Preservation

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Basics

The National Library is required by law to preserve its documents in their original form. Conservation measures are implemented to extend the life of these valuable cultural assets.

Prevention

Air conditioned stacks, durable bindings and protective packaging help the National Library keep conserve and protect its holdings.

Preserving originals

The Swiss National Library preserves the physical originals in its collections through book repairs, restoration and paper deacidification, and preserves digital originals through long-term archiving.

Surrogate media

The National Library can create copies of original content on surrogate media. The documents most at risk from paper decomposition are newspapers.

Archiving

The National Library’s collections are kept in two underground stacks, which have sufficient space to meet physical archiving needs until 2032.

Tips on preserving your own documents

The National Library can offer you advice and support on preserving your own valuable documents and treasures on paper.
https://www.nb.admin.ch/content/snl/en/home/information-professionals/preservation.html