At the recent launch of the Sustainable Archives and Greener Approaches (SAGA) project, participating partners were invited to visit the restoration laboratory of the National Historical Archive in Madrid, Spain.
Berta García del Real Marco, Head of Conservation of the National Historical Archive, prepared and explained samples of different documentary materials including plans, photos, parchments and film material in different states of preservation. Dr Domenico Pangallo, Head of Department of Microbial Ecology at the Institute of Molecular Biology at the Slovak Academy of Sciences then demonstrated how to test the archives for )bacteria, fungus and DNA.
One of the work packages of the SAGA project relates to “Risk Prevention and Disaster Risk Management “. The activities of this work package will assess how environmental and biological agents can cause damage to the documentary heritage preserved in the archives, archival buildings and human health. All archive institutions participating in the project will be assessed, an analysis will be undertaken of any risks and measures will then be recommended to prevent adverse effects on the above.
This visit to the lab of the Spanish State Archives, and the explanations and demonstrations by Berta and Domenico really brought to life the significance of the activities and actions of the SAGA project to protect our documentary heritage, archival buildings, staff and visitors now and into the future.
Thank you to the Spanish State Archives for this insightful visit and demonstration.
Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.