Teesside Archives has a professional Conservator who is an accredited member of the Society of Archivists.

The Conservator is qualified and skilled in a wide range of conservation practices and recognises professional ethical principles in all conservation work.  This means that all repairs should be visible, durable, reversible and sympathetic to the original format.  The aim is to prolong the life of an item and the information in it with as little physical alteration to the original as possible.

Many records which arrive at Teesside Archives have been kept in poor storage conditions.  Some have been damaged by water and poor atmospheres, some by pests such as rodents and insects, and some by people.  Such records cannot be handled and consulted by members of the public until they have been cleaned and /or repaired.

In order to protect them for the future, the Archive Conservator monitors the conditions the archives are kept in, and provides specialist packaging to help protect them from light, dust, sudden changes in the atmosphere, and from physical damage when they are handled, moved and consulted.

Conservation Services Available

Repair of books, paper and parchment documents, maps, plans and photographs.

Archival boxes, folders, enclosures and polyester sleeves can be made to measure.

Details of fees are available on request. Tel : 01642 248321 or e-mail:  helen_kendall@middlesbrough.gov.uk

Advice and guidance can be given to organisations and members of the public on archival storage, exhibitions, environmental management and general preservation issues.

Guidance is also available for users on the handling of records both at the Archives and at home.

For an introduction to some useful advice on caring for archives please see the downloads section on this page.

For more advice and information from other organisations please look at the useful links page.