National Technical Museum will assist in the rescue of archival materials affected by the floods

Prague - The National Technical Museum (NTM) will provide assistance in the rescue of archival materials and 2D collection items affected by floods. In the first phase, primarily to colleagues from museums, galleries, and archives. The National Technical Museum has experience in this area that its employees gained during the floods in 2002 and in the following years. The drying facility of the museum in Prague, together with the freezing box in Čelákovice, will be ready within 48 hours. Jan Duda informed ČTK on behalf of NTM.

"We remember very well the damage that floods can cause. The first thing you need to do when rescuing archival materials is to remain as calm as possible. Sometimes even significantly damaged documents may not be irretrievably lost, and with current technologies, we can save a very high percentage of them," said NTM General Director Karel Ksandr. According to him, it is also important not to forget about personal safety and to use protective equipment such as gloves, protective suits, masks, and the like. "The National Technical Museum has activated its unique drying facility for the rescue of archival materials, including the freezing box, to assist colleagues as much as possible," he added.

The National Technical Museum has a freezing box for approximately 50 pallets. It is located in the NTM storage area in Čelákovice. The museum's drying facility is designed for drying by hand, particularly for large-scale archival materials (plans, posters). Book collections and documents up to A3 size should be dried in lyophilization chambers, which are located in the National Library in Prague and in the Technical Museum in Brno.

In the event of damage to museum and archival items, it is necessary to first classify the damaged items by material. Paper documents of any kind must be cleaned of coarse dirt with clean water. Then they should be wrapped in plastic wrap or bags in parts, labeled, and stored so that the bundles are transportable, preferably on pallets. They should then be placed in a cold location and transported for freezing as soon as possible.

3D museum collection items made of wood should be left to dry slowly after cleaning with clean water, and then restoration should be approached. Metal items must be cleaned with clean water, thoroughly dried, and then conserved with a standard preserving agent. Plaster models should be left to dry slowly without intervention. For inquiries regarding the possibility of their restoration, one can contact the conservation-restoration department of NTM or other museum institutions.