Preservation protects cultural property through activities that minimize chemical and physical deterioration and damage that prevent loss of informational content. The primary roles of preservation in archives are to do no harm, prolong the existence of the cultural property, and preserve the integrity and authenticity of the object. Specific activities to minimize deterioration include understanding how material deteriorates, environmental control, proper storage, disaster planning, reformatting, and conservation treatment.
The common formats among tribal communities are papers, photographs, scrapbooks, and audio-visual and digital preservation. Understanding the ways that paper deteriorates can provide the basis for preservation practices. For example, there are three main causes of paper deterioration, inherent vice (problems with how it was created), environmental conditions (faded ink and mold), and the way it is stored (acid migration, insect damage, folding, tears, creases, staples, and paper clips). Solutions for the preservation of paper include reformatting (scanning of the document), storing at a constant 70 degrees Fahrenheit or below and around 50% relative humidity, removing the tape, no food or drink around the material, handling with clean hands or wear cotton or nitrile non-latex gloves, and contact a professional conservation health concerns, such as mold. If less-than-ideal storage, keep items in a location with good airflow, not in the basement, bathroom, heat, or on the floor; be mindful of water leaks, keep away from UV light, and store in archival quality housing (acid-free and lignin free boxes and folders).
The care and preservation of family photographs and scrapbooks are like paper. Solutions for preserving photos and scrapbooks include storing at a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit or below 30 to 50% relative humidity. Use acid-free and lignin-free paper materials; use polyethylene, polypropylene, or polyester film plastics; use wheat-starch paste instead of any other kind of glue; or use non-adhesive attachment methods like acid- and lignin-free paper photo corners or polyethylene photo corners, avoid rubber bands, self-adhesive tape, paper clips, staples, choose heavy/thick stock for album leaves, adequate to support the weight of the added material, choose an expandable album format, like a 3-ring binder.
The audio-visual formats include; open reel ¼-inch tape, audio cassette, wire recording, digital audio tape (DAT), laminated discs, aluminum discs, long play and 45's, sound scriber and gray audograph discs, wax cylinders, and compact disc (CD). Solutions for preservation; store audio recordings and playback equipment in an area providing stable low temperatures, low humidity, and protection from flooding, air pollutants, and sunlight. Temperature and humidity in a storage environment should ideally not fluctuate and be within 55-70 degrees Fahrenheit and 30-55% RH. Avoid storing home collections in unregulated climates such as an attic or garage. A closet or unused rooms are often good choices.
Digital file types include; still image files, JPEG, TIFF, PDF, audio files, WAV: Waveform, MP3, video file, MOV: QuickTime, AVI: audio video interleaved, MXF: material exchange format, WMV: windows media file, MPEG-2 4:2:2 profile, main level, MPEG-2 main profile, main level, motion picture file, DPX: digital moving- picture exchange, and DCP: digital cinema package. Digital file types describe the types and characteristics of the files produced from the digitization of original record materials at NARA and the standard or most common data formats that the Digitization Services Branch uses to store digitized records. For example, if I wanted to preserve a VCR tape, I would ask a vendor for a preservation copy to be stored for the long term and an access copy to make my content easily viewable. With digital preservation, you must worry about security, viruses, people stealing, watermarking, and keeping the content up to date with the latest formats.
Preservation in facilities is essential for preserving and protecting cultural property, including proper storage and disaster planning. The facilities need to know their environment to properly store the material away from the elements such as dust, light, heat, and cold. A disaster plan protects and protects the material from flooding, fires, and tornadoes.