Iron gall ink is a historically important but complex and potentially unpredictable material - some examples remain stable for centuries, whilst others may rapidly cause damage and loss in the underlying substrate. A range of well-established conservation options exist for deteriorating iron gall ink documents, including the use of physical support, de-acidification and treatment with phytate. However, it is often less clear how to select the most appropriate option, especially as these can represent a range of levels of intervention, risk, long-term stability and possible aesthetic changes. To make the best choice requires an understanding not only of the artefact itself, but also an appreciation of the likely future use of the item, its significance to the institution and to stakeholders and other audiences, the availability of resources and the impact of institutional policies. A risk management approach will often help disentangle these choices, and allow the benefits and drawbacks of different options to be systemically and impartially assessed and compared. Furthermore, it is also very important to manage expectations of other stakeholders, to ensure that they fully understand the range of options, the possible risks and the likely outcomes; good communication is therefore a key part of the process. This presentation will consider these options and approaches, and discuss strategies that may be adopted to maximise the likelihood of successful treatments for iron gall ink documents that satisfy all interested parties.

This year’s conference themes of ‘innovation and imagination’ are particularly applicable to the establishment of the HVAC Shutdown Group. The ever-present issues of sustainability, energy consumption and cost-effectiveness within the archive sector mean that the shutdown of environmental management systems is a concern many of us are now facing. This complex question drew together a small number of records management professionals seeking to problem-solve the impact of shutdown on our collections, systems and spaces.

From this initial conversation, a more established group has steadily grown very organically to fulfil a need at a grassroots level. Attracting members from organisations of all sizes and from a range of professional disciplines, we have sought to explore and address our individual difficulties through mutual support and empowerment, creating space for dialogue and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing.

This talk will summarise how a group of people who found themselves lacking either information, support or - in many cases – both, were brought together through their shared experiences and created the support network to challenge this. It will outline how we, the group coordinators, have tackled the challenges of providing organised support, worked to understand what the members want, and our ambitions to further grow the HVAC Shutdown Group and continue to forge connections that prove transformative for future change.

In our world of record-keeping why is conservation metadata often the forgotten hero in a Cinderella service?

This talk will introduce the concept of conservation metadata and outline why it is such a valuable facet of collections management information. The advantages of recording conservation metadata will be explored, as will the possible benefits of making that information more widely accessible. Widening access brings several important implications – such as the need for standardised terms and vocabularies, and the options available for this will be touched upon.

The talk will include several recent case studies that demonstrate the value of advocating for conservation metadata; and how using the language of our colleagues across the wider sector can help to increase understanding of what Conservators do, and the value that they can add to cataloguing projects. This common understanding could then help to break down barriers and help the work of conservators to be recognised as aligning with that of archivists and record-keepers.

The talk will culminate in looking at a project that is under development at the National Trust for Scotland to assess condition across a wide selection of collection types, formats and locations and how the management of conservation metadata will be central to the design of that project.

It is hoped that this talk will help to elevate conservation metadata and highlight how it can be a tool for raising the profile of conservation work in the eyes of the wider sector. In that way conservation metadata will be celebrated as heroic.

There are a number of different adhesives that have been used in north east Asian countries, China, Japan, and Korea, such as wheat starch paste, which is now widely used in book and paper conservation in the west. There exists however very little literature on behaviour, mechanical strength, and and aging qualities. In this presentation, I would like to compare different traditional Asian adhesives, focusing on their tack, viscosity, flexibility, peeling strength, pH and colour change, before and after ageing. Four main adhesives will be discussed: normal wheat starch paste, aged wheat starch paste (Japan), soaked flour paste (Korea), and seaweed glue (funori).