23/07/2024
Subject Area: Archival practice
Format: Online Webinar
Length: 1 Hour
Audience: Practicing Archivists and archival students
Organisers: Backlog Archivists and Historians
Presenters: Emma Prince & Genna Duplisea
The webinar was held by Backlog Archivists and Historians, an archive consulting company who work with museums and archives in the United States. ‘What’s Your Damage’ considered and expanded on the concept of the existential threats relevant to archival collections. Most archivists in the accessioning of items for their collections will encounter materials that are physically damaged or beset by mould or pests. Knowing how to identify these problems and having a plan to respond quickly to them makes for better collection management to ensure that the archival materials in the collection are accessible into the future. During the webinar, presenter Genna covered the identification of common problems that threaten collections, gave advice and guidance on when to get professional conservators involved, and explained methods to better protect collections by preventing risks.
Attending this webinar provided me with the opportunity to consider what sort of problems, or pests, or damage that I may encounter while participating in my professional placement with the ANU Archive in Canberra later this session. I have taken notes on the different types of damage one might encounter within an archive, which I will share with my placement supervisor to see if it is possible to gain some experience on how they deal with such damage, and how they mitigate the risks to their collections. Additionally, it was interesting to be able to give some real-life context to the theory of damage and disaster management that I have learnt throughout my degree through my collections and archival courses, and the first-hand knowledge that when dealing with such damage or pests, prevention is better than reaction.
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