Preservation

Conservation Division

Caring for the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence and other founding documents is just one aspect of Conservation's work. We preserve records that come to the National Archives in many formats: loose and bound textual documents, photographs, posters, artwork, architectural drawings, and printed and hand-drawn maps. We assess the condition of the records and identify their composition, and we stabilize and treat documents to prepare them for digitization, exhibition, and use by researchers. We make custom housings for large or fragile records, and we teach holdings maintenance and records handling procedures. Conservation staff monitors environmental conditions in our facilities, and conservation scientists evaluate the products the National Archives uses for storage and exhibition. The conservator-on-call team provides speedy guidance on emergency response for all NARA facilities.

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The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
1-86-NARA-NARA or 1-866-272-6272