Collection Preservation video resources now available on Vimeo

7 short videos about digitisation and conservation activities and equipment used at SLQ are now available to watch on Vimeo, as a resource for anyone wanting to explore the work done by our Collection Preservation team.

Our preservation staff use specialised techniques to care for, preserve and make accessible a range of items according to their use and significance.

We preserve the collection for the long term so that items can be accessed and used by future generations - by historians, researchers, members of the public and the media.

https://vimeo.com/album/4108340/video/179848143

Providing clients with access to digital surrogates not only increases visibility of undiscovered collections but also safeguards rare and fragile items. The videos show the real life application of SLQ conservation practices using collection content such as the historical, curved photographs of Karl Ziegenfusz and his wife Christina, a Blocksidge and Ferguson Estate Maps Scrapbook and a 1918 WW1 Military Map from the Sir William and Lady Glasgow Papers Collection.

https://vimeo.com/179849859

With an increased and ongoing commitment to digitisation, State Library has invested in a range of specialised equipment to assist with the capture of a broad range of collection materials, including:

• Fujitsu autofeed scanner (robust loose leaf papers)
• Zeutschel archival book scanner (fragile bound manuscripts and publications)
• Large-format scanner (maps, plans, drawings, posters etc.)
• Flatbed scanners (paper records and photographs)
• Hasselblad high resolution digital camera (delicate and fine detail items)
• Kirtas APT Bookscan 2400 RA machine (digitising published materials)

At the core of Collection Preservation is the care of collections and scientific understanding of materials. These videos provide a snapshot of the work done by the skilled Conservation team at SLQ.

Written by Toni Simmonds and Jacinta Sutton.