Care+and+Conservation+Policy+and+Plan

**Condition of the Collection **
The Rothwell Arts and Heritage Centre (RAHC) will carry out a survey of the collections held to check the condition of them and to identify any vulnerable items. There shall be a plan to deal effectively with these items and regular inspections shall be carried out by the centre. For any specialist items in the collection the survey of their condition will be carried out in conjunction with a conservation specialist, who can advise on any remedial conservation work that may be required.

The RAHC shall take a preventative approach to collection care to ensure the collections survival for the future. The collection will be kept in line with approved standards BS5454 2000 in the different areas of preservation. See the following link for further details []

**Environmental Control **
In a collection items are subject to deterioration and decay and it’s imperative that measures are taken to prevent this.

There must be appropriate controls to the environment in which the collection is housed. The collection can be at risk from many damaging factors such as radiation, humidity that is too high or too low, dust, pollutants etc. The RAHC will ensure to have adequate control measures in place. The temperature and relative humidity in the storage area shall be set in line with the approved standards. The temperature for storage of frequently handled archives shall be 16 - 19oC, plus or minus 1o either side. For less handled archives the temperature shall be 13 – 19oC with a variance of plus or minus 1o each side and staff will ensure to acclimatise these after use. The relative humidity will be set at 45 - 60% with plus or minus 5% on either side.

The air in the storage area shall be clean and air shall be circulated naturally through open windows and good circulation. Shelving shall be installed in a manner that allows air to circulate properly and shall be set in line with the approved standards regarding shelving height, width and spacing between shelves. This will help to prevent deterioration of the material. There shall be appropriate lighting levels to protect materials from radiation. Care shall be taken to reduce lights and reduce wattage. The use of blinds, shutters and dimmer switches shall be employed to reduce the effects of light penetration. In the display cabinets fibre-optic lighting shall be used to limit damage.

The collections shall be displayed away from damaging items such as heat systems, air-vents and windows or measures shall be employed to diminish their effect on the collection. Doors shall be kept shut to manage the control of pollutants, gases and particulate matter. Sensitive materials shall be housed in appropriate storage cases to protect them from dust.

**Suitable Building Conditions **
The building where the collection is held needs to be adequate and well designed to support environmental control. The building should be well built and sufficient to provide protection to the collections from the elements. The flooring should be hard wearing to support the storage of materials.

The archives shall be stored at a level above the basement or ground floor levels and there will be a fire resistance door at the entrance to the store area. To meet with specified standards the door should have 4 hour fire resistance in-built. The RAHC shall carry out regular inspections of the building to check its status and to protect against faulty wiring, leaks, problem pipe-work, blocked drains and any issues with windows and doors that could prove to be potentially harmful.

Housekeeping
The RAHC shall ensure that the building and storage areas are adequately cleaned and that collections are cleaned in a careful manner also. This will have the effect of reducing pest infestation and mould growth.

Advice shall be obtained, on the correct methods of cleaning the collections and storage areas, in order to prevent the risk of damage from chemicals of cleaning products.

Any newly acquired material will be checked for mould, damp and pest infestation and suitable action will be taken to segregate these items. The problems posed will be identified and advice will be acquired on the correct treatments to use.

There shall be routine checks carried out in the storage and display areas to check for signs of insects and rodents. Food shall not be kept, eaten or disposed of in any of the storage areas.

**<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">Visitor Rules **
<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">Users of the materials shall be supplied with gloves when handling the archives to protect them. Documents shall be checked before and after they are given to researchers to prevent against potential theft. Researchers shall not be allowed to use pens or to write on any of the archive materials. Documents shall be presented to users’ on the archive stands and weights shall be provided to hold down the edges of pages where necessary to prevent over handling of materials.

<span style="color: #2e2014; display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">Care and Conservation Plan
<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">The RAHC will endeavour to provide staff members with the relevant skills in the implementation of collections care and management. There will be an action plan in place to enforce proper standards of care and conservation.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">Training shall be provided to staff and volunteers on the appropriate preservation practices, on handling collections, on environmental control testing equipment, on treating and preventing pest infestations. There will be an evaluation of the training carried out at the end. Training may consist of on the job training or specialised courses.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">The centre shall obtain on-going assistance and advice from a conservation specialist or other qualified individual on collection care. Any remedial conservation work that is required shall be undertaken with the aid of a specialist. The Rothwell centre shall refer to the Conservation Register before seeking assistance from an expert. <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">The environmental conditions shall be monitored regularly by staff members. They will employ the use of appropriate equipment. The equipment that can be used to monitor the conditions, consist of a whirling hygrometer to monitor the temperature and humidity levels. Light conditions can be measured with a light-meter in LUX. UV radiation can be measured through the use of a UV monitor in microwatts per lumen. Ultra-violet light can be diminished through the use of filters. If any issues arise they shall be dealt with promptly and the necessary measures shall be put in place.

<Documentation Plan Security>

__ **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">References: ** __
<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">Accreditation Scheme for Museums and Galleries in the United Kingdom: Accreditation Standard. //Arts Council England.// Retrieved 8th November 2011 from [] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">Accreditation Scheme for Museums in the United Kingdom: Accreditation Standard. //Museums Libraries and Archives Council.// Retrieved 8th November 2011 from: [|http://www.mla.gov.uk/what/raising_standards/accreditation/~/media/Files/pdf/2008/Accreditation_Standard.ashx] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">Braintree District Museum Collections Management Policy. //Braintree District Council.// Retrieved 29th November 2011 from: __ [] __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">British Standards BS 5454 2000. Recommendations for the storage and exhibition of archival documents. Retrieved 8th November 2011 from: [] <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 110%; text-align: justify;">Johnson, P. (2009). //<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Fundamentals of Collection Development and Management. // Chicago: American Library Association.