The Auckland City Library houses many varied collections within its walls including the Heritage and Special Collections containing treasures from around the world and including many unique and irreplaceable items.
While searching through the books of these collections you will be astonished by the diversity of material that can be found there. Mediaeval manuscripts bound in original alum-tawed pigskin bindings sit just a few shelves away from the latest Private Press limited edition bindings and both are surrounded by fine examples of material spanning the intervening years.
All of these items are ‘special’ and many are of national and international importance which is why they are stored in controlled environmental conditions and handled and exhibited following strict preservation standards and guidelines.
Preservation literally means ‘to guard something from danger or harm, or maintain something of historic value in an unchanged condition.’
In library terms, Preservation encompasses many varied approaches including preventive measures, storage and accommodation provisions, policies, reformatting and treatments that are involved in extending the physical life of an item or the information contained in it.
In order for the library to be able to undertake its responsibility to preserve these collections for future generations it has invested in controlled atmosphere storage facilities, established the Preservation Unit and equipped a Conservation Suite to carry out the tasks involved in the preservation processes. Currently the Preservation Unit consists of a Preservation Manager/Book Conservator, a Bookbinder and three Preservation Library Assistants who undertake a wide variety of preservation activities. These activities include minor repairs to heavily used lending books, high quality custom-made archival storage enclosures and remedial conservation treatments for unique Heritage items.
Preservation and conservation work, however, is not limited to older material. Many new items are given some form of protection initially to prolong their life, and advice is given on repair work for current collections. Project work is also undertaken, with work on making protective covers for rolled maps and binding copies of the Grey Manuscripts for the Special Collections department having been carried out.
The Unit has a critical role in the preservation, conservation and physical care of the collections of Auckland City Libraries. This is to ensure their continued availability to both current and future generations.
Preservation advice is available from staff, but the unit is unable to undertake any type of work for the public.
The Preservation Unit is located at the Central City Library. For more information, please contact us.
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