BS 4971 pdf free download

BS 4971-2002 pdf free download.Repair and allied processes for the conservation of documents — Recommendations.
4 General principles
4.1 Maintaining the integrity of documents Custodians of archive and library materials are responsible for maintaining the integrity of the documents in their care. This means preserving the textual, pictorial and physical content and character of the documents. Changes to the original arising from unnecessary or inappropriate conservation interventions can destroy unique and important evidence of the document’s status, production, historical context and provenance. This compromises the document’s value to research, and in the case of an archival document undermines its legal authenticity. Owing to the above considerations, the option to conserve a document should be very carefully considered and taken after consultation between curatorial and conservation experts. It should be viewed as a final option in an overall collections care programme, which in the first instance should employ preventive techniques (effective environmental control, good handling practices, protective enclosures, substitutes) to prevent and reduce deterioration of the document from its original condition. An effective collections care programme should ensure that documents that have received conservation treatment are returned to a protective environment. A collection that has remained virtually undisturbed might have a special historical value or significance and should therefore be treated as a whole, and not as a collection of individual items.
4.2 Principle of minimum intervention Minimum intervention should be used to support and stabilize items to ensure preservation of the integrity of the document and to minimize the risk of further damage during treatment. No original material should be removed during treatment, unless it threatens the long-term preservation of the whole item. Materials and techniques should be used which will not harm the item and which will not impede future examination, treatment or function of the item. Repairs should be capable of being undone without damaging the document. Material used in the course of treatment should be distinguishable from the original document, but aesthetically acceptable. Treatment to prolong the life of an archival document is distinct from the process of restoration.
4.3 Selection and assessment of documents for treatment The assessment process should involve examination by curatorial and conservation experts and subsequent decisions should reflect the concerns of both. Consultation between the two parties should be ongoing as necessary during treatment so that account can be taken of evidence exposed and, if necessary, decisions adjusted. Selection of documents for treatment should be structured and systematic in order to ensure that treatment is necessary and that all factors affecting treatment are identified. This is important in order to encourage appropriate and effective use of resources. It is recommended that a clear policy is in place which should include a selection procedure and clear lines for consultation and be drawn up in the light of overall conservation objectives. Decisions should be made in the context of an on-going collections care programme, a condition assessment of the material, the function of the item and its future use and storage. For example, a document that is likely to be frequently exhibited or consulted might well require different treatment from one that will rarely be exhibited or consulted. Where a document is part of a collection, it is useful to carry out a general assessment of the collection to assist in establishing priorities. Priorities for treatment should be regularly reviewed with due consideration of the resources available.BS 4971 pdf download.