types of incident. All staff will be aware of this plan and adequately trained in its implementation

Preventing risk to documents when in use

Documents are in greatest danger when they are in use. Correct handling techniques, tracking and security measures are essential to prevent damage and loss.

NRO will ensure that:

Documents are always consulted under staff supervision and never left unattended in non-secure areas
All members of staff and onsite volunteers are trained in document handling techniques
Researchers are provided with information and advice on the correct way to handle documents
When required, suitable equipment, such as document sofas, weights and protective coverings are used in the searchrooms
Documents which, if handled, would be damaged are declared unfit for production. This information will be fed into the conservation plan
When documents are unfit for production, if feasible, they will be made accessible by being handled by the Conservation Care team
A system is in place for recording document usage by staff and public
Security measures are in place to prevent the theft of documents (see Access Strategy for details)
For all sound recordings and documents subject to heavy use surrogate copies will be provided for use in place of the originals
Copies of documents will not be taken where there is a risk of damage to the original documents. In line with this, archival books will not be copied on a flatbed scanner or photocopiers and flash photograph will not be permitted. Sound recordings will be copied according to the relevant IASA (International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives) guidelines
Only surrogate copies of documents will be used for exhibitions unless the facilities for their display are determined suitable for their preservation as decided by the County Archivist and Senior Conservator

Conserving damaged documents

All conservation work will be carried out in line with BS 4971:2017 and undertaken by qualified conservators or, where appropriate, under their supervision.

All conservation treatments will be documented, and these records will be retained permanently.

Storing documents in conditions suitable for their long-term preservation

The greatest impact on the long-term preservation of archives is that of the micro- and macro-environments in which they are stored. As well as stabilising the documents in storage, these greatly reduce risks when the documents are in use. Good micro-environments will enable the use of energy to be minimised in the attainment of suitable macro-environments.

Micro-environments

All packaging should consist of acid free materials
New accessions will be assessed for risk before being placed into strongroom and cleaning undertaken as required
Where pre-accession packaging and stationery is harmful to the documents, it will be removed and any informational content it contains will be preserved
Packaging materials which best meet the size requirements of the documents will be used
All documents will be stored on shelves which fully support their entire length and breadth

Macro-environments

NRO will aim to achieve temperature and relative humidity suited to the preservation of the materials from which the documents are composed as specified in the standards above. A large part of the collection consists of mixed materials which it is not practical to separate. This means the NRO aims for its current strongroom conditions to be suitable for the preservation of parchment. However, other documents may have particular environmental sensitivities and where practical, they will be separated from the main collection and stored in suitable conditions.

Temperature, relative humidity and the presence of pests in the strongrooms will be constantly monitored. If adverse conditions arise, action will be taken to remediate them.

There will be an ongoing programme of cleaning to maintain environmental conditions.

Digital preservation

The NRO collects records in all formats including digital archives. It will have a strategy in place compliant with the OAIS (Open Archive Information System) which will ensure continued access to these records.

Approved by Norfolk Record Committee 3 February 2023