Knowing the need: UK survey of library and archives nominated for conservation award

The National Preservation Office (NPO) has been shortlisted for the prestigious Conservation Awards for 'Knowing the Need', the first large scale survey of the state of preservation in the United Kingdom's libraries and archives.

The collections in UK libraries and archives are a significant part of the nation's cultural heritage. To make sure they are accessible to present and future users it is vital that they are maintained and housed in appropriate conditions. Over the past five years the NPO has undertaken detailed surveys of a large number of individual libraries and archives in the UK . With guidance and training from NPO staff, librarians, archivists and conservators have contributed to this project which defines the steps that now need to be taken to preserve the collections for current and future use.

Some 28 million items - books, documents, photographs and other paper-based material from 79 organisations were sampled to create this picture. Good practice in preservation is widespread and most of the material surveyed is well cared for, and accessible but this survey identifies areas of risk, now and in the future.

The principal themes which have emerged are:

• Improvements in the monitoring and control of environmental conditions are needed - 88% of collections in libraries and 58% in archives are not in monitored and controlled environments
• 13% of material is unstable and would be damaged if used
• 68% of post- 1850 paper is vulnerable
• 46% of collections are not covered by an up to date, written disaster plan

The survey programme has shown that improving the storage of the nation's collections would be the most effective step towards ensuring their preservation for the future.

Alison Walker, National Preservation Office said "This report is the first step towards developing a coherent programme of action to meet the need. We need better storage, training and investment and good professional practice on a national and regional level. The nomination for the Care of Collections Award acknowledges the importance of this survey and its impact."

For more information visit the Awards website: www.conservationawards.org.uk.

The winners will be announced at the British Museum on 27 September 2007.

Notes for editors

The National Preservation Office (NPO) provides an independent focus for the preservation of and continuing accessibility to library and archives the United Kingdom and Ireland.

The National Preservation Office is guided by an independent management committee, members of which are drawn from the funding institutions. The British Library continues to support the work of the NPO. Financial support is also provided by The National Archives, The National Library of Scotland, Trinity College Library Dublin, Cambridge University Library, The National Library of Wales, The National Archives of Scotland, The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, The National Archives of Ireland, The National Library of Ireland and Oxford University Library Services.

In addition contributions to the work of the NPO for the period 2005-2008 are received from The Society of College, National and University Libraries (SCONUL), The Consortium of National and University Libraries (CONUL) and The Heritage Council of Ireland.

www.bl.uk/npo

Conservation Awards 2007

The Short-lists

Images of the short-listed projects are available from http://www.picselect.com in the English Heritage/ Conservation Awards 2007 folder. The short-listed finalists are:

AWARD FOR CONSERVATION 2007
Eura Conservation, Cardiff University and the ss Great Britain Trust
Brunel's ss Great Britain
The Scottish Conservation Studio for Perth Museum & Art Gallery
A rare silk early 17th-century doublet
National Trust Textile Conservation Studio
The Tobit Table Carpet

AWARD FOR CARE OF COLLECTIONS 2007
Durham University Library
The North East Collections Care Scheme
Book & Paper Conservation Studio, Dundee University Library, for The Linnean Society of London
The Linnaean Correspondence Project
Beamish Museum and Tyne & Wear Museums
The North East Regional Resource Centre
National Preservation Office
A national assessment of preservation need

STUDENT CONSERVATOR OF THE YEAR AWARD 2007
Rachel Morrison and the Courtauld Institute
Surface cleaning of unvarnished paintings
Sarah Maisey and Northumbria University
Materials and ageing of the miners' Cavell banner from Bowburn
Julie Eklund and the Institute of Archaeology, UCL
Effects of preparation and conservation treatments on DNA

ANNA PLOWDEN TRUST AWARD 2007
Professor Norman Tennent, Fyne Conservation Services, and Dr James Nobbs, University of Leeds
Colour-Matching for Ceramic Conservation
Dr James Tate, National Museums Scotland, and Dr Laurianne Robinet, The Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris
New Light on Ancient Glass: development of Raman spectroscopy
David Watkinson and Paul Lewis, Cardiff University
Dry storage of chloride- infested iron

DIGITAL PRESERVATION AWARD 2007
The British Library
LIFE (Lifecycle Information for E-Literature)
National Library of New Zealand & The British Library
Web Curator Tool software development project
The National Archives of the UK
Active Preservation at The National Archives: PRONOM Technical Registry and DROID file format identification tool
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford & John Rylands University Library, University of Manchester
PARADIGM (The Personal Archives Accessible in Digital Media)
CRL, RLG-OCLC, NARA, DCC, DPE and Nestor
Digital Repository Audit and Certification

2007 Judges

For further details of the Judging Panel, please see the Awards website: www.conservationawards.org.uk