Preservation Week at the National Archives

I will be attending an open house for the preservation department here at the Center. Will be interesting to see how the records which were severely damaged in the 1973 fire are being saved.

Records damaged:

Army World War I: 9/1/1912 to 9/7/1939
Army World War II: 9/8/1939 to 12/31/1946
Army Post World War II: 1/1/1947 to 12/31/1959
Air Force : (9/25/1947 to 12/31/1963 with surname of Hubbard through Z

The National Archives Preservation Programs (NWT)
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) employs many strategies to ensure the long-term preservation of textual, nontextual and artifact holdings and the information they contain. Broad system-wide approaches to preservation provide maximum benefit across NARA holdings. Thus, great emphasis is placed on providing environmental conditions that will stabilize and enhance the long-term preservation of all media and formats in NARA's custody. Advanced planning in emergency preparedness allows NARA to avoid situations that could result in loss or damage, and assures that we will be able to respond effectively if emergencies do occur. Uniform approaches to storage, housing, and handling are also significant aspects of the NARA preservation program.

NARA uses preservation risk assessment as a tool to evaluate the condition and preservation needs of its holdings. In combination with archival and curatorial information on intrinsic value and use, the preservation at-risk data is used to establish preservation priorities in such areas as holdings maintenance, reformatting, conservation treatment, and custom housing.