Clock Conservation
Because a clock is a complex mechanical contraption made of a variety of materials and with many small moving parts, clock preservation/conservation can be a challenging task. It is best to consult a horologist about conservation questions or for serious repairs, but there are some basic steps that can be taken to keep historical clocks in working condition. The Institute of Conservation provides an excellent guide on simple clock care at http://www.conservationregister.com/downloads/clocks.pdf. For local clock repair consult Bruce Hannon at bhannon@illinois.edu or locate a conservator at http://www.conservation-us.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Page.ViewPage&PageID=1345.
Digital Preservation
To preserve the digital images we will be providing for users, we will keep one copy of the image on the website, and another, preservation master copy in a separate location (such as another server or file storage device in another physical location from the server holding the website image). The website copy will be a JPEG file, and the website will need to be periodically audited to check the clarity of the image and to ensure that links work properly.[1] The preservation master copy will be a TIFF file.[2] The preservation master should be checked at least once a year to check the stability of the file, and new copies of the preservation master should be made about every five years.[3] Depending on the emergence of new technology, migrating the image files to a new format may need to be considered in order to preserve the image files for future use on modern systems.
For more information about digital preservation visit http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/dpm.