BS 4971:2002 pdf download – Conservation and care of archive and library collections
3Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this British Standard, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1collecting body
organization, institution, authority, trust or individual that collects archive and library materialintended for long term preservation
3.2conservation
measures and/or actions aimed at safeguarding cultural heritage while respecting its significanceincluding its accessibility to present and future generations
NoTE Conservation can be sub-divided into preventive and remedial conservation (see 3.2.1 and 3.2.2).
3.2.1preventive conservation
indirect measures and/or actions aimed at avoiding and minimizing future deterioration,damage and/or loss
3.2.2remedial conservation
actions applied to an object to prevent or arrest damaging processesNOTE Remedial conservation is also known as interventive conservation.3.3drop-spine box
single-piece book box with its lid and spine-wall hinged at the base allowing access to the boundvolume from the spine side
NOTEA drop-spine box can also be used for the storage of paper manuscripts/documents.
3.4aisle
subsidiary passageway between runs of shelf bays leading from a gangway enabling access to shelvesfor the removal or replacement of objects
3.5archive
collection of archive and library material intended for long-term preservation
NOTEIn this context ‘archive’ does not refer to the institution carrying out archiving activities.3.6archive and library material
object(s) found in library and archive collections
3.7traditional material
paper, leather, cloth, parchment, wax and resin, palm leaves, birch bark, papyrus and theirassociated media
3.8non-traditional material
plastics, photographic, audio-visual and electronic media and their carriers
NOTEExamples include negatives and transparencies, cine film, video and audio tape and cassettes, magneticand optical discs etc.
3.9unstable material
object(s) composed of materials that are rapidly deteriorating or becoming unusable
NOTE 1 Unstable material can be both traditional and non-traditional.
NOTE2 Typically unstable materials include those which are decaying or which are becoming inaccessiblethrough mechanical or digital obsolescence, such as 19i-20 century chemically reduced and wood pulp papers(e.g.newsprint), acid tanned leather,esterified plastics (e.g.negatives, cine film), magnetic emulsions and cassettedelectronic media (e.g. video, optical discs) and chemically unstable inks.
NOTE 3 Further information about the characteristics of archive and library materials can be found in Annex Aand Annex B
3.10alkaline buffer
content of a packaging material, which reacts with volatile acids to protect the contentsof the package
3.11integrity
extent of physical or conceptual wholeness of an object
3.12medium
material of which information is composed
NOTE Examples include inks, pigments, watercolours, etc.3.13substrate
surface upon which information is recorded
3.14 membrane
single skin, or part of a skin, of parchment or vellum3.15object
single manifestation of tangible cultural heritage
NOTE The term “object ” is used in this standard as being the carrier of information such as manuscripts, printedmatter, volumes, maps, drawings, photographic media and electronic records (both analogue and digital).
3.16preservation
retention and protection of different formats of archive and library materials and/or theirinformation content in order to maximize their useful life
NOTEFor example, the reformatting of digital media.
3.17repository
building, part of a building, or area(s) within a building designated for the long-term storageof collections
NOTE The term repository is not intended to embrace other associated functions such as reading rooms andoffices within the same building.
3.18run
two or more connected bays of single-sided or double-sided shelving joined end-to-endNOTESee Figure 1.
3.19shelving compartment
shelf space for storing archival materialsNOTESee Figure 1.
3.20bay
unit of shelving consisting of horizontal shelves between a pair of uprights or upright framesNOTE 1 See Figure 1.
NOTE 2 These units may be single- or double-sided.