Documentary heritage
Documentary heritage is a field of tangible and movable cultural heritage focused on the conservation and communication of documents of heritage interest such as bound volumes, works on paper, iconographic documents of varying media such as lithographs, engravings, and etchings, cartographic documents, and manuscripts, ephemera, and other unica. These documents and works can be of interest for display, scholarly research, and preservation for future generations, and can be preserved through preventative and interventionist conservation measures. The character of these documents can be of interest to the collective memory of a limited audience, such as a map of a 17th or 18th century region or city, or can be testamentary to a level of human creative genius with outstanding universal value, such as a collection of literature which exemplifies the humanist spirit of the European renaissance or the architectural drawings of a structure which influenced the spatial arrangements of buildings across multiple cultures and time periods.
Preventative conservation methods[edit]
Consistency of temperature and relative humidity[edit]
Heritage documents are best conserved in an environment with a stable temperature and relative humidity. Fluctuations in climatic conditions associated with attics, basements, and restrooms can facilitate a poor state of preservation due to the chemical and physical weaknesses of the media, such as expansion and contraction of joints, leaves, and attachment points. Humid environments also contribute to the spread of chemical threats to the integrity of the documents such as mold and red rot, which are often irreversible and pose a threat to the integrity and safety of heritage collections and handlers. Thermometers and hygrometers designed for use around documentary heritage materials can be obtained relatively inexpensively through conservation suppliers.[6]
Interventionist conservation methods[edit]
Heritage conservators use the field of interventionist conservation to restore damaged documentary heritage to a stable state of conservation, while preventative conservation focuses on preventing damage to documents through environmental controls, maintenance, and careful handling. Library, archive, and museum professionals recommend consulting a conservator before undertaking any significant restoration projects on documentary heritage materials in order to avoid any excessive risks to the integrity of the works.[11]
Protection of cultural heritage from human and natural threats[edit]
Blue Shield International[edit]
The Blue Shield is an international organization which helps protect cultural property from threats such as armed conflicts and natural disasters in accordance with the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict. The Blue Shield emblem designates cultural property which international law indicates should be protected.[12]