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Preservation Service Office has two main functions. The primary function is fundamental to the protection of Hong Kong's archival heritage through preservation and conservation of the materials of historical value and library holdings. The second function is the operation of the Government Microfilm Centre which provides microfilm services for government agencies.
Preservation and Conservation
Activities directed toward the preservation and conservation of archival materials include photography, microfilming, bookbinding, and work to conserve and preserve fragile and damaged materials.
We work to retard the deterioration of the archival collections to insure accessibility for now and in the future. This activity is carried out using specialized, often scientific techniques, to allow minimal intervention into the original material in accordance with the Ethics for Conservators. Every step is documented for future reference.
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Book Binding |
Motion Picture Film Project |
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Nitrogen Fumigation |
Acid-free Box Making |
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Photo Surrogate
Project
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To ensure a high standard of preservation performance of all staff of GRS, the Preservation Service Office develops strategies and guidelines, trains staff and provides advice on any conservation and preservation matters.
Concerns of the Preservation Service Office include maintaining the climate control appropriate to varying archival materials, insect trapping and analysis to better protect valuable records, overall sound housekeeping practices and building maintenance projects to minimize danger to archival and library materials. These tasks insure that the storage environment will not damage the collections. In the same vein, the Preservation Service Office produces acid free boxes and folders for the storage of oversized items such as large volumes, rolled maps and any historical item which does not fit into the standard acid free containers developed by the office.
An important aspect of preservation
is the creation of "surrogates" for original (or
master) archival records. Surrogates may be photographic images,
useful for digitising and producing prints, or microfilm as
the case merits. This service expands access to archival content
while protecting fragile materials.
Government Microfilm Centre
The Government Microfilm Centre is an ISO 9001:2000 (Quality Management System) certified unit of Preservation Service Office. In addition, GMC has adopted the standards issued by the American National Standards Institute and Association for Information and Image Management (ANSI/AIIM) for production of the highest quality microfilm records. With a sophisticated quality management system and a team of professional photographers, GMC commits itself to providing customer-driven and quality oriented microfilm services for government bureaux and departments.
Microforms are used in many organizations for varying purposes. Once thought to be eclipsed by digital technologies, today microform technology is seeing a resurgence as a stable, reliable and cost effective medium for long term retention of paper and digital records, as well as a contributor to efficient use of storage space.
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