IPOH: Document preservation is a meticulous process that demands sharp focus and precision to prevent physical damage, ensuring these historical papers remain usable references for various purposes.
Mohd Ridzalman Mohd Rejab, 46, a senior preservation assistant at the National Archives of Malaysia (ANM) Perak with over 13 years of experience in the field, explains that the process requires a high level of patience to prevent documents, many of which are over half a century old, from becoming damaged.
“Many of these old documents are on fragile paper, prone to tearing, ripping, and other damage due to being stored in poor conditions. Our task is to identify the material of the document or letter beforehand to ensure the preservation process is flawless,” he said during an interview with Bernama at the ANM Perak office.
When asked about the preservation process, the father of three from Gerik explained that initially, it involves determining if the document contains acidic elements through soaking and spraying techniques.
“If there is acid present, we will remove it either through soaking or spraying. For soaking, a Magnesium Carbonate solution is used, while for spraying, we use a liquid known as Bookkeeper.
“The acid needs to be eliminated because it causes the paper to deteriorate faster. The process also serves to neutralise the ink on the paper. This is important to ensure the ink does not expand during the preservation process,” he said.
Mohd Ridzalman explained that after this stage is completed, each sheet of paper must undergo a process involving tissue, drying, and compression to complete the full preservation cycle.
He elaborated that the tissue process involves attaching a special tissue patch called L2 Tissue to the paper that needs to be preserved, using a solution called Carboxyl Methyl Cellulose.
“On the other side of that paper, a piece of special paper called Japanese Handmade Paper is attached using the same solution. After that, it undergoes the drying and compression process in a compression machine that flattens the paper to prevent bulging,” he said.
A single document typically requires a minimum of four to five days to be preserved, which meets the standards for reference material.
According to him, the preservation process sometimes needs to be combined with binding if the document is in the form of a book, magazine, or newspaper.
“That’s why I say this process is quite complex, and almost 90 percent of it is done manually. So, it takes time to complete a document,” he said.
“Binding usually involves sewing and labelling archive materials. Generally, the types of stitches used include saddle stitching, side stitching, French Sewing, cross stitching, topstitch tape, and topstitch cord,” he said.
Furthermore, Ridzalman explained that all these documents are placed in record storage warehouses at ANM Perak, and to date, over 100,000 documents, such as state government gazettes, citizenship certificates, and other documents, are neatly stored in the facility.
He then highlighted that every preserved and bound document can remain intact or even perfect for 25 years or more, depending on the storage conditions.
Meanwhile, ANM Perak director, Shahida Mohamad Salleh, stated that currently, the Maintenance and Preservation Unit is fully responsible for the preservation and binding of archival materials involving 1,667 government agencies in the state.
She emphasised that restoration is one of the most crucial methods to ensure that documents or papers of historical importance and value can be preserved, to serve as references for future generations.
“Among the important papers stored here are the Malay Mail newspaper published on Aug 31, 1957, citizenship certificates for the Chinese and Indian communities since the 1950s, the private letter collections from the late Perak Mufti Tan Sri Harussani Zakaria, and the Raja Billah, also known as the Mandailing Royal Family,” she said.
Discussing ANM Perak’s responsibilities in strengthening document preservation and restoration, Shahida said the archive consistently conducts visits, exhibitions, and lectures related to the importance of these matters, particularly within government departments.
“We explain the importance and request each department to transfer important records, especially those dated before 1948, to ANM Perak for preservation and restoration processes,” she said. – BERNAMA
