The Archive Conservation Department cares for the  Local Collections and the Shakespeare Collections to ensure their use by both present and future generations.

This is achieved largely through Preventative Conservation:

• Storage in temperature and Relative Humidity controlled strongrooms
• Protection of collections from the effects of fire and flood
• Storage of collections in appropriate materials
• Correct handling
• Provision of copies for heavily used materials
• Constant vigilance

Occasionally it is necessary to use Interventive Conservation:

• Surface cleaning
• Washing
• Deacidification
• Repair

Library users are expected to observe its Handling Guidelines for library materials and photographs.