Forde has an impressive background and extensive experience in preservation management. As a faculty member at the School of Library, Archive and Information Studies at the University College London with a primary interest in archive preservation, Forde uses the content from her lectures as a basis for this publication. Forde is the former head of Preservation Services at the UK Public Record Office (now the National Archives) in London and a nationally and internationally known speaker on preservation topics. She has written numerous publications on preservation and offers an extensive bibliography of works on preservation management at her Website <http://www.ucl.ac.uk/slais/helen-forde/bibliography/>.
Preserving Archives is part of the series, Principles and Practice in Records Management and Archives, edited by Yeo. Yeo indicates that archives and records management are essential because they “extend and corroborate human and corporate memory and play a critical role in maintaining awareness of how the present is shaped by the past” (p. xi). The management of records and archives is a distinctive discipline with its own body of knowledge. Archives include documents, materials, items, or information of long-term value that need to be preserved. This volume of the series focuses on an applied practical introduction, presenting the intricacies and importance of preservation management.
Forde describes Preserving Archives as a guide for archivists, librarians, and museum curators who are confronted with difficult decisions about setting up preservation management policies and procedures. While the chapters are relational, each can be referenced as a separate entity. Preserving Archives is written from a UK perspective, highlighting UK examples, resources, and legislation. That said, extensive interpretation is not an acute problem because preservation is a universal issue and the book has detailed information focusing on the “how to” of archives management. However, reference to US legislation and practice is extremely limited and may concern some readers.
Preserving Archives comprises fourteen chapters all with similar format: an introduction to a topic followed by a series of questions and discussions related to the topic, a brief summary, and concluding notes and references. The end of the book has several appendixes: a bibliography, a listing of British and international standards related to archive preservation, a list of professional organizations focusing on archive preservation, and an index.
Each chapter creates a foundation for the next, serving as a good progression for an overall understanding of the subject. Early in the publication, Forde stresses the importance of preserving archiving materials for accessibility by future researchers. Forde equates preservation and access as two parts of the same mission: without preservation, sustained access would not be available. She also notes the distinction between preservation and conservation. Preservation is an overall term used to identify the management of archival materials. Conservation is more specific, the “intervention activity to stabilize the condition of a document” (p. 2).
Preserving Archives examines the properties and characteristics of archival materials from parchment and the ink used to print documents to newer electronic formats. Once the reader understands the specific characteristics of archival materials, an appreciation of the complexities and issues involved becomes easier to grasp. An entire chapter is devoted to managing digital information because it differs significantly from traditional preservation. Among the most obvious differences is that digital information may be in a format that does not survive over time or retain its ability to be retrieved and/or read.
Chapters 4 to 7 focus on the environmental issues related to archives and records management. Planning a building, either a new one or one repurposed to house archival materials, requires extensive forethought and is considered the first level of archival protection. Issues to be considered include location of the building (which should not be near water, hazardous materials, military installations, and pollutants), site construction, storage areas, public access spaces, and staff work areas. Once the building is constructed, the archivist needs to be sure that the contents are maintained at controlled levels of temperature, light, humidity, and pollution. Additionally, the collection needs to be safeguarded from unexpected risks like fire, water, and pest infestation. Should there be a disaster, a well-defined plan needs to be in place so staff can react quickly to decrease material damage.
The remaining chapters, 8 to 13, address management of the materials themselves, focusing on conserving, moving, exhibiting, and handling records. In all these instances, care and training is required to make sure that risk to the collection is minimal and damage to records does not occur. Access to archival material traditionally has been via reproducing original documents by photocopying. However, new technology has changed the environment, and alternative methods are being considered for future reproduction and dissemination.
Forde brings to the forefront the importance for organizations of developing well-thought-out plans and policies to manage archival materials. Archive preservation is gaining as interest in and publications on traditional and nontraditional archive management begin to appear with some frequency. Another fairly new publication on preservation with similar content is “Preservation Management for Libraries, Archives and Museums” (2006), edited by Gorman. In addition, the US National Archives and Records Administration Website <http://www.archives.gov> also offers a series of publications on archive theory and practice that provides insight into archive management. ArchivesBlogs <http://www.archivesblogs.com>, a syndicated collection of blogs by and for archivists, is another place to obtain information.