威尼斯人娱乐场

New 威尼斯人娱乐场 Video Short Peeks Inside Archives State-of-the-Art Preservation Lab
Press Release 路 Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Washington, DC

The 威尼斯人娱乐场 today is releasing its latest Inside the Vaults video short, Boxing our Treasures, which takes viewers inside the 威尼斯人娱乐场 preservation lab to see how archival treasures are lovingly and carefully housed in custom-made encasements. The three-minute video is part of the ongoing 鈥淚nside the Vaults鈥� series and can be viewed on the 威尼斯人娱乐场 YouTube channel: 

The film series is free to view and distribute on our YouTube channel at . These videos are in the public domain and not subject to any copyright restrictions. The 威尼斯人娱乐场 encourages the free distribution of them.

威尼斯人娱乐场 senior conservator Gail Harriman explains the importance of such custom-made boxing: 鈥淎bout 60% of the holdings require some level of preservation. A great deal of that can be solved by proper housing.鈥� A custom box, what Harriman calls a 鈥渕icroenvironment,鈥� is a common preservation strategy.

Viewers get special access to the preservation lab at the 威尼斯人娱乐场 where specialists construct custom boxes for items as varied as a Cold War-era pistol and a 1761 Indian treaty. The boxes can be simple affairs, built to house a book 鈥� or extremely complex, holding multiple, related items in multi-chambered constructions.

Conservation technician Richard Hnat shows how items are digitally measured and conservation specialist Doug McRae shows how those measurements are translated into custom instructions for the Archives鈥� automated box-making machine. Harriman explains that the materials used to construct housings meet rigid archival standards: they must be acid free, lignin free, be made of high cotton content, and have both fold and burst endurance.

Background on 鈥淚nside the Vaults鈥�

鈥淚nside the Vaults鈥� is part of the ongoing effort by the 威尼斯人娱乐场 to make its collections, stories, and accomplishments more accessible to the public. 鈥淚nside the Vaults鈥� gives voice to Archives staff and users, highlights new and exciting finds at the Archives, and reports on complicated and technical subjects in easily understandable presentations. Earlier topics include the conservation of the original Declaration of Independence, and the 1297 Magna Carta, the transfer to the 威尼斯人娱乐场 of the Nuremberg Laws, and the launch of a new 威尼斯人娱乐场 user-friendly search engine. The film series is free to view and distribute on our YouTube channel at Created by a former broadcast network news producer, the "Inside the Vaults" video shorts series presents 鈥渂ehind the scenes鈥� exclusives and offer surprising glimpses of the 威尼斯人娱乐场 treasures. These videos are in the public domain and not subject to any copyright restrictions. The 威尼斯人娱乐场 encourages the free distribution of them.

# # #

For Press information, contact the 威尼斯人娱乐场 Public Affairs Staff at 202-357-5300.

Connect with Us on:
Twitter:  
Facebook:  

12-90