• In the early decades after the census was taken, the records weren’t always stored in the ideal conditions that they’ve enjoyed since they’ve been in the care of The National Archives.

• A small number of volumes experienced water damage decades ago, which has left a legacy of mould and decay, as well as making some pages difficult to read.

• After 98 years, the documents are dusty and keeping the dust down was one of the challenges for the scanning team, as the high-tech equipment requires sterile conditions.

• Debris is carefully removed and creases smoothed with special brushes, and each document is inspected for other types of damage.

• If edges are worn or slightly torn, the sheet has to be placed in a protective sleeve so that it doesn’t rip during the scanning process.

• When conservation on a volume is complete, it is rebound until the pages are ready to be processed.