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Try any old keys you have around, keep any that come in with vols, ask your colleagues to trawl at home – old - fashioned wardrobe
or briefcase keys could work. I once took a selection of vols with such locks to an old-fashioned hardware store (defunct a number of years ago, but similar, or equivalent locksmiths may still hang on in places) whose staff enjoyed themselves rootling round
for odd keys to fit them. I came away with several styles.
Someone suggested – once unpicked, or if they arrive open – unscrewing the housing and removing the plate. But unless you can be sure
to keep them together that may (ironically) be more destructive than sawing or grinding, as it removes evidence of the mechanism
Jane
Please note, I do not have access to my Voice Mail messages
Jane Pudsey
Paper Conservator
My normal days hours are:
Culture Coventry Mon/Tues wk 1
024 7623 7563 Weds-Fri wk 2
From: Archivists, conservators and records managers. [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of Malcolm Barr-Hamilton
Sent: 31 December 2021 15:47
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Locked Records Advice
When I worked in a local history library/archive in the East End, our building attendant knew someone who had the necessary skills to open locks without keys. You might care to take this
approach.
Malcolm Barr-Hamilton
On Friday, 31 December 2021, 12:09:00 GMT, Thomas Poole <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
Dear All,
We've recently come across some volumes with locks clasped onto the volumes. (It's not a padlock, but a hinged clasp with a key hole, which wraps around the
end of the volume.) We don't have the keys to the volumes so unlocking them normally wouldn't seem to be an option.
I'd just wondered if anyone else had come across locks (of any kind!) on historic records and how they'd dealt with them? There doesn't seem to be much in the
way of extensive resources on this especially in an archival context. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Many thanks,
Thomas Poole
Trainee Archivist
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