Protection of Archival Documents from Photochemical Effect

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to highlight the destructive effects of light on archival documents/paper materials. The research aims to explain the mechanism of photochemical degradation and the damaging effect of light on paper. It also tells us about the measures to be adopted to control the deteriorating effects of light on paper step by step. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research is descriptive. It methodically divides the whole article into different paragraphs i.e. causes, effects, controlling measures, and precautions, etc with the significance of paper and its conservation from time to time. The approach is very objective in nature. Findings: The finding of the research indicates that archival papers are very important documents, fragile in nature. They should be properly kept, handled and preserved according to the rules of archival laws. Photochemical effects of light and ultraviolet rays are very dangerous for these documents. Prevention is better that cure. It is our prime duty to safeguard records. Ignorance is dangerous but negligence is unpardonable. Conclusion: After studying this research, the reader hopefully gains a better understanding about the damaging effects of light on archival material, preservation and conservation and how it affects archival collections. A sound preservation plan which includes environmental and storage conditions and a disaster plan will give any collection a solid base on which to survive. Knowing the details of various conservation treatments should help the archivist make decisions on how best to deal with damaged items in their collections. In either case, knowledge is power and with this power the archivist can help make their collections last for generations to come without the fear of their damage. Both preventive and curative precautions must be taken to protect archival documents from deterioration and to bring them back as close as possible to their original strength, flexibility and legibility. Thus, we reach to the conclusion that we must protect archival documents from any sort of damage at any cost.