Archives Without Tears
Archives Without Tears (AWOT) is for those who work or volunteer in
organizations that deal with historical records — whether it’s a historical society; museum; private, non-profit, or academic archives; local government office; the library’s local history room; or a historic site. AWOT aims to provide practical advice, sample forms and policies, and to do discuss archival best practices so that staff can collect, preserve, and assist researchers with the archival treasures in their care.
In-person Workshops
The affordable workshops comprise two full days, with the first focusing primarily on an A-Z of archival practices. Day two concentrates on disaster planning/preparedness, records management and includes a discussion about applying for PHMC's Historical and Archival Records Care Grants.
Online Key Concepts Overview Modules
These FREE modules provide very brief and basic overviews of the more in-depth content available through the in-person two-day workshops.
Resources
The Northeast Conservation Center has a series of leaflets on a variety of archival topics including Planning and Prioritizing preservation and conservation, The Environment of your facility, Emergency Management, Storage and Handling, Photographs, Reformatting, and Conservation Procedures.
National Park Service Conserve O Grams are short, focused leaflets about caring for museum objects, (and many archival topics)
The Conservation Center for Art and Historical Artifacts guides and fact sheets
Gaylord Guide to Collections Care Written by conservators, our illustrated primer covers the proper handling and storage of paper, photographs, textiles and books. This guide also includes case studies and a list of several additional resources.
Cornell Copyright Center A good, simple resource to determine the copyright status of a document, book or map.
Columbia Fair use Checklist A simple checklist as to whether the copying of a document/book is considered fair use.
Fair Use Evaluator Tool
Council of State Archivists Digitization Projects
Specs bros. are audio and video tape restorers. They have several pages on preservation and care of magnetic media.
Population-Specific Recommendations for Protection From Exposure to Mold in Flooded Buildings, by Specific Activity and Risk Factor
Personal Protection Equipment for Mold Remediation
International Institute of Municipal Clerks, Managing Records with Limited Resources
NEDCC Digital Preservation Policy Template
Digital Preservation Coalition PowerPoint on how to write a digital preservation policy
Digital Preservation Coalition Handbook (includes section on institutional policies)
Penn State University Digital Preservation Policy
Dartmouth College Digital Preservation Policy